Trends of POP concentrations in air and deposition in the northern Europe

Eva Brorström-Lundén, Katarina Strömberg Erika Junedahl and Anna Palm

Swedish Environmental Research Institute, IVL

Sirkka Leppanen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI

Atmospheric Concentrations and Deposition Fluxes of POPs in Scandinavia

• Seasonal variations

• Spatial variations

• Time trends

Measurements of POPs

Research program 1989-1994

Measurements of POPs have been carried at coastal and sea based stations at the Swedish west coast

Monitoring program 1994-

Measurements of POPs were included in the Swedish monitoring program for air pollutants - One station at the Swedish west coast, Rörvik

Included in the EUROTRAC subproject MEPOP

Measurements of POPs

Monitoring program 1996-

One additional station located in the northern of Finland was included in the Swedish monitoring program, Pallas

These measurements are carried out as a Swedish (IVL)and Finnish (FMI) co-operation.

Location of the sampling sites

Rörvik

Pallas

Sweden Finland

Norway

Measurement program

Measurements of POPs in air and deposition are carried out simultaneously at the two sites with a frequency of one week per month.

Measurement technique air High volume air sampler (HVS)

PUF plugs for collecting POPs i the gas phase and a glas fiber filter for particle bound POPs

Measurement technique deposition

Bulk sampler

1 m2 Teflon coated surface with 10 cm edges and a PUF cassette in the centre.

A modified sampler are used for snow collection at Pallas.

The deposition samples include both precipitation and deposited particles.

POPs in the program

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (11 PAHs)

Polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs (IUPAC no:s 28, 52,101, 18,153, 138, 180)

Hexachlorocyclohexanes (alpha- and gamma HCH)

POPs which differ in chemical and physical properties and with different exposure pattern

The atmospheric concentrations of PAHs at Rörvik 1989-2000: Time trends and seasonal variation

05

1015202530354045

Jan-

89

Feb

-89

Feb

-90

Mar

-91

Apr

-91

Jun-

92

Dec

-92

Mar

-94

Sep

-94

Jan-

95

Jun-

95

Nov

-95

Mar

-96

Aug

-96

May

-97

Oct

-97

Feb

-98

Jul-9

8

Dec

-98

Apr

-99

Sep

-99

May

-00

Oct

-00

Sum 11 PAHng/m3

Phenanhrene-Indeno(cd)pyrene

localsource

The yearly average concentrations of PAHs in airat Rörvik 1994-2000

Data from April 1995 has been excluded

0

1

2

3

4

5

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Sum PAHng/m3

The atmospheric concentrations of B(a)P at Rörvik and Pallas: Spatial and seasonal variations during 1996-2000

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

Jan

Apr

Jul

Okt

Mar

Jun

Sep

Dec

Feb

May

Aug

Nov

Jan

Apr

Jul

Okt

Mar

Jun

Sep

Dec

Rörvik

Pallas

ng/m3

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Benzo(a)pyrene

The atmospheric concentrations of PCBs at Rörvik 1989-2000: Time trends and seasonal variation

0

2040

60

80

100120

140

Jan-

89

Feb-

89

Feb-

90

Mar

-91

Apr-

91

Jun-

92

Dec

-92

Mar

-94

Sep-

94

Jan-

95

Jun-

95

Nov

-95

Mar

-96

Aug-

96

May

-97

Oct

-97

Feb-

98

Jul-9

8

Dec

-98

Apr-

99

Sep-

99

May

-00

Oct

-00

Sum 7 PCBpg/m3

IUPAC: 28,52,101,118,153, 138, 180

Time trends in air The yearly average concentrations of PCB 28 and PCB 153

Rörvik 1995-2000

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

PCB 153

PCB 28

pg/m3

The atmospheric concentrations of PCBs at Rörvik and Pallas: Spatial and seasonal variations during 1996-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Jan

May

Sep

Ap

r

Au

g

Dec

Mar

Jul

No

v

Feb

Jun

Okt

Jan

May

Sep

Rörvik Pallaspg/m3

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Sum PCB

The atmospheric concentrations of HCHs at the Swedish west coast Rörvik 1989-1999

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

18001

98

9

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

92

19

94

19

94

19

95

19

95

19

96

19

96

19

97

19

97

19

98

19

98

19

99

19

99

a-HCH g-HCH

pg/m3

The yearly average concentrations of HCHs at Rörvik1994 -1999

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

a-HCH g-HCH

pg/m3

The atmospheric concentrations of HCHs at the Swedish west coast and in the northern Finland: Spatial and seasonal variations during 1996-1999

0

20

40

60

80

100

Jan

Ap

r

Ju

l

Okt

Mar

Ju

n

Sep

Dec

Feb

Maj

Au

g

No

v

Jan

Ap

r

Ju

l

Okt

Rörvikpg/m3

1996 199919981997

0102030405060708090

100

Ja

n

Ma

j

Se

p

Ap

r

Au

g

De

c

Ma

r

Ju

l

No

v

Fe

b

Ju

n

Ok

t

alpha-HCH gamma-HCH

Pallaspg/m3

1996 19991997 1998

POPs in the atmosphere

Conclusions

• A seasonal variation are observed:

The PAH levels are highest in the winter

The PCB and HCH levels are highest during the summer

• The atmospheric concentrations of PCBs and HCHs at the Swedish west coast have decreased between 1989-2000

• The PAH levels are higher in the south compared to the north while the levels of PCBs and HCHs in Pallas and Rörvik are similar. Evidence for long-range transport

Deposition Fluxes of POPs at the Swedish west coast

Summary

The greatest amounts of the measured POPs are deposited in connection to long-range air transport and/or together with heavy precipitation

The measured deposition fluxes of PAHs and PCBs are mostly due to particle deposition in connection with precipitation while HCHs are washed out with the precipitation

Deposition Fluxes of PCBs in relation to the concentrations in air at the Swedish west coast

0123456789

Jan-

95

Apr

-95

Aug

-95

Oct

-95

Mar

-96

Jun-

96

Sep

-96

Dec

-96

Feb

-97

May

-97

Aug

-97

Nov

-97

Jan-

98

Apr

-98

Jul-9

8

Oct

-98

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

dep

air

ng/m2 day pg/m3Sum PCB

Data from Rörvik 1995-1998

0

0.5

1

1.5

2Ph

e

Ant Flu

Pyr

BaA

nt

Chr

BbF BkF

BaP

DB

A

Bpe

r

Ind

PAH Airng/m3

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

Phe

Ant Flu

Pyr

BaA

nt

Chr

BbF BkF

BaP

Bpe

r

Ind

PAHDeposition

ug/m2 day

0

1

2

3

4

5

PC

B 2

8

PC

B 5

2

PC

B 1

01

PC

B 1

18

PC

B 1

53

PC

B 1

38

PC

B18

0

PCB Airpg/m3

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

PC

B 2

8

PC

B 5

2

PC

B10

1

PC

B11

8

PC

B15

3

PC

B13

8

PC

B18

0

PCB Depositionng/m2 day

The average distribution among PAHs and PCBsat Rörvik 1995 -1999

Estimated yearly deposition of PAHs (sum) and at Rörvik and Pallas 1995-1999

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Rörvik

Pallas

PAHsug/year

ug/m2 year

Estimated yearly deposition of PCBs (sum 7) at Rörvik and Pallas 1995-1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Rörvik

Pallas

PCBsng/year

ng/m2year

Monitoring program from 2001

The sampling program at the Swedish west coast of POPs includes:

Air Weekly samplingDeposition Monthly sampling

These measurements of POPs are included in the Swedish monitoring program for air pollutants and financed by The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

POPs included in program from 2001

PAHsPCBsHCHs

ChlordanesDDTsHCB

NewBrominated flame retardants PBDE

Råö “super station” at the Swedish west coast