Seasonal Variation of Legacy Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) from East
Asia to the Arctic Ocean
Abstract
Large-scale field investigations of 7 legacy organochlorine pesticides
(OCPs) in the surface seawater and atmosphere from East Asia to the high
Arctic Ocean were completed in 2017 and 2016. Seawater OCPs (SOCPs)
concentrations displayed rapid and significant seasonal variations
during mid-late summer. The ocean is the most significant
atmospheric-OCP source region for the Arctic, and feedback affects the
mid or low latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The legacy OCP
concentrations in the Arctic Ocean were shown to gradually decrease with
distance from water masses originating in the Bering Sea and the
landmass of Alaska. This study is the first updated investigation of
OCPs along the North Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean transect in the
past decade. It provides updated field data on the global fate of OCPs
in a region undergoing rapid climate change.