1
|
Pala N, Vorkamp K, Bossi R, Ancora S, Ademollo N, Baroni D, Sarà G, Corsolini S. Chemical threats for the sentinel Pygoscelis adeliae from the Ross Sea (Antarctica): Occurrence and levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and mercury within the largest marine protected area worldwide. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 947:174562. [PMID: 38981544 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
The Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (RS-MPA) hosts endemic species that have to cope with multiple threats, including chemical contamination. Adèlie penguin is considered a good sentinel species for monitoring pollutants. Here, 23 unhatched eggs, collected from three colonies along the Ross Sea coasts, were analysed to provide updated results on legacy pollutants and establish a baseline for newer ones. Average sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (∑PCBs) at the three colonies ranged 20.9-24.3 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and included PCBs IUPAC nos. 28, 118, 153, 138, 180. PCBs were dominated by hexachlorinated congeners as previously reported. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) ranged between 134 and 166 and 181-228 ng/g lw, respectively. Overall, ∑PCBs was exceeded by pesticides, contrary to previous studies from the Ross Sea. Sum of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (∑PBDEs) ranged between 0.90 and 1.18 ng/g lw and consisted of BDE-47 (that prevailed as expected, representing 60-80 % of the ∑PBDEs) and BDE-85. Sum of perfluoroalkyl substances (∑PFAS) ranged from 1.04 to 1.53 ng/g wet weight and comprised five long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) was also detected. The PFAS profile was dominated by PFCAs as already observed in Arctic seabirds. Mercury ranged from 0.07 to 0.15 mg/kg dry weight similarly to previous studies. Legacy pollutants confirmed their ongoing presence in Antarctic biota and their levels seemed mostly in line with the past, but with minor variations in some cases, likely due to continued input or release from past reservoirs. PFAS were reported for the first time in penguins from the Ross Sea, highlighting their ubiquity. Although further studies would be useful to increase the sample size and accordingly improve our knowledge on spatial and temporal trends, this study provides interesting data for future monitoring programs within the RS-MPA that will be crucial to test its effectiveness against human impacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Pala
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Katrin Vorkamp
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rossana Bossi
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Stefania Ancora
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Ademollo
- Institute of Polar Sciences, Italian National Research Council (ISP-CNR), Via P. Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - Davide Baroni
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Gianluca Sarà
- Department of Earth and Marine Science (DiSTeM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Simonetta Corsolini
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; Institute of Polar Sciences, Italian National Research Council (ISP-CNR), Via P. Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu H, Zheng W, Gao Y, Yang L, Yue F, Huang T, Xie Z. Increased Contribution of Circumpolar Deep Water Upwelling to Methylmercury in the Upper Ocean around Antarctica: Evidence from Mercury Isotopes in the Ornithogenic Sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:2762-2773. [PMID: 38294849 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Upwelling plays a pivotal role in supplying methylmercury (MeHg) to the upper oceans, contributing to the bioaccumulation of MeHg in the marine food web. However, the influence of the upwelling of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), the most voluminous water mass in the Southern Ocean, on the MeHg cycle in the surrounding oceans and marine biota of Antarctica remains unclear. Here, we study the mercury (Hg) isotopes in an ornithogenic sedimentary profile strongly influenced by penguin activity on Ross Island, Antarctica. Results indicate that penguin guano is the primary source of Hg in the sediments, and the mass-independent isotope fractionation of Hg (represented by Δ199Hg) can provide insights on the source of marine MeHg accumulated by penguin. The Δ199Hg in the sediments shows a significant decrease at ∼1550 CE, which is primarily attributed to the enhanced upwelling of CDW that brought more MeHg with lower Δ199Hg from the deeper seawater to the upper ocean. We estimate that the contribution of MeHg from the deeper seawater may reach more than 38% in order to explain the decline in Δ199Hg at ∼1550 CE. Moreover, we found that the intensified upwelling may have increased the MeHg exposure for marine organisms, highlighting the importance of CDW upwelling on the MeHg cycle in Antarctic coastal ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Liu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Wang Zheng
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Yuesong Gao
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Lianjiao Yang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Fange Yue
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Tao Huang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Zhouqing Xie
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| |
Collapse
|