PARENT SESSION

IP09 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
B113 & B114
1:20 PM - 4:40 PM, Wednesday

(IP072) Persistent organic pollutants in ambient air at Barrow, Alaska.

Patton, G¹, Fellin, P², Stern, G ³, Barrie, L⁴, Fortman, T¹, ¹ Battelle Pacific Northwest Division, Richland, WA, USA² AirZoneOne, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada³ Freshwater Institute of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada⁴ World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

ABSTRACT- High volume ambient air samples were collected at the Barrow, Alaska NOAA baseline air chemistry laboratory and analyzed for persistent organic pollutants. From March 2002 to May 2003, weekly average atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured. The current data set provides trend information for the early spring to mid-summer period. The observed concentration ranges and dominant PAHs were reasonably similar to observations at other northern air monitoring locations (Alert, Dunay, and Tagish). However, the Barrow data show a slight increase in PAH levels from late winter to summer, which is different from other northern locations that typically have increased PAHs in the winter. Generally, the organochlorine pesticide levels observed at Barrow are similar to levels at Alert, Dunay, and Tagish; however, the chlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), chlordane, mirex, and toxaphene groups were somewhat lower at Barrow. The air concentration of the industrial chemical, pentachloroanisole was typically higher at Barrow, but the analytical results were variable. Changing ratios of -HCH/-HCH, trans-chlordane/cis-chlordane, and DDE/DDT were observed and may provide insight into the history of the air masses sampled at Barrow. The concentrations for total PCBs at Barrow were similar to values reported at Alert, Tagish, and Dunay. PCB levels at Barrow were similar to levels at other northern sites, with the trichlorinated homolog having the highest concentrations and showing little indication of seasonal trends. This report provides the first summary data and information for the Barrow air sampling station. Additional work will complete the year-long trend assessment, compare Barrow and other northern locations monitoring data, and utilize NOAAs HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model to determine air mass origins.

Key words: Barrow, persistent organic pollutants, air sampling, pesticides