Organic matter degradation causes enrichment of organic pollutants in hadal sediments

Anna Sobek (), Sebastian Abel, Hamed Sanei, Stefano Bonaglia, Zhe Li, Gisela Horlitz, Arka Rudra, Kazumasa Oguri and Ronnie N. Glud
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Anna Sobek: Stockholm University
Sebastian Abel: Stockholm University
Hamed Sanei: Aarhus University
Stefano Bonaglia: University of Gothenburg
Zhe Li: Stockholm University
Gisela Horlitz: Stockholm University
Arka Rudra: Aarhus University
Kazumasa Oguri: University of Southern Denmark
Ronnie N. Glud: University of Southern Denmark

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Burial of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in deep-sea sediments contributes to 60% of their historical emissions. Yet, empirical data on their occurrence in the deep-ocean is scarce. Estimates of the deep-ocean POP sink are therefore uncertain. Hadal trenches, representing the deepest part of the ocean, are hotspots for organic carbon burial and decomposition. POPs favorably partition to organic carbon, making trenches likely significant sinks for contaminants. Here we show that PCBs occur in both hadal (7720–8085 m) and non-hadal (2560–4050 m) sediment in the Atacama Trench. PCB concentrations normalized to sediment dry weight were similar across sites while those normalized to sediment organic carbon increased exponentially as the inert organic carbon fraction of the sediment increased in degraded hadal sediments. We suggest that the unique deposition dynamics and elevated turnover of organic carbon in hadal trenches increase POP concentrations in the deepest places on Earth.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37718-z

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