PARTICULATE MATTER VECTORS- KEY PARTICLES SERVING AS SPONGE-LIKE CARRIERS OF TOP-PRIORITY POLLUTANTS

Aquatic environments are in many cases sinks of many pollutants. Yet, they may also serve as a source. Organic pollutants are considered toxic to various populations including humans, fish, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. The distribution of organic pollutants in aquatic environments is frequently studied in the water phase, where their solubility is limited. However, many of these molecules tend to adhere to specific and yet poorly described particulate matter. In our latest studies in Lake Kinneret, Israel, we identified a few sources of top-priority pollutants such as persistent PAHs and Pesticides, in urban runoff, rivers, and atmospheric depositions. Interestingly, apart from phytoplankton cells, these contributors are a few of the dominant sources of the lake’s particulate matter. When considering sediments as the sink of many particles, while routine water monitoring shows pollutants general concentrations <0.1 ppb, sediment concentrations are extremely high. Despite their high volatility, the most dominant pollutant analyzed was the BTEX group, reaching 6000µg/Kg. An inhomogeneous distribution of highly polluted sediment particles was found in the lake, resulting in “hot spots”. In the presented study, we crosslink physical and chemical analyses with the pollutants’ particulate adsorption, and specific characteristics of the “key particles” acting as pollutant sponges, in addition to modeling their potential translocation in the lake. The fingerprint of these specific particles bearing a potentially hazardous impact may be followed in other water bodies elsewhere in the world.  

Primary Presenter: Peleg Astrahan, IOLR (peleg.astrahan@ocean.org.il)

Authors:

Ilia Ostrovsky, Israel oceanographic and limnological research  (ostrovsky@ocean.org.il)

Yael Amitai, Israel oceanographic and limnological research  (yael.amitai@ocean.org.il)

Peleg Astrahan, Israel oceanographic and limnological research  (peleg.astrahan@ocean.org.il)

Sebastian Primpke, Alfred Wegener Institute  (sebastian.primpke@awi.de)

Gunnar Gredts, Alfred Wegener Institute  (Gunnar.Gerdts@awi.de)

Dror Angel, Haifa university, Israel  (drorleonard@gmail.com)

Maria Pogojeva, Israel oceanographic and limnological research, Haifa university  (maria.pogojeva@gmail.com)

Evgeny Kurashov, Israel oceanographic and limnological research  (evgeny_kurashov@mail.ru)

Julia Krylova, Israel oceanographic and limnological research  (juliakrylova@mail.ru)