Simulation of Observed PCBs and Pesticides in the Water Column during the North Atlantic Bloom Experiment

The dynamics of persistent organic pollutants in the oceans are not well constrained, in particular during a bloom formation and collapse. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some pesticides were measured in air, water, and zooplankton tracking the North Atlantic Bloom in May 2008. Lower weight PCBs were entering the water column from the atmosphere during the main bloom period but reached equilibrium after the bloom collapsed. The PCBs in the lipids of zooplankton <i>Calanus</i> were in equilibrium with those in the dissolved phase. A Lagrangian box model was developed to simulate the dissolved phase PCBs and pesticides by including the following processes: air–water exchange, reversible sorption to POC, changes in mixed layer depth, removal by sinking particles, and degradation. Results suggest that sorption to (sinking) POC was the dominant removal process for hydrophobic pollutants from seawater. Statistical test suggested simulated results were not significantly different from observed values for hydrophobic pollutants (<i>p</i>,<i>p</i>’-DDE)