title: Seasonal accumulation of persistent organic pollutants on a high altitude glacier in the Eastern Alps.
abstract: The seasonal accumulations of perfluorinated substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured in a 10 m shallow firn core from a high altitude glacier at Mt. Ortles (Italy, 3830 m above sea level) in South Tyrol in the Italian Eastern Alps. The most abundant persistent organic pollutants of each group were perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (for PFASs); BDE 47, BDE 99, BDE 209 (for PBDEs) and phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthene (FLA) and pyrene (PYR) (for PAHs). All compounds show different extents of seasonality, with higher accumulation during summer time compared to winter. This seasonal difference mainly reflects meteorological conditions with a low and stable atmospheric boundary layer in winter and strong convective activity in summer, transformation processes during the transport of chemicals and/or post-depositional alterations. Change in the composition of the water-soluble PFCAs demonstrates the influence of meltwater percolation through the firn layers.
authors.affiliation: Department for Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Coastal Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, Germany; Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy; Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany. Electronic address: kirchgeorg@unive.it.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchgeorg
authors.affiliation: Department for Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Coastal Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, Germany; Air Monitoring, Eurofins GfA GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dreyer
authors.affiliation: Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and School of Earth Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gabrielli
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes, National Council of Research (IDPA-CNR), Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gabrieli
authors.affiliation: Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and School of Earth Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany; Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes, National Council of Research (IDPA-CNR), Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbante
authors.affiliation: Department for Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Coastal Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ebinghaus
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000531:Altitude; D002210:Caprylates / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D046448:Ice Cover / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: C477694:2,2',4,4',5-brominated diphenyl ether; D000393:Air Pollutants; D002210:Caprylates; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; C511295:2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether; C033094:perfluorobutyric acid; C101816:perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C010902:decabromobiphenyl ether
keywords: European Alps; Glacier; PAH; PBDE; PFAS