Analysis of pollution with oil products and organochlorines of soils in the vicinity of Russian Antarctic stations
The investigations were conducted on the content of petroleum hydrocarbons and its derivatives of anthropogenic origin together with natural organic hydrocarbons in soils; organochlorine compounds in ornithogenic sediments, in animal tissues and in organogenic horizons of soils in the vicinity of Russian polar research stations in the Antarctic. Soils and grounds under the linear facilities and near oil depots accumulate petroleum hydrocarbons and its derivatives, their amount is from 150 to 600 mg/kg on the average, in local cases up to 2200 mg/kg or more. It was re-established that the major share in the composition of petroleum hydrocarbons in anthropogenically contaminated soils and grounds comprises heavy and slightly toxic fractions; the most toxic volatile fractions are not accumulated as a result of harsh weather conditions (primarily, wind and insolation regimes), as well as of a high degree of skeletal fraction of substrates. A number of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as pesticides, herbicides, and their metabolites are found in the submitted sample. All samples contain hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The presence of high doses of dichlor-diphenyltrichlor-ethane (DDT) and its extremely high content of metabolites in animal tissues indicates that there is no decrease in the level of this chemical in Antarctic ecosystems. The accumulation of POPs is due to both cross-border transfer in the form of aerosols (detected by moss-lichen associations), and to the influx of ocean water, to further movement through food chains in the ecosystem and access with waste products (guano and birds and animal tissues).