Abstract
The temperature governed global partitioning of semi-volatile air pollutants leads to a gradual accumulation of these compounds in the air of high latitudes. Because high quantities of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are scavenged from the atmosphere by plant leaves, the vegetation in sub-arctic regions and the cooler mountain ecosystems is an important receptor of airborne xenobiotics. After being introduced to the food chain of ecosystems, lipophilic POPs will be biomagnified from one trophic level to the other. Comparisons of results from biomonitor studies indicate that plant species with a high surface-to-volume ratio accumulate more organic air pollutants than species with compact leaves. Lipid and wax contents of plants affect the accumulation process, which is controlled by ambient temperatures. While at higher temperatures semi-volatile compounds may return to the gas-phase, less volatile high molecular compounds remain sorbed to particles and plant surfaces. Apart from leaf morphology and physiological properties, relative growth rates may also be responsible for differences among plant species in accumulating organic air pollutants.
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