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Blast from the Past: Melting Glaciers as a Relevant Source for Persistent Organic Pollutants
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ETH Zurich.
, ‡Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research.
, §Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
Section:Abstract
In this study, the hypothesis that melting Alpine glaciers may represent a secondary source of persistent organic chemicals is investigated. To this end, a dated sediment core from a glacier-fed lake (Lake Oberaar, Switzerland) was analyzed for a wide range of persistent organic pollutants, organochlorine pesticides, and synthetic musk fragrances. Input fluxes of all organochlorines increased in the 1950s, peaked in the 1960s−1970s, and decreased again to low levels in the 1980s−1990s. This observation reflects the emission history of these compounds and technical improvements and regulations leading to reduced emissions some decades ago. The input of synthetic musks remained at a high level in the 1950s−1990s, which is consistent with their relatively constant production throughout the second half of the 20th century. Since the late 1990s, input of all compound classes into the high-Alpine Lake Oberaar has increased sharply. Currently, input fluxes of organochlorines are similar to or even higher than in the 1960s−1970s. This second peak supports the hypothesis that there is a relevant release of persistent organic chemicals from melting Alpine glaciers. Considering ongoing global warming and accelerated massive glacier melting predicted for the future, our study indicates the potential for dire environmental impacts due to pollutants delivered into pristine mountainous areas.
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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).
The Missing Piece: Sediment Records in Remote Mountain Lakes Confirm Glaciers Being Secondary Sources of Persistent Organic Pollutants
Peter Schmid, Christian Bogdal, Nancy Blüthgen, Flavio S. Anselmetti, Alois Zwyssig, and Konrad HungerbühlerEnvironmental Science & Technology2011 45 (1), 203-208The Missing Piece: Sediment Records in Remote Mountain Lakes Confirm Glaciers Being Secondary Sources of Persistent Organic Pollutants
Peter Schmid, Christian Bogdal, Nancy Blüthgen, Flavio S. Anselmetti, Alois Zwyssig, and Konrad HungerbühlerEnvironmental Science & Technology2011 45 (1), 203-208After atmospheric deposition and storage in the ice, glaciers are temporary reservoirs of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Recently, the hypothesis that melting glaciers represent secondary sources of these pollutants has been introduced by ...
Release of Legacy Pollutants from Melting Glaciers: Model Evidence and Conceptual Understanding
Christian Bogdal, Divna Nikolic, Martin P. Lüthi, Urs Schenker, Martin Scheringer and Konrad HungerbühlerEnvironmental Science & Technology2010 44 (11), 4063-4069Release of Legacy Pollutants from Melting Glaciers: Model Evidence and Conceptual Understanding
Christian Bogdal, Divna Nikolic, Martin P. Lüthi, Urs Schenker, Martin Scheringer and Konrad HungerbühlerEnvironmental Science & Technology2010 44 (11), 4063-4069Recently, increasing concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been observed in the sediment of glacier-fed Lake Oberaar, Switzerland. Melting glaciers have been suggested as a secondary source of POPs released to Alpine lakes. Here we ...
Post 17th-Century Changes of European PAH Emissions Recorded in High-Altitude Alpine Snow and Ice
Jacopo Gabrieli, Paul Vallelonga, Giulio Cozzi, Paolo Gabrielli, Andrea Gambaro, Michael Sigl, Fabio Decet, Margit Schwikowski, Heinz Gäggeler, Claude Boutron, Paolo Cescon and Carlo BarbanteEnvironmental Science & Technology2010 44 (9), 3260-3266Post 17th-Century Changes of European PAH Emissions Recorded in High-Altitude Alpine Snow and Ice
Jacopo Gabrieli, Paul Vallelonga, Giulio Cozzi, Paolo Gabrielli, Andrea Gambaro, Michael Sigl, Fabio Decet, Margit Schwikowski, Heinz Gäggeler, Claude Boutron, Paolo Cescon and Carlo BarbanteEnvironmental Science & Technology2010 44 (9), 3260-3266The occurrence of organic pollutants in European Alpine snow/ice has been reconstructed over the past three centuries using a new online extraction method for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) followed by liquid chromatographic determination. The ...
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History
- Published In Issue November 01, 2009
- Article ASAPSeptember 24, 2009
- Received: June 3, 2009
Revised: August 4, 2009
Accepted: August 31, 2009
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