The fate, transport, and ecological impacts of airborne contaminants in western national parks (USA)

Landers DH, Simonich S, Jaffe D, Geiser L, Campbell DH, Schwindt A, Schreck C, Kent M, Hafner W, Taylor H, Hageman K, Usenko S, Ackerman L, Schrlau J, Rose N, Blett T, Erway M. 2008. The fate, transport, and ecological impacts of airborne contaminants in western national parks (USA). Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project Final Report. EPA/600/R-07/138. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Corvallis, Oregon

This report clearly documents the presence of a broad range of current –use pesticides, historic- use chemicals and metals that have been atmospherically transported, deposited and entrained in some of the most remote ecosystems in the western United States. Moreover, several of these organic compounds and mercury, in particular, are found in concentrations in fish that exceed established health thresholds for piscivorous wildlife (birds and mammals) and in some cases humans. Many of the semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs) are found throughout the ecosystem components (i.e. snow, water, vegetation, fish and sediment). Both current-use and historic-use SOCs are closely correlated with the area of agricultural land within 150 km of the sites, pointing to these land uses as probable major sources. In Arctic systems, removed from association with agricultural lands, there are very low concentrations of most current-use compounds while concentrations of historic-use chemicals are more similar to sites in the lower 48 states, suggesting greater influence from a global cycle for this latter group. Fish in the Rocky Mountains appear to be showing adverse effects of these airborne contaminants from the endocrine disruptor perspective. Some male and immature females possess female egg precursor hormones and trans-sexual male fish have been observed. Both of these observations occur in those fish with the highest body burdens of SOCs. In summary, this interagency, interdisciplinary, peer reviewed document demonstrates cause for concern for these remote, most pristine, western National Park ecosystems due to the airborne transport and deposition of a variety of human-made chemicals and the human mobilization of mercury. The efficacy of analyzing and interpreting contaminants in ecological compartments of remote ecosystems is demonstrated.

Type
Published Report
Authors
Landers, Dixon; Simonich, S; Jaffe, D; Geiser, L; Campbell, D; Schwindt, A; Schreck, C; Kent, M; Hafner, W; Taylor, H; Hageman, K; Usenko, S; Ackerman, L; Schrlau, J; Rose, N; Blett, T; Erway, M
Date of Issue
2008
Publisher
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Units
ARD , BAND , BIBE , CRLA , DENA , GAAR , GLAC , GLBA , GRSA , GRTE , KATM , LAVO , MORA , NOAT , NOCA , OLYM , ROMO , SEKI , WRST , YOSE
Keywords
Aerosol, Air Resources, AIRBIB, ARD_Park-Air-Info_Collection, Atmospheric Deposition, contaminant concentrations, Contaminants, Deposition, Mercury, Nitrogen, Sulfur, Toxics, WACAP, western airborne contaminants assessment

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