Document xzQoxj0e9ry7EJ66OaN3Kxog

li i'.ilf ) result in taster metabolic rates. turnover or organic matter in the deep- Rrtrn<fi Non* The fail lJt.il not only turfaee born liArlciia </) but nM microorganisms toileted at the tU-rp'Nra floor ate ex hibiting extremely slow metabolic tales when incubated iu situ, may be inter' pitted in two ways Ufr processes in genera! may be slower at deep-sea conditions titan at surface pressures and temperatures for reasons oilier titan the ft.w nutrient supply. Studies on (he deep-sea benthic faun# (7), have reported (i) extreme diversity of species, (ii) small brood sire, (in) preponderance of adult in dividuals in most species, and (iv) abun dant eases of endemism. 'Ilicse cliaracletiuirs sugf.es! slow growth and long life of the individual animal and could be the icsull of i relative retardation of certain critical metabolic processes. sea sediments appears to be funda mentally different front that in shallowwriter sediments, or. for that mailer, iu soil, Experiments on incubations of solidified organic materials (agar, starch, gelatin) on the deep-sea floor in open containers (//) show that after I year of exposure, marks of animal feeding appeared to be almost the only sign of dixinregrarion. No work on (he intestinal Dora of deep-sea invertebrates has yet been done. Complementing our earlier work (/), the data reported in this study confirm the conclusion that die deep sea must be considered extremely incfllcient with respect to recycling of organic wastes. IIOl.GliR W. Jannascm Cam. 0. Wirspn Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, I. II. W. Jannjtiti. K tlmlitillia. (. O. Wirsen, A. Irftim.iii(jfm;thn. Sttrnct 111, SI' (1972). 2- O. >1. lor. N. J. tUxct'fuwfh. A. 1.. !>!, R. J. Rant!ill, /. Hint. <htm. It], (J9M>. 3. Identified by R. Turner (Museum <<! Compara tive Zoology, lUnartl Unluu.iy), 4. K. I.. Smilh and ). M. lal, Stirnct PR, 212 <192)1. 3. C, E. Z.oRcll, full. Mitaki Mar. BM. Inn Kyoto Untr. 12, 77 (I9CR). 4. .....-- mk! L. L. 11 idle. Can. J. Stitiol-M. 13. 1311 (1967). 1. J. I:. Craislc and tl. L. Sanders, Dttp-Sto Krt.. In prtva. 9. T. ). Sinayda, Orranotr. Mot. Blot. Anna. Krv. I. 3$) (1970). 9. IV W. Morel and I. II. R>iher. Iu. Sin, Set. Vtdr. Altika Pubt. No. I (1970). p, )l 10. J. A. Alien and tl. I.. Sanders. Ovrp-Jra Kft. 13. | I7S (I9W>). It. H. W. Jannasch and C. O. Wirsen. In pitparatins. 12. We think V. Hotmrs lor assistancr in on* ol Die AUtn dives; and ). M. Tt, J. 1, Orasile. and K. L. Smith tor a critical discussion of the manuscript. Research supported by NSf (rani OA 3340). This Is contribution No. 29S7 ot the Wooda Hole OceanoriapMc Instlcutlon. The slow metabolic rate may also Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 h Dvccmtrr 1972 a lead to the argument that an active, adapted microflora does not exist in the deep-sea sediment. The high colony counts usually found when deep-sea Polychlorobiphenyls in Norfli Atlantic Ocean Wafer sediment samples are streaked on nu trient agar (5) may originate solely from Surviving and viable cells that reached the ocean floor with sedimenting detri tus particles. Particulate organic mat ter readily available for microbial de composition will hardly reach the deep Abstract. Concentrations of polychlorobiphenyls (PCIt's) have been measured at the surface and at various depths in the water of the North Atlantic Ocean between 26<'N and 63*N. The concentrations average about 20 parts per trillion and amount to an estimated 2 X Jiff metric tons of PCtTs in tJie upper 200 meters of water. The average concentrations of PCH's in the surface water of the Sargasso Sea are lower than those in the northern North Atlantic. ocean. It will largely l>e degraded dur ing the slow sedimentation, estimated to Seawater is the most abundant solvent eluted from the column with 300 ml of fake from several weeks to more than available tor trapping hydrocarbons, boiling accionitriie at full gravity flow. a year per 1000 m of depth (I). The such as the potychlorobiphenyts (I*CD's), particulate organic matter in deep released into the environment. The waters was shown to be "refractory" volume of the oceans (t0:i liters) is (9) , that is, no degradability could be sufficient to dissolve all the FCU's that demonstrated. The tola! amount of have been manufactured (/). Relatively The acetonitrile was then diluted with 1 liter of water (distilled or seawater) and extracted with hexane. The con centrated hexane extract was analyzed by ECGC. No cleanup of the extract larpcr particulate material (for instance, few measurements have been made of was required prior to HCGC. Unfiltercd animal carcasses) reaching the deep sea PCB concentrations in open-ocean water seawater samples collected and analyzed undegraded will probably be very small, although of considerable significance for the highly diverse but scanty fauna of benthic scavengers. Nothing is known to, determine the extent to which it functions ns a solvent trap (2). Most analyses have been confined to orga nisms (3)t which comprise less than I simultaneously with water filtered through a 0.3-/tm glass fiber filter or a glass wool plug contained a maximum of JO percent more PCB thaw the about the <|uantity of nottrcfinctory or ganic matter reaching the deep-sea floor with the ichtli'cly fast-sinking focal pel lets of zoopbnkton (tf). 'J*hu*, the top sediment being virtu pan per million of the total volume. During the summer of 1972 we analyzed the PCB concentrations of open-occnn water in the eastern and western North Atlantic between 26N filtered seawater samples. All analyses were completed on shipboard within 4 hours or sampling (7). Three observations can be made from the data: ally void of nowcfractory organic mat and 63 *N. The stations and analyses arc ter readily available for degradation, tabulated in Table I (4). Por samples I the aclivity of microorganisms in the to 9 and 13 we extracted 19 liters of sea deep sea may be largely confined to in- water (3) with 2 liters of a hcxanc-ctltcr Icslinnl tracts of animals, where the mixture (94:6), concentrated the extract, cmirlnd nutrient milieu will enable and then analyzed it by clcciton-eap- niiciomgniiixim to decompose refrac turc gas chiomatography (l-CGC). For tory Materials (ehitin. cellulovc. anil so the other samples we pumped 19 to 80 ftulh) in :m cmUv.ymbintic fashion. This liters of water through a brass ot glass notion is supported by the rinding of column |I6 by 2 cm (inside diameter)] Mi enlarged put in dcrp.srn nmllusks packed with Ambcrlitc XAD-2 resin (10) . Aeu'i.tiug to this hypothesis, the (Rohm Haas) to a height of 12 cm role played by tnicrooiganisim in the (ft) at 250 ml/mirr. The PCB's were J) Although the range is very broad, the concentrations of PCB's in the northern Notth Atlantic average 35 ng/kg {35 parts per trillion (pp!)] in surface waters, and 10 ppt at 200 m. 2) The PCB concentrations decrease with depth. 3) The surface waters of the Sar gasso Sea (stations 25-41) have slightly lower surface concentrations of PCB's (27 ppt) than surface waters in other parts of the North Atlantic. The widespread distribution of PCB's it mm- m\ 43 MOMS 062347 j 14 i 1 in tlir open North Adamic supports previous olvwrv.nions lh.it (he ainio- /)hn inuM be liu- pfcilonim.iiif mode o( transport (.1). The wide ranee of coiiccntiniions observed (< I to 150 ppl), in some eases at points only 80 km apari (stations 29 and 33), may be duo 10 ipiulickx (2), Jornli/cd rainfall, or dischatf.es from ships^JSo relatioiiship between PCTl conciliation ant) ptoximily to land was observed. The presence `oT measurable TCU ' coi.ccuJndiom, even to depths <*f 3000 m, suggests that animals whirl) migrate vertically, phis sinking shells, feces, and dead organisms, transport 1'C'U`s cm of the mixed layer (about 150 m) amt prevent even hip.hcr concentrations from ncamujlniine in the productive *onc. The Satfnsso Sen is nn area of high evaporation and low rainfall. NVc sug gest that PCM'*, adsorbed on particu lates falling into this region, ate par tially solubilized by equilibrating with (lie surface water. l-vaporativc codistillution then transports some of this material to areas of higher precipitation. The volume of the upper 200 m of tire North Atlantic is l(V* liters. If we as sume an average 1*CU concentration of 2 X )0"H g/liter in that volume (5), then there may be about 2 x I0,u g (2 X tO1 metric tons) of PCB's in the water (/, 9). The total .amount of l'CHs produced in the United States in 1971 was J.8 x 10* metric tons (/). On the basis of quantitative estimates of rates of production and rales of loss to the environment, a 2DDT/ PC*H ratio JliDDT jefers to DDT. 1.1,1,trichloro 2,2-bis(| chlorophenyt) eth ane, and its major metabolites] of 10 is expected in the North Atlantic, if TaMc I. Ccrnccnitaliottv uf TCH'i In Noult Atlantic ocean water. The limit of detection was J X 10 f/liter fm a 19-liter sample. Position North West Dale (1972) Depth (ns) PCIl con centration* (X 10* fi/liter) ) 52* s y 33* 08' 7 44* 00' 30* 36' J 40* 33' 29' 16' 4 36* IT 25* 33' 3 34* or 22* 30' < 33* O' 18* 39' 7 34* 47' 14* 57' I 38* 00' If 23' 9 38* 2)' 11* II* 10 38* 19' 19* 28' IJ 41* or 20' 46' 12 43* 37' 22* IV D 43* 20* 21* 57' 14 43* 16' 21* 34' 13 46* 31' 21* 4V 1C 52* 31' 19* 52' 17 32* 33' 19* 5V ) 35* 41' 15* 02' 19 57* 22' J2* or 20 60* or 06' 02' 2) W* 09' 03* 36' 72 60* 29' 04* 4V 2i 63* 03' 02* 22' 24 41* W 70' 40* 2$ 39* 40' 70* o.v 20 37* 12' 68* 34' 27 3-1* 32' 67* or 28 35* 72' 67* 36' 29 35* 17' 68* 28' 30 33* 56' 66* 34' 31 36* 05' 67* 27' 32 36* 24' 68* 24' 33 35* 37' 67* 49' 34 34* 26' 66* 22' 3S 33* 41' 63* 44' 34 28* 42' 38* 39' 37 26* 30' 53* 38' 38 25* 36' 54' 15' 39 26* 3*' 33* 57' 40 28* 26' S3* 53* 41 31* t.V '3* 49* 6/30 7/3 7/3 7/7 7/9 7/11 7/13 7/15 7/22 7/23 7/24 7/35 7/27 7/29 7/30 8/1 8/2 8/4 8/3 1/6 1/7 8/7 S/8 10/2 9/21 9/22 9/23 9/24 9/24 9/25 9/26 9/27 9/27 V2K 9/28 10/3 10/J 10/6 10/7 10'K |0 9 0 0:200 0; 200 0; 200 0; 200 0; 200 0; 200 0; 200 0; 200 0 0 0 0 100; 3000 0 0; 100 1500 0 200 200 0 0 0; 200 0 0 0 0 1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 130 35; 10 4; 7 li; 3 30; 6 14; 5 67; 39 19; 2 41; 13 77 <l 52 47 45: > it 10 43; 9 >11 3 97 42 82 23 21; 30 29 36 12 1 2 3 n 7 22 9 12 1 15 26 36 27 42 88 6S - Die closest man bins coiitmcrcljl miature In nil caves was that tom.-iiiiinc 34 percent chlotinc. lltlil the rummersi,illy #vjil.il-lc Atoilor 1234 lMoitv.ril*l was ii.ed the n.inilard. Prucrdwiat blanks i anped lioiu (I to > tty 'liter and wen vtibtr.nled Imm the l.sl.ul.ited eoit.voir.iimitv. 1)1)1 and uv niitaUdilt'l, if prevenl. wen pievent id tontenii.iiiom levs tli.m I rn:. liter. I I'oor match lot A toelot. Mi we assume that the half-lives are simi lar (y). The observed ratio from our data Jam! from (')) nm>i be Jess than 0.05 (that is. < I ppl/20 pp( (see lir.u footnote. Table 1)]. Thus the environ mental half-life of the I'CUT appeal, considerably greater than that of Din and its metabolites. Gcokci: R. ) Iai:vi v William G. SuiNmtnn John hi. J i ,.i. Woods Hole Oceanographic Inrtintiivn, Woods Hole, Mmunhmctis O.'.W.? and Nolo I. 1 hr total U.S, production of pCB's t. 1057 it about 3.6 X ItV K (ri>r< I'.,B , (6 Dee. 1971). o. JSJ whi.h it emmaicd l.. be about onr-hal/ of the total world pro Auction. 2 C. I:. OJney and J. C. Quinn, p.ipcr pre sented as pan of tin cjulinetfA.ist t* i'.,, InUn.nlional L>fr,*dc of 0(1 vn Ispli.t.ilM'it Baseline Conference, g, D. Coldborp. chju man. Brookhavrn National Laboratory. lift..-. N.V., 3*-76 May l72 filusc voiknt me aured the PCIk cnuccnuattpni la tlie uttla.t mtcrolayer and 70 cm brio*- the surface m ilia North Atlantic; tjitJr subuirfnc? ion- centtaticmi (tt with out surface measure tntnts, althouch their sample me was mu. h smaller). 3. Q. K. Matvey, V. T. Bowen, R. M. nacku>, G. D. Grice. In Nohrl .t>,,,poitum in: 7>.CAanctaf CAemittry of tfie Oreaei, D. Dymrit and 1). Jaytier, Lds. (Almqvisi * kbit,sell. Stockholm, |d)2). p, J77; rtcitUtratioiip of it t International Decade of Ocean Lapkoratmn Baseline Conference. E. D, GolJbctf, chair man. flrook.ba.cn National l.abotuoty, Upon, N.V.. 24-26 May 1972. 4. Stations t to 23 were occupied on cruise It'! ot R.V. Omm; stations J' to 41 were o.o'Hro os ctuise 71 of R.V. AifanntU, Station 24 i, the Woods Hole dock. 5. Surface samples wrtc collected in a iiAilr>. Steel bucket from the bow of the ship vh,ii it was under way. Deep samples *ete collected in a 160-liter Boflmon bosifc linrd with Kl-I , K. H. Hodman. V. T. Bowen, L, VV, Slabauyh J. htar, Rti. 19. 141 (I960. 4. 1 he parameters for the use of this rr.m liven in tlto seat were developed by tt>. authora in this laboratory. The <fhocney ol the adsorptive extraction, when cotupaied with solvent extraction, is >93 percent. 7. A Packard pas-liquid chromalopraph. model 407, equipped with a *lNI clecuctt-eariurc dettcuir was used. No motion sensitivity w.h observed in the Instrument's retpon*. a Shipboard analysis revealed ih;t tin- shi|<' parnts. (teases, and oils did not contain a.iy PCBV I. These data and (7). In contrast. VCIl con centrations in coastal nonhesstrm Pari',.- waters aseiape 1 ppt 0- Batten. piper pn- sented as pan of the deliberations of Ok International Decode o( Occits tv,'lot ati.-n Ba>elUic Conference. E. I>. GrtlilKrs, cbs.rntan. Brookh.tvtn National (.aMnainry, Union. N.V., 24-2<> May t972). 9. 7 bis qtiiintiiy is rcnuikubh similar to u recently cntcuijtvd t.timutr of 1.5 A W menu tons of PCB's (n Di- North Ailantic; r>,, water dala were available at the tune of the calculation u. C. T. Nisbet and A. ) Sarnfim, y.'ni'fron. Iteahh herj|.r.r. | 21 ()972. Id. We tliunk Dr. H. Jl. Backus, duel scientivt on enlist 103 of K.V, Chii-ii, for jllowinp u\ the oppotttsntiy to entires those s.unptes am) Dr, V. T. Bowen lor ntakinp |lie di'0 saniplts Available. Supported by pi.snt G's 3321? from the Olhce of the liveiu.iiniii.ii Dciadc of Otean l:<rl<u.M>oii. Sr, ence lo.mdjtlnti ustd grant Gsj tvd2ft lien the rnnroiimrnt.il I'roteciion Atincy Wood Mol.' On'.m^uplili liH'itution .ontribu'-ou No. 27VB. It) Novcntlwr 1972 SCILNC L. VOL. IMi MUNS 082348