The deep-sea as a final global sink of semivolatile persistent organic pollutants? Part II: organochlorine pesticides in surface and deep-sea dwelling fish of the North and South Atlantic and the Monterey Bay Canyon (California)

The understanding of the global environmental multiphase distribution of pe rsistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a result of the physico-chemical prop erties of the respective compounds is well established. We have analysed th e results of a vertical transport of POPs from surface water to deepwater i n terms of the contamination of the biota living in the respective environm ental compartments. Samples were taken from the North and the South Atlanti c and from the uprising water region of the continental shelf of California (Marine Sanctuary Monterey Bay and its Canyon). The contents of persistent organochlorine pesticides (DDTs, chlordanes, toxaphenes, HCHs, and HCB) in surface-living fish are compared to those in deepwater fish of the same ge ographic area. The deepwater biota show significantly higher burdens as com pared to surface-living species of the same region. There are also indicati ons for recycling processes of POPs of the class of organochlorine pesticid es in the biophase of the abyss as well. It can be concluded that the bio- and geophase of the deep-sea may act as an ultimate global sink for persist ent semivolatile contaminants in the marine environment like the soil on th e continents. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.