REGIONAL PATTERNS IN ORGANOCHLORINE CONTAMINATION OF SAXIFRAGE FROM ELLESMERE ISLAND IN THE HIGH ARCTIC (77-81-DEGREES N)

Previous atmospheric and precipitation sampling on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic (76-83 degrees N) has detected the presence of trace contaminants originating from both mid-latitudinal and trans- polar sources. Plant samples (Saxifraga oppositofolia) were collected along a latitudinal transect from seven remote sites on Ellesmere Isla nd in order to determine the most likely influx pathway of organochlor ine (OC) pollution to this region. Toxaphene, HCH, CBz, CHL, and DDT r esidues and selected PCB homolog groups decreased with northward dista nce indicating the predominance of North American sources. Further, al l OC concentrations in saxifrage were found to be related to plant ces ium-137 activities and therefore differences in the deposition of sout herly-originating pollutants. The close association between these resi dues of micropollutants raises the possibility that the logistically m uch easier measurements of cesium-137 uptake could be used as a conven ient environmental monitor of regional patterns in OC deposition in lo cations where pathways of atmospheric transport are similar.