Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Nonylphenols in the Sea of Japan

Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and nonylphenols (NoPhs) in the Sea of Japan not only points out the extent of marine pollution but also helps to understand the deep sea structure of that semi-enclosed “small ocean”. Using an in-situ filtration/extraction technique, two vertical profiles (deep water and shallow coastal water) and two space-integrated surface profiles were taken. Concentrations of ∑CBs (sum of 30 individual congeners) in solution were between 0.1 and 1.2 pg dm-3 and in suspension were between 0.2 and 1.5 pg dm-3; those of ∑NoPhs in solution were 2−150 pg dm-3 and below detection limits in suspension. The concentrations of ∑CBs and nonylphenols in solution as well as the compositions of the CB mixtures in solution in the vertical profile indicates a vertical structure similar to the situation in the open ocean as suggested by Kim (Biogeochemical processes in the North Pacific; Tsunogai, S., Ed.; Japan Marine Science Foundation: Tokyo 1996; pp 41−51). The concentrations of CBs in solution were determined primarily by characteristics of the water bodies involved, solution−suspension interactions playing only a minor role. Principal component analyses of the data revealed a relation between deep and bottom waters and surface waters of the nearby region.