Fate of DDTs, PCBs and chlordane compounds in the Antarctic marine ecosystem

• Main Authors: Hideaki,Hideo, Tanabe,Shinsuke, Kawano,Masahide, Tatsukawa,Ryo
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Environment Conservation,Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University/Department of Environment Conservation,Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University/Department of Environment Conservation,Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University/Department of Environment Conservation,Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University 1984
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Austral; Syowa Station; Pacific; Weddell; Antarc*; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research; Weddell Seal
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=1625; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00001625/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=1625&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Bioaccumulation and environmental behavior of DDTs, PCBs and chlordane compounds in the antarctic marine ecosystem under the fast ice were studied. Many samples such as seawater, benthic invertebrates, fishes, Weddell seal etc., were collected at the Tottuki Point where pollution by human activities has been most unlikely and from Syowa Station where some pollution is likely because of the research activities. In seawater samples, the concentration of PCBs (sum of several tens of individual chlorinated biphenyls) was found to be higher than that of ΣDDT (p, p'-DDE+p, p'-DDT), but reverse in organisms. ΣChlordane (sum of several chlordane compounds and metabolites) concentrations showed the middle level between PCBs and ΣDDT in both seawater and organisms. In higher trophic level organisms, the bioconcentration factors (BCFs) increased, and variable compositions of PCBs and chlordane compounds were also found. Concentration levels of ΣDDT and PCBs in the antarctic marine ecosystem were about two orders of magnitude lower than those in the western North Pacific. The low levels are most likely attributable to the low concentration of these chemicals in seawater under the antarctic fast ice, which might be caused by the specific environmental characteristics in the Antarctic relating to its locality being far away from the intensive regions of industrial and human activities on the earth, the ice covering and the high bioproductivity during the austral summer.