Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystem

This dataset contains concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in seawater sampled in various locations in the Arctic ranging from 2005-2008. Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are ubiquitous contaminants of marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments, including remote arctic wildlife. Slow, and long-range oceanic transport from source regions in the northern hemisphere is hypothesized to be among the major pathways contributing to PFAA contamination in remote marine environments. The Arctic Ocean is influenced by Pacific and Atlantic seawater as well as riverine outflows. Surface waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and the western parts of the Canadian archipelago originate from Pacific waters and from major freshwater outflows from Russian, Alaskan, and western Canadian Arctic rivers. Waters of Baffin Bay and the northern Labrador Sea are influenced by Atlantic waters and the east Greenland current. Major inflowing rivers in Europe and North America deliver tons of PFAAs per year into the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. Supplemental Information The Northern Contaminants Program(NCP, http://www.science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_7A463DBA.html) was established in…

Publisher

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Resources

6

Catalogue metadata updated

2021-07-29