Air–water exchange of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) at a coastal site in Izmir Bay, Turkey

The air–water exchange of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were investigated using paired air–water samples (n = 16) collected in July and February–March, 2005 from Guzelyali Port in Izmir Bay, Turkey. Atmospheric PCBs and OCPs were mainly in gas-phase in both periods. However, their dissolved and particle-phase water concentrations were comparable. For PCBs, 3 and 4-Cl congeners were dominant while chlorpyrifos, endosulfans and HCHs were the most abundant OCPs for all samples. Especially in summer, calculated net gas-exchange PCB fluxes were mainly volatilization from the water ranging from − 0.2 (volatilization, PCB-101) to − 30.0 (volatilization, PCB-31) ng m− 2 day− 1. For OCPs, net flux ranged from − 0.03 (volatilization, cis-nonachlor) to 1568 (deposition, endosulfan I) ng m− 2 day− 1 and they have seasonal variations with generally deposition in winter and volatilization in summer. However, endosulfan I, II, endosulfan sulfate, α- and γ-HCH deposited in both periods. The calculated residence times of PCBs and OCPs in the water column indicated that the gas-exchange in the Bay is at least as or a more important mechanism than advection. Annual gaseous absorption and volatilization fluxes were calculated and were used along with the estimated dry deposition fluxes and wet deposition fluxes measured recently at a suburban site in Izmir to determine the relative contributions of different atmospheric mechanisms to the pollutant inventory of the Bay water column. Results suggested that the relative contributions of all studied mechanisms to the water column PCB and OCP inventories were significant.