Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126, Milano, Italy.
Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126, Milano, Italy.
Environ Pollut. 2019 May;248:659-666. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.02.067. Epub 2019 Feb 26.
We analysed the spatial and temporal distribution of a selection of pesticides in Alpine glaciers used on the Po Plain in Northern Italy, near the Alps. By analysing a 102-m ice core taken from the Lys Glacier (Monte Rosa massif, Italy), we highlight historical contamination from the insecticide chlorpyrifos and the herbicide terbuthylazine, confirming the role of alpine glaciers as temporal sinks. In addition, we collected meltwater samples from six glaciers distributed along the Alpine Arc during the summer of 2016, which showed widespread contamination by pesticides. Overall, chlorpyrifos and terbuthylazine dominated the contaminant fingerprint of all of the studied glaciers, with contamination peaks occurring at the beginning of the melting season. This highlights the importance of the medium-range atmospheric transport of these pesticides in connection with agricultural practices in the areas beneath the Italian Alps, where they are widely applied. The release of pesticides in meltwater can lead to potential risks to the aquatic ecosystems of headwater streams, as we demonstrate for chlorpyrifos. This suggests that the medium-range atmospheric transport of pesticides should be considered as part of regulations to protect the water quality of these pristine environments.
我们分析了在意大利北部靠近阿尔卑斯山的波河平原上使用的一系列选择的农药在阿尔卑斯冰川中的时空分布。通过分析取自罗萨山（意大利）吕斯冰川的 102 米长冰芯，我们强调了来自杀虫剂毒死蜱和除草剂特丁津的历史污染，证实了高山冰川作为时间汇的作用。此外，我们于 2016 年夏季从沿阿尔卑斯弧形分布的六个冰川收集融水样本，结果表明这些冰川普遍受到农药污染。总的来说，毒死蜱和特丁津主导了所有研究冰川的污染物特征指纹，污染峰值出现在融雪季节的开始。这突出表明，与意大利阿尔卑斯山脚下广泛应用的农业实践相关联的这些农药的中程大气传输非常重要。我们以毒死蜱为例，证明了融水中释放的农药可能对源头溪流的水生生态系统造成潜在风险。这表明，应将农药的中程大气传输纳入保护这些原始环境水质的法规之中。
