Persistent organic pollutants in krill from the Bellingshausen, South Scotia, and Weddell Seas.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) reach Antarctica through atmospheric transport, oceanic currents, and to minor extent, by migratory animals. The Southern Ocean is a net sink for many POPs, with a key contribution of the settling fluxes of POPs bound to organic matter (biological pump). However, little is known about POP transfer through the food web in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic waters, where krill is an important ecological node. In this study, we assessed the occurrence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) from the Bellingshausen, South Scotia and Weddell Seas around the Antarctic Peninsula. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PBDEs and PCBs in krill showed a large variability and the average were higher (generally within a factor 3) than those previously reported for eastern Antarctica. This result highlights regional differences related to atmospheric transport and deposition, and also probable regional sources due to human activities. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification factors for PCBs in krill were estimated using previously reported phytoplankton and seawater concentrations for this region. These suggested a near water-krill equilibrium for PCBs, which was not observed for water-phytoplankton partitioning. The estimated removal settling fluxes of PCBs due to the biological pump were several orders of magnitude higher than the estimated fluxes of PCBs transferred from phytoplankton to krill.
['Galbán-Malagón|Cristóbal J|CJ|', 'Hernán|Gema|G|', 'Abad|Esteban|E|', 'Dachs|Jordi|J|']
D000818:Animals D000864:Antarctic Regions D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated D004784:Environmental Monitoring D033201:Euphausiacea D020387:Food Chain D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers D009792:Oceans and Seas D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins D012623:Seawater D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Krill POPs Antarctica Southern Ocean Biological pump Water Phytoplankton Cycling