The Fate of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the North Sea (eBook)

Foreword 6
Preface 7
Contents 8
Abbreviations 11
Summary 13
1 Introduction and Background 15
1.1 Persistent organic pollutants (POPs): occurrence and effects 15
1.2 Legal instruments and measures to control POPs 17
1.3 Approaches in POPs modelling 21
1.4 POPs fate in the aquatic environment 23
1.5 Objectives and outline of this study 25
2 The Fate and Transport Ocean Model ( FANTOM): Model Description 27
2.1 Transport with ocean currents 28
2.2 Air–sea exchange 29
2.3 Phase distribution 34
2.4 Degradation in sea water 39
3 FANTOM: Model Setup 40
3.1 Model Area 41
3.2 Ocean circulation 42
3.3 Pollutant selection 43
3.4 Initial and boundary conditions 48
4 FANTOM: Model Evaluation 53
4.1 Data used for model evaluation 53
4.2 Comparison between modelled and measured concentrations of y-HCH 54
4.3 Comparison between modelled and measured concentrations of a-HCH 60
4.4 Comparison between modelled and measured concentrations of PCB 153 64
4.5 Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis 68
5 Occurrence and Pathways of Selected POPs in the North Sea 73
5.1 Uptake of y-HCH, a-HCH and PCB 153 by particulate matter in sea water 74
5.2 Spatial and temporal distribution of y-HCH, a-HCH and PCB 153 in sea water 80
5.3 a-HCH to y-HCH ratio in sea water 84
6 Contribution of Individual Processes to the Cycling of Selected POPs in the North Sea 88
6.1 Mass budgets of y-HCH, a-HCH and PCB 153 in the North Sea 88
6.2 Residence time of y-HCH, a-HCH and PCB 153 in sea water 94
6.3 Relative importance of some key processes for the fate of POPs in sea water 96
7 Conclusions and Outlook 102
7.1 Conclusions 102
7.2 Outlook 105
Tables 107
Figures 112
List of Symbols 127
References 131
Index 138
About the International Max Planck Research School for Maritime Affairs at the University of Hamburg 140