TY - JOUR

T1 - Polyfluorinated compounds in the atmosphere of the Atlantic and Southern Oceans

T2 - Evidence for a global distribution

AU - Dreyer, Annekatrin

AU - Weinberg, Ingo

AU - Temme, Christian

AU - Ebinghaus, Ralf

PY - 2009/9/1

Y1 - 2009/9/1

N2 - High volume air samples taken onboard several research vessels in the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Baltic Sea as well as at one land-based site close to Hamburg, Germany, in 2007 and 2008 were analyzed for per- and polyfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs). A set of neutral, volatile PFCs such as fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH) or perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides and ionic nonvolatile PFCs like perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCA) and sulfonates (PFSA) were collected on PUF/XAD-2/PUF cartridges and glass fiber filters and determined using GC-MS and HPLC-MS/MS. PFCs were detected in all air samples, even in Antarctic regions, and occurred predominantly in the gas phase. Total gas-phase concentrations of ship-based samples ranged from 4.5 pg m-3 in the Southern Ocean to 335 pgm-3 in European source regions. Concentrations of 8:2 FTOH, the analyte that was usually observed in highest concentrations, were between 1.8 and 130 pg m-3. PFC concentrations decreased from continental regions toward marine regions and from Central Europe toward the Arctic and Antarctica. Southern hemispheric concentrations of individual PFCs were significantly lower than those of the northern hemisphere. On the basis of this data set, marine background PFC concentrations and atmospheric residence times were calculated. This study gives further evidence that volatile PFCs undergo atmospheric long-range transport to remote regions and may contribute to their contamination with persistent PFCA and PFSA.

AB - High volume air samples taken onboard several research vessels in the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Baltic Sea as well as at one land-based site close to Hamburg, Germany, in 2007 and 2008 were analyzed for per- and polyfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs). A set of neutral, volatile PFCs such as fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH) or perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides and ionic nonvolatile PFCs like perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCA) and sulfonates (PFSA) were collected on PUF/XAD-2/PUF cartridges and glass fiber filters and determined using GC-MS and HPLC-MS/MS. PFCs were detected in all air samples, even in Antarctic regions, and occurred predominantly in the gas phase. Total gas-phase concentrations of ship-based samples ranged from 4.5 pg m-3 in the Southern Ocean to 335 pgm-3 in European source regions. Concentrations of 8:2 FTOH, the analyte that was usually observed in highest concentrations, were between 1.8 and 130 pg m-3. PFC concentrations decreased from continental regions toward marine regions and from Central Europe toward the Arctic and Antarctica. Southern hemispheric concentrations of individual PFCs were significantly lower than those of the northern hemisphere. On the basis of this data set, marine background PFC concentrations and atmospheric residence times were calculated. This study gives further evidence that volatile PFCs undergo atmospheric long-range transport to remote regions and may contribute to their contamination with persistent PFCA and PFSA.

KW - Chemistry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=69549110666&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/es9010465

DO - 10.1021/es9010465

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 19764209

AN - SCOPUS:69549110666

VL - 43

SP - 6507

EP - 6514

JO - Environmental Science and Technology

JF - Environmental Science and Technology

SN - 0013-936X

IS - 17

ER -