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The Troll Atmospheric Station in Antarctica (72°01'S, 2°32'E, 1309 m a.s.l.) was established and put into operation in early 2007. The main foci of the measurement programme are pollution and aerosols in the transition zone between the coastal zone and the inland ice plateau, complementing existing observation programmes along the Antarctic coast and on the Antarctic Plateau. After one year of operation, the monitoring programme is fully operative, and a comprehensive set of data is being analysed. As far as comparable data are available, there is satisfactory agreement between previous and new data. Both aerosol data and measurements of pollution indicate the episodic influence of coastal air masses throughout the year. Background values of medium long-lived pollutants such as CO, O3 and Hg are up to 50% lower than at corresponding Arctic sites (depending on the season), but are still significant. Total ozone and UV doses manifest the recurring Antarctic stratospheric ozone hole, which was moderately severe, but very persistent in 2007. Specific episodes of elevated aerosol concentration and mercury activation are currently under detailed investigation, and will be published separately.

A baseline for persistent organohalogen compound (POC) accumulation in the Antarctic keystone species, Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) has been established for a 50° longitudinal range of the eastern Antarctic sector. Samples of adult krill, caught from 12 sites distributed between 30° and 80°E (60–70°S), were analysed for >100 organohalogen compounds including chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated organic compounds and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs). Organochlorine pesticides dominated measured krill contaminant burdens with hexachlorobenzene (HCB) as the single most abundant compound quantified. Krill HCB concentrations were comparable to those detected at this trophic level in both the Arctic and temperate northwest Atlantic, lending support for the hypothesis that HCB will approach global equilibrium at a faster rate than other POCs. Para, para′-dichlorodiphenylethene (p,p′-DDE) was detected at notable concentrations. Measurements of DDT and its degradation products provide an important baseline for monitoring the temporal and geographical influence of renewed, DDT usage for malaria-control in affected southern hemisphere countries. In contrast to the Arctic, PCBs did not feature prominently in contaminant burdens of Antarctic krill. The major commercial polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners -99 and -47 were quantified at low background levels with clear concentration spikes observed at around 70°E , in the vicinity of modern, active research stations. The likelihood that local anthropogenic activities are supplementing low PBDE levels, delivered otherwise primarily via long range environmental transport, is discussed. The suspected naturally occurring brominated organic compound, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), was a ubiquitous contaminant in all samples whereas the only PCDD/Fs quantifiable were trace levels of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and 1,2,3,4,7,8/1,2,3,4,7,9-hexachlorodibenzofuran (HxCDF). With the aims of; i) Generating a robust and broadly applicable POC auditing platform for the scarcely studied eastern Antarctic sector; ii) Determining the compounds accumulating in Antarctic krill for further toxicity evaluation studies and iii) Establishing a baseline for Antarctic predator exposure to POCs, this study represents one of the most comprehensive reports of POC contamination of the Antarctic food web to date.

Bioremediation in cold climates is frequently regarded with skepticism. Owners of polluted sites and regulatory agencies may doubt the effectiveness of biological degradation at near freezing temperatures. While it is true that biodegradation rates decrease with decreasing temperatures, this does not mean that bioremediation is inappropriate for cold regions. Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons occurs even around 0 °C (Chapter 4). In remote alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic locations, excavation and shipping of contaminated soil may be prohibitively expensive. Bioremediation may be the most cost-effective alternative. This chapter discusses microbial adaptation to cold temperatures as well as results of laboratory and field studies of bioremediation at low temperatures.Microorganisms can grow at temperatures ranging from subzero to more than 100 °C. Microbes are divided into four groups based on the range of temperature at which they can grow. The psychrophiles grows at temperatures below 20 °C, the mesophiles between 20 °C and 44 °C, the thermophiles between 45 °C and 70 °C, and the hyperthermophiles require growth temperatures above 70 °C to over 110 °C. The term “cold-adapted microorganisms” (CAMs) is frequently used for describing bacteria growing at or close to zero degrees Celsius. Depending on the cardinal temperatures (the minimal, the optimal, and the maximum growth temperature), CAMs can be classified as psychrophiles or psychrotrophs. Morita's (1975) definition, which holds that psychrophiles have a maximum growth temperature of less than 20 °C and an optimal growth temperature of less than 15 °C, while psychrotrophs have a maximum temperature of 40 °C and an optimal growth temperature higher than 15 °C, is widely accepted.

Oil and fuel spills are among the most extensive and environmentally damaging pollution problems in cold regions and are recognized as potential threats to human and ecosystem health. It is generally thought that spills are more damaging in cold regions, and that ecosystem recovery is slower than in warmer climates (AMAP 1998; Det Norske Veritas 2003). Slow natural attenuation rates mean that petroleum concentrations remain high for many years, and site managers are therefore often forced to select among a range of more active remediation options, each of which involves a trade-off between cost and treatment time (Figure 11). The acceptable treatment timeline is usually dictated by financial circumstance, perceived risks, regulatory pressure, or transfer of land ownership.In situations where remediation and site closure are not urgent, natural attenuation is often considered an option. However, for many cold region sites, contaminants rapidly migrate off-site (Gore et al. 1999; Snape et al. 2006a). In seasonally frozen ground, especially in wetlands, a pulse of contamination is often released with each summer thaw (AMAP 1998; Snape et al. 2002). In these circumstances natural attenuation is likely not a satisfactory option. Simply excavating contaminants and removing them for off-site treatment may not be viable either, because the costs are often prohibitive and the environmental consequences of bulk extraction can equal or exceed the damage caused by the initial spill (Filler et al. 2006; Riser-Roberts 1998).

The concentrations of copper, zinc, cadmium, selenium and mercury were determined in eggs, muscle, liver, kidney and stomach content of nestlings and adults of the Antarctic petrel, Thalassoica antarctica, and its predator, the south polar skua, Chataracta maccormicki, from Svarthamaren, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The dominant food of the petrels is krill, Euphausia superba. The results show relatively high levels of cadmium in krill, which is assumed to be the main reason for the high levels of cadmium in petrels and skuas. Cadmium is almost absent in eggs, but accumulates very rapidly with age in nestlings. The copper concentrations in livers of nestling petrels reach very high levels during growth. This may be seen in connection with physiological development processes. Mercury seems to be accumulated with age and between trophic levels. Among the nestlings, the mercury levels decrease with increasing age, which may be accomplished by the excretion of mercury through the growth of feathers and as a dilution effect during growth. Selenium and mercury are inversely correlated in nestlings. The levels of zinc were similar for different nestling stages and between nestlings and adults in skuas and petrels.

Q1, an organochlorine component with the molecular formula C(9)H(3)Cl(7)N(2) and of unknown origin was recently identified in seal blubber samples from the Namibian coast (southwest of Africa) and the Antarctic. In these samples, Q1 was more abundant than PCBs and on the level of DDT residues. Furthermore, Q1 was more abundant in seals from the Antarctic than the Arctic. To prove this assumption, gas chromatography-electron-capture negative ion mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI-MS), which is sensitive and selective for Q1, allowed for screening of traces of Q1 even in samples with particularly high levels of other organochlorine contaminants. Q1 was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from a skua liver sample. A 1:1 mixture with trans-nonachlor in electron-capture detectors (ECDs) was used to determine the relative response factor with ECNI-MS. The ECNI-MS response of Q1 turned out to be 4.5 times higher than that of trans-nonachlor in an ECD. With GC/ECNI-MS in the selected ion-monitoring mode, four Antarctic and four Arctic air samples were investigated for the presence of Q1. In the Antarctic air samples, Q1 levels ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 fg/m(3). In Arctic air samples, however, Q1 was below the detection limit (<0.06 fg/m(3) or 60 ag/m(3)). We also report on high Q1 levels in selected human milk samples (12-230 microg/kg lipid) and, therefore, suggested that the unknown Q1 is an environmental compound whose origin and distribution should be investigated in detail. Our data confirm that Q1 is a bioaccumulative natural organochlorine product. Detection of a highly chlorinated natural organochlorine compound in air and human milk is novel.