Flux of Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds (PAHs) from the Atmosphere and from Reindeer/Bird Feces to Arctic Soils in Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard)

• Published in: Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 81; no. 1; pp. 166 - 181
• Main Authors: Na, Guangshui, Liang, Yuyuan, Li, Ruijing, Gao, Hui, Jin, Shuaichen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aromatic compounds; Birds; Congeners; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental protection; Feces; Fluxes; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Naphthalene; Phenanthrene; Pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Soil contamination; Soil Science & Conservation; Soils; Vapor phases; Volatilization; United States > US
• ISSN: 0090-4341; 1432-0703
• DOI: 10.1007/s00244-021-00851-1

Atmospheric, soil, and feces samples were collected in Ny-Ålesund during July 2015. The concentrations, distributions, congener profiles, and contaminant migration levels were analyzed for 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) as priority contaminants (16 PAHs). Mean concentrations in the gas and particle phases were 37.8 ng m −3 and 2.9 ng m −3 , respectively, and mean concentrations in soil and reindeer/bird feces were 329.1 ng g −1 and 720.7 ng g −1 , respectively, on a dry weight (d.w.) basis. In more than three phases, naphthalene and phenanthrene dominated the concentrations of the 16 total PAHs (Σ 16 PAH) and the concentration of PAHs in the gas phase was much higher than in the particle phase. The main sources of local PAHs may be coal combustion and air-surface exchange. There was a volatilization tendency from soil to air for 2–4 ring PAHs, and exchange fluxes were ~ 10 5 times greater than the deposition fluxes of 5–6 ring PAHs. The underground migration of PAHs was investigated in Ny-Ålesund; the results showed flux values of ~ 0.07% from the initial PAH concentrations.