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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Transport of Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances and the Replacement Compound HFPO-DA through the Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean-Is the Arctic a Sink or a Source?

Authors: Joerss, Hanna; Xie, Zhiyong; Wagner, Charlotte C; von Appen, Wilken-Jon; Sunderland, Elsie M; Ebinghaus, Ralf

Published In Environ Sci Technol, (2020 08 18)

Abstract: The spatial distribution of 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in seawater was investigated along a sampling transect from Europe to the Arctic and two transects within Fram Strait, located between Greenland and Svalbard, in the summer of 2018. Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA), a replacement compound for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was detected in Arctic seawater for the first time. This provides evidence for its long-range transport to remote areas. The total PFAS concentration was significantly enriched in the cold, low-salinity surface water exiting the Arctic compared to warmer, higher-salinity water from the North Atlantic entering the Arctic (260 ± 20 pg/L versus 190 ± 10 pg/L). The higher ratio of perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) to perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) in outflowing water from the Arctic suggests a higher contribution of atmospheric sources compared to ocean circulation. An east-west cross section of the Fram Strait, which included seven depth profiles, revealed higher PFAS concentrations in the surface water layer than in intermediate waters and a negligible intrusion into deep waters (>1000 m). Mass transport estimates indicated a net inflow of PFASs with ≥8 perfluorinated carbons via the boundary currents and a net outflow of shorter-chain homologues. We hypothesize that this reflects higher contributions from atmospheric sources to the Arctic outflow and a higher retention of the long-chain compounds in melting snow and ice.

PubMed ID: 32806910 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Arctic Regions; Environmental Monitoring; Europe; Fluorocarbons*/analysis; Greenland; Oceans and Seas; Oxides; Seawater; Svalbard; Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis

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