COLD TRAPPING OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN THE HIMALAYAS AND ON THE QINGHAI-TIBETAN PLATEAU

摘要

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can travel long distances in the atmosphere and can be deposited in remote regions, where they may affect wildlife and humans. Temperature gradients and their impact on gas phase/condensed phase partitioning play a crucial role in the cold-trapping of organic contaminants at high latitude and high altitude. In the case of global-scale cold-trapping the temperature dependence of partitioning between the Earth's surface and atmosphere results in the preferential accumulation in polar regions. In the case of mountain cold trapping the temperature dependence of partitioning between the atmospheric gas phase and particles, rain droplets and snow flakes is governing the extent of enrichment at higher altitudes.