Multidecadal field data support intimate links between phytoplankton dynamics and PCB concentrations in marine sediments and biota

We analyzed three decades of field observations in the North Sea with additive models to infer spatiotemporal trends of chlorophyll a concentration, sediment organic carbon content, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in mussels and sediments. By doing so, we separated long-term chan...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Science & Technology
Main Authors: Everaert, Gert, De Laender, Frederik, Goethals, Peter, Janssen, Colin
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Earth and Environmental Sciences
NORTH-ATLANTIC OSCILLATION
PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS
TEMPORAL TRENDS
MYTILUS-EDULIS
CARBON FLUXES
ACCUMULATION
OCEAN
WATER
SEA
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6887745
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-6887745
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b01159
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6887745/file/6887764
Description
Summary:We analyzed three decades of field observations in the North Sea with additive models to infer spatiotemporal trends of chlorophyll a concentration, sediment organic carbon content, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in mussels and sediments. By doing so, we separated long-term changes in PCB concentrations from seasonal variability. Using the inferred seasonal variability, we demonstrated that phytoplankton blooms in spring and autumn correspond to the annual maxima of the organic carbon content (r = 0.56; p = 0.004) and the PCB concentrations in sediments (r = 0.57; p = 0.004). Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between the PCB concentrations in sediments and in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis; r = −0.33, p = 0.012), which is probably related to the cleansing of the dissolved PCB phase driven by sinking organic matter during phytoplankton blooms and the filter-feeding behavior of the blue mussel. The present research demonstrates the role of seasonal phytoplankton dynamics in the environmental fate of PCBs at large spatiotemporal scales.

Similar Items