title: Modeling the effect of snow and ice on the global environmental fate and long-range transport potential of semivolatile organic compounds.
abstract: Snow and ice have been implemented in a global multimedia box model to investigate the influence of these media on the environmental fate and long-range transport (LRT) of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs). Investigated compounds include HCB, PCB28, PCB180, PBDE47, PBDE209, alpha-HCH, and dacthal. In low latitudes, snow acts as a transfer medium taking up chemicals from air and releasing them to water or soil during snowmelt. In high latitudes, snow and ice shield water, soil, and vegetation from chemical deposition. In the model version including snow and ice (scenario 2), the mass of chemicals in soil in high latitudes is between 27% (HCB) and 97% (alpha-HCH) of the mass calculated with the model version without snow and ice (scenario 1). Amounts in Arctic seawater in scenario 2 are 8% (alpha-HCH) to 21% (dacthal) of the amounts obtained in scenario 1. For all investigated chemicals except alpha-HCH, presence of snow and ice in the model increases the concentration in air by a factor of 2 (HCB)to 10 (PBDE209). Because of reduced net deposition to snow-covered surfaces in high latitudes, LRT to the Arctic is reduced for most chemicals whereas transport to the south is more pronounced than in scenario 1 ("southward shift"). The presence of snow and ice thus considerably changes the environmental fate of SOCs.
authors.affiliation: Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, HCI G127, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stocker
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheringer
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wegmann
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hungerbuhler
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D001692:Biological Transport; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D007053:Ice; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D063245:Plant Development; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012914:Snow; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D007053:Ice; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls