Fluxes of semivolatile organochlorine compounds in Bow Lake, a high‐altitude, glacier‐fed, subalpine lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Abstract

The fluxes of several organochlorine compounds (OCs) to and from a high‐altitude lake were calculated to determine the relative contributions of rainfall, snowfall, runoff, gas absorption and volatilization, sedimentation, and outflow. Runoff inputs, particularly from a glaciated catchment, and gas absorption were major sources of many OCs. Losses by volatilization, outflow, and sedimentation were also important transport pathways for most OCs. We observed a net deposition of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and DDT to Bow Lake by gas exchange, whereas hexachlorobenzene, chlordanes, and most polychlorinated biphenyls were seen to volatilize to the air. The insecticide lindane (γHCH), widely applied across Canada as a seed dressing in early spring, was absorbed by Bow Lake in early summer but gradually equilibrated with water as the summer progressed. This was the result of lower concentrations of γHCH in air and rising air temperatures in late summer. Results indicate that glacially derived tributary inputs are dominant sources of persistent organic pollutants to these glacier‐fed mountain lakes and that smaller contributions may derive from air‐water gas exchange. This study highlights the importance of glacial sources of OCs to mountain lakes and corroborates recent evidence of OC contamination in glacially derived aquatic systems.