WP 3: Regionalisation of lake micropollutant
distribution
Targets
Lead Contractor
Lead Partners
Task 3.1
Task 3.2
Targets
Previous work has shown that organic pollutants and trace
metals accumulate in both fish and sediments in remote mountain
lakes. The specific organic compounds found include most of those in
the UNECE persistent organic pollutant (POP) list and include both
carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Moreover, recent studies have
shown that concentrations of some compounds are enhanced in mountain
lakes by cold selective trapping. In this workpackage we aim to
model the transport of trace metal (especially Hg, Pb and Cd) and
trace organic pollutants within lake-catchment systems and
understand their variability within and between Lake
Districts. Special attention will be given to organic compounds as
their distribution is less predictable than for metals.
Task 3.1.: Understanding and modelling transport within catchment/lake systems
The transport of trace pollutants within lakes and their
catchments is insufficiently known. We will use radionuclide
(210Pb, 137Cs) tracers at two Experimental sites in the Pyrenees
and Tatra Mountains, both to study the transport of pollutants
(inputs from the catchments, speciation, fluxes through the water
column and across the water-sediment interface) and to validate
mass balance models. Consideration will also be given to the role
of ice-cover on sediment and pollutant fluxes using data from a
series of Experimental sites.
Task 3.2.: Within and between region variability of pollutant distribution
Data on the emission and deposition of POPs are far poorer
than for acidifying pollutants. We will use surface sediment
samples from the Validation lakes in each Lake District to study
the distribution of POPs and we will distinguish in particular two
groups: those linked to pollution from combustion sources and
those from other sources. Preliminary evidence shows that the
former are correlated with patterns of S deposition. Consequently
we will explore this relationship further and we will also compare
relationships between organics, trace metals and spheroidal
carbonaceous particle distributions. The distribution of organic
pollutants derived from non combustion sources will be
investigated in order to confirm cold selective trapping of the
less volatile compounds and assess geographical trends of the most
volatile ones. Older sediment samples, representing pre-industrial
times, (WP 4) will also be analysed
for organics and trace metals to assess the extent of
contamination over time at each site and to validate deposition
models.
Lead Contractor
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CSIC - Department of Environmental
Chemistry, Institute of Chemical and Environmental Research,
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona
(CSIC), Spain
Lead Partners
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