Factors Governing the Atmospheric Deposition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons to Remote Areas

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 37; no. 15; pp. 3261 - 3267
• Main Authors: Fernández, Pilar, Carrera, Guillem, Grimalt, Joan O, Ventura, Marc, Camarero, Lluís, Catalan, Jordi, Nickus, Ulrike, Thies, Hansjörg, Psenner, Roland
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.08.2003
• Subjects: Air Movements; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring; Europe; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrocarbons; Molecular Weight; Mountains; Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Rain; Temperature; Volatilization; Austria; Scandinavia; Europe; Spain; Pyrenees Mountains; Alps; Caledonian Mountains; Europe, Pyrenees Mts; Europe, Alps Mts; Atmospheric condition; Atmospheric fallout; Hydrocarbon; Pollutant behavior; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Wet deposition; Dry deposition; Persistent organic pollutant; Flux density; Mountain; Medium effect; Air pollution; Molecular mass
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es020137k

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured in bulk atmospheric deposition collected in three remote areas of Europe during 1997−1998. Mean total PAH fluxes over a period of 18 months were 1560 ± 750 and 1150 ± 630 ng m-2 mo-1 in the Pyrenees and the Alps, respectively. In the Caledonian mountains (Scandinavia) the observed mean fluxes were 1900 ± 940 ng m-2 mo-1 (6 month collection). Similar qualitative PAH compositions (p values <0.05) in the bulk atmospheric deposition have been observed between sites, which are dominated by the more volatile parent compounds. The main differences between lakes are related to the high molecular weight compounds. Atmospheric deposition of PAH to these remote sites appears to be independent of their concentrations in the atmosphere, which are similar between sites (in the range of 1.8−3.0 ng·m-3), being controlled mainly by particle deposition, followed by precipitation and air temperature. A multilevel regression model including these three variables accounted for 74% of the total variability in total PAH bulk deposition; however, the contribution of each variable in the model is compound and site-dependent. The deposition of high molecular weight PAH depends more on particle deposition and precipitation, whereas air temperature is the main factor controlling the deposition fluxes of the low molecular weight PAH.