Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as an indicator of surface water quality in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station, Horsund

Abstract

Surface waters were collected in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund (Svalbard) to determine their concentration of various persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition, parameters such as pH, SEC and TOC were measured. In total, 15 samples of lake water from and 15 samples of stream water were analysed. The sampling took place between August and September 2010. Total PAHs and PCBs concentrations in surface water ranged from < LOD to 6212 ng/dm3 and < LOD to 273 ng/dm3. Moreover, the main compounds detected in the samples from these two groups were naphthalene and PCB 153. Based on the cluster analysis, it was found that there are no significant differences between the water taken from the lakes and the water taken from the streams.