Delayed Deposition of Organochlorine Pesticides at a Temperate Glacier

Many of the organochlorine pesticides that were once widely used have either been banned or uses have been restricted in Canada and the United States. Near areas of high pesticide use at mid-latitudes in eastern North America, environmental levels of some of these pesticides peaked in the 1960s, and all have declined at least since the late 1970s. We determined depositional trends in a mid-latitude temperate glacier in Alberta, western Canada (52° N, 117° W). In contrast to trends in eastern North America, ∑DDT, dieldrin, and ∑chlordane reached peak concentrations (2.57, 0.05, and 0.07 ng/L, respectively) and maximum flux to this cold high elevation environment in the 1980s at least 1 decade after they had been banned and maximum use had occurred in North America. From 1959 to 1995, a significant decline was evident for α-HCH (r 2 = − 0.64, p < 0.001). A significant severalfold increase and positive trend (r 2 = 0.17, p < 0.03) was evident for hexachlorobenzene with maximum flux occurring in the 1990s. Lindane and ∑chlordane had a distinct bimodal depositional pattern with peak concentrations occurring about 1960 and again in 1989. Meltwater from glaciers may contribute high concentrations of pesticides to cold aquatic ecosystems for decades or centuries.