Brief communication: Organochlorine pesticides in an archived firn core from Law Dome, East Antarctica
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were, for the first time, quantified in archived firn cores from East Antarctica representative of 1945–1957 and 1958–1967 (current era, C.E.). The core sections were melted under high-purity nitrogen atmosphere, and the meltwater was analysed....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-10-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/2533/2016/tc-10-2533-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were, for the first time,
quantified in archived firn cores from East Antarctica representative of
1945–1957 and 1958–1967 (current era, C.E.). The core sections were melted
under high-purity nitrogen atmosphere, and the meltwater was analysed. Methods
allowed quantification of hexachlorocyclohexanes, heptachlor,
trans-chlordane, dieldrin and endrin. While the core presented evidence of
nominal contamination by modern-use chemicals, indicating handling and/or
storage contamination, legacy OCP concentrations and deposition rates
reported are orders of magnitude lower than those from Arctic regions,
lending support for their validity. The study further provides a description
of equipment used and suggests methods to overcome logistical challenges
associated with trace organic contaminant detection in polar regions. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |