Occurrence, distribution and pollution pattern of legacy and emerging organic pollutants in surface water of the Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway): Environmental contamination, seasonal trend and climate change

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Ademollo, Nicoletta, Spataro, Francesca, Rauseo, Jasmin, Pescatore, Tanita, Fattorini, Niccolò, Valsecchi, Sara, Polesello, Stefano, Patrolecco, Luisa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change; Endocrine disrupting compound; Generalized linear model; New POP; PAHs; Norway; Svalbard; glacier; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1225135; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111900; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X20310183?via=ihub

This work aimed to investigate the contamination pattern in Kongsfjorden marine environment (Svalbard, 79 degrees N 12 degrees E) and to disentangle primary and secondary emissions. Surface seawater, sampled in two seasons, was analysed by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS to detect polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nonylphenols (NPs), bisphenol A (BPA) and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluomalkyl substances (PFASs). In summer, average Sigma PAHs, BPA, Sigma NPs, Sigma PFASs and Sigma PCBs concentrations were 17.3 +/- 11.1 ng/L, 0.9 +/- 0.3 ng/L, 10.0 +/- 6.9 ng/L, 0.4 +/- 0.7 ng/L and 1.8 +/- 1.3 pg/L, respectively; while in winter, they were 13.6 +/- 10.1 ng/L, 0.5 +/- 0.2 ng/L, 6.8 +/- 3.3 ng/L, LOD and 0.6 +/- 0.4 pg/L, respectively. The application of generalized linear models (GLMs) highlighted that: PEAS pattern agrees their predominant long-range hydrospheric transport; the additive effect of the distance to glacier and harbour affected PAH, NP and BPA distributions; the additive effect of season and distance from the glacier, but not their interaction, influenced PCBs distribution, indicating melting glaciers as potential secondary POP sources.