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Occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and benzotriazole UV stabilizers in the hadal amphipod Hirondellea gigas
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Researchers detected polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and benzotriazole UV stabilizers in hadal amphipods collected at nearly 9,200 meters depth, finding significantly higher contamination near submarine canyon outlets connected to land, suggesting that near-land ocean trenches receive contaminants through both vertical settling and horizontal land-based transport.
The accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BZT-UVs) were examined in the hadal amphipod Hirondellea gigas caught from a near-land trench off the Japan island (9200 m). H. gigas were collected from two distinct sites: one is located at the outlet of submarine canyons directly connected to land and the other is apart from the outlet and geographically isolated from the first site. The level of the PBDEs in H. gigas at the canyon outlet (mean 219 ng/g lipid weight (l.w.)) was significantly higher than that in the isolated site (mean 42 ng/g l.w.) and BZT-UVs were only detected within the first site (mean 1.5 ng/g wet weight). In addition to vertical transport from the surface water, near-land trenches associated with submarine canyons and troughs may have more complex influx of contaminants through horizontal transportation from the land, resulting in more severe contamination.
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