1. Role of Dense Shelf Water Cascading in the Transfer of Organochlorine Compounds to Open Marine Waters
- Author
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Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Joan A. Salvadó, Catalina Pasqual, Serge Heussner, Albert Palanques, Jordi F. Lopez, Joan O. Grimalt, and Miquel Canals
- Subjects
Geologic Sediments ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Submarine canyon ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Motion ,Settling ,Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated ,Water Movements ,Environmental Chemistry ,Seawater ,14. Life underwater ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Geography ,Continental shelf ,Pelagic zone ,General Chemistry ,Sedimentation ,Carbon ,Oceanography ,Deposition (aerosol physics) ,Spain ,13. Climate action ,Sediment trap ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, Settling particles were collected by an array of sediment trap moorings deployed along the Cap de Creus (CCC) and Lacaze-Duthiers (LDC) submarine canyons and on the adjacent southern open slope (SOS) between October 2005 and October 2006. This array collected particles during common settling processes and particles transferred to deep waters by dense shelf water cascading (DSWC). Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs)—pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene—and hexachlorocyclohexanes were analyzed in all samples. The results show much higher settling fluxes of these compounds during DSWC than during common sedimentation processes. The area of highest deposition was located between 1000 and 1500 m depth and extended along the canyons and outside them showing their channelling effects but also overflows of dense shelf water from these canyons. Higher fluxes were observed near the bottom (30 m above bottom; mab) than at intermediate waters (500 mab) which is consistent with the formation and sinking of dense water close to the continental shelf and main displacement through the slope by the bottom. DSWC involved the highest settling fluxes of these compounds ever described in marine continental slopes and pelagic areas, e.g., peak values of PCBs (960 ng·m–2·d–1), DDTs (2900 ng·m–2·d–1), CBzs (340 ng·m–2·d–1) and lindane (180 ng·m–2·d–1), We thank all participants and crews of R/V Garcia del Cid and R/V Universitatis for their help and dedication. We are deeply indepted to Nicole Delsaut (CEFREM) for the prepatation of the trap samples for analysis. This research was supported by the HERMES (GOCE-CT-2005-511234-1) and HERMIONE (FP7-ENV-2008-1-226354) research projects. Financial support from the GRACCIE consolider project (CSD2007-00067) is acknowledged. This work was also sponsored by research groups 2009SGR1178 and 2009SGR1305 from Generalitat de Catalunya
- Published
- 2012