Persistent chlordane concentrations in Long Island Sound sediment: Implications from chlordane, 210Pb and 137Cs depth profiles

ENVR 14

Lijia Yang, lyang001@sci.ccny.cuny.edu, Department of Chemistry, Graduate Center of CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, Xiqing Li, College of Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China, John Crusius, Woods Hole Science Center, US Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA 02543, Urs Jans, ujans@ccny.cuny.edu, Department of Chemistry, City College of CUNY, 138th Street at Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, Michael E. Melcer, Department of Mathematics and Science, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY 11024, and Pengfei Zhang, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, City College of CUNY, 138th Street at Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031.
Chlordane concentrations in recently collected surficial sediments (ten sites) and sediment cores (four sites) in Long Island Sound (LIS) were determined. The highest chlordane concentrations were observed in western LIS. The chlordane concentrations did not decrease significantly in the past decade when compared to the data collected in 1996. Chlordane concentrations in two of the four sediment cores showed a peak below the sediment surface. The lack of a chlordane concentration maximum below the sediment surface in the other two cores, coupled with the lack of a well-defined 137Cs peak, indicated significant sediment mixing. Simulations of 137Cs and 210Pb profiles in sediment cores with a sediment mixing model confirmed the occurrence of both sedimentation and significant sediment mixing. Simulations of the chlordane profiles indicated that continued chlordane input and significant sediment mixing may have contributed to the persistent chlordane concentrations in surficial sediment.
 

Fate of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Urban Systems
8:30 AM-11:30 AM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Beacon Hill Rm, Oral

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007