Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) were determined in 22 surface water samples (39-76°N) and three sea ice core and snow samples (77-87°N) collected from North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean during the fourth Chinese Arctic Expedition in 2010. Geographically, the average concentration of ∑PFC in surface water samples were 560 ± 170 pg L(-1) for the Northwest Pacific Ocean, 500 ± 170 pg L(-1) for the Arctic Ocean, and 340 ± 130 pg L(-1) for the Bering Sea, respectively. The perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were the dominant PFC class in the water samples, however, the spatial pattern of PFCs varied. The C(5), C(7) and C(8) PFCAs (i.e., perfluoropentanoate (PFPA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)) were the dominant PFCs in the Northwest Pacific Ocean while in the Bering Sea the PFPA dominated. The changing in the pattern and concentrations in Pacific Ocean indicate that the PFCs in surface water were influenced by sources from the East-Asian (such as Japan and China) and North American coast, and dilution effect during their transport to the Arctic. The presence of PFCs in the snow and ice core samples indicates an atmospheric deposition of PFCs in the Arctic. The elevated PFC concentration in the Arctic Ocean shows that the ice melting had an impact on the PFC levels and distribution. In addition, the C(4) and C(5) PFCAs (i.e., perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), PFPA) became the dominant PFCs in the Arctic Ocean indicating that PFBA is a marker for sea ice melting as the source of exposure.

Neutral polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) were measured in high-volume air samples collected on board the research vessel Snow Dragon during the 4th Chinese National Arctic Expedition from the Japan Sea to the Arctic Ocean in 2010. Four volatile and semi-volatile PFASs (fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), fluorotelomer acids (FTAs), perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides (FASAs), and sulfonamidoethanols (FASEs)) were analyzed respectively in the gas and particle phases. FTOHs were the dominant PFASs in the gas phase (61-358pgm(-3)), followed by FTAs (5.2-47.9pgm(-3)), FASEs (1.9-15.0pgm(-3)), and FASAs (0.5-2.1pgm(-3)). In the particle phase, the dominant PFAS class was FTOHs (1.0-9.9pgm(-3)). The particle-associated fraction followed the general trend of FASEs>FASAs>FTOHs. Compared with other atmospheric PFAS measurements, the ranges of concentrations of ∑FTOH in this study were similar to those reported from Toronto, north America (urban), the northeast Atlantic Ocean, and northern Germany. Significant correlations between FASEs in the gas phase and ambient air temperature indicate that cold surfaces such as sea-ice, snowpack, and surface seawater influence atmospheric FASEs.

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Trace metal contents (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) have been measured in 27 surface sediment samples collected from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic. The analyses yielded concentration values (in mg kg(-1)) of 0.13-0.63 for Cd, 11.89-21.90 for Co, 48.65-81.84 for Cr, 21.26-36.60 for Cu, 299.59-683.48 for Mn, 22.43-35.39 for Ni, 10.68-36.59 for Pb, 50.28-199.07 for Zn and 8.09-65.34 for Hg (in ng g(-1)), respectively. Relative cumulative frequency method has been used to define the baseline values of these metals, which (in mg kg(-1)) were 0.14 for Cd, 13.56 for Co, 57.86 for Cr, 25.14 for Cu, 364.08 for Mn, 26.22 for Ni, 17.46 for Pb, 70.49 for Zn and 9.76 for Hg (in ng g(-1)), respectively. The enrichment factor analysis indicated that Hg showed some extent of anthropogenic pollution, while Pb, Zn and Cd showed limited anthropogenic contamination in the study areas.