title: Modeling the importance of biota and black carbon as vectors of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the Baltic Sea ecosystem.
abstract: The POPCYCLING-Baltic model, a nonsteady state spatially resolved mass balance model of chemical transport in the Baltic Sea environment was modified to include black carbon (BC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and food-web bioaccumulation. The importance of these modifications to the transport of PBDE congeners BDE-47, -99, -153, and -209 was assessed by comparing time-series simulated with and without black carbon and biota between 1970 and 2005. Inclusion of black carbon improved the model fit to measurements from air, soil, and biota, and had a major effect on the mass balance. Modeled bulk concentrations of PBDEs in sediments and soils increased by a factor of 3 while concentrations in biota decreased by a factor of 2-5. Black carbon also doubled the recovery time of the system due to the limited availability of PBDEs for degradation. In comparison, the inclusion of biota had only a minor effect on the overall mass balance and recovery times. The modified model is constructed as a flexible matrix and can also be applied to persistent organic pollutants in other ecosystems besides the Baltic Sea.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Environment Institute, Mechelininkatu 34a, P.O. Box 140 FI-00251, Helsinki, Finland. tuomas.mattila@ymparisto.fi
authors.forename: Tuomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verta
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D017753:Ecosystem; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D020387:Food Chain; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009659:North Sea; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D053260:Soot / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D053260:Soot; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether