This research explored fate of organic contaminants in aquatic plant systems through (i) experimental development of relationships to describe sorption, uptake and enzymatic processing of contaminants by plants and inhibition of aquatic plants by contaminants and (ii) incorporation of experimental relationships into a conceptual model which describes contaminant fate in aquatic plant systems. This study focused on interactions of aquatic plants L. minor and M. aquaticum with halogenated phenols. 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) are precursors for the highly toxic and heavily applied herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D and were examined in detail. Chlorophenols are generally resistant to microbial degradation, a property which may limit microbial remediation options as effective alternatives for clean up of contaminated sites. Relationships for fundamental interactions between plants and contaminants that dictate uptake, enzymatic processing and sequestration of contaminants by aquatic plants were established. An assay which quantified production of oxygen by plants was developed to quantify plant metabolic activity and inhibition. Uptake of chlorinated phenols depended on plant activity and aqueous phase concentration of contaminant in the protonated form. Therefore, plant activity, contaminant pKa and media pH were established as critical parameters controlling rate of contaminant uptake. A conceptual model was developed which incorporated plant activity and inhibition into a mathematical description of uptake of organic contaminants by aquatic plants. The conceptual model was parameterized using experimental data delineating effect of plant activity, inhibition and speciation on contaminant uptake and the model was verified using independently gathered data. Experimentation with radio-labeled chlorinated phenols established that contaminants were sequestered internal to plants by plant enzymatic processing. 19F NMR was established as a technique to quantify transformation and conjugation products internal to plants and contaminant assimilation by plants and demonstrated that multiple metabolites containing the parent compound were present and quantifiable internal to plants. Finally, fate of plant-sequestered contaminants in an anaerobic bioassay was examined using Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Viet1. The results of this study address the role of aquatic plants in sequestration of contaminants in surface waters that indicate the potential and limitations of use of aquatic plants in natural and engineered treatment systems.

Of all the strategies to reduce carbon emissions, carbon dioxide (CO₂) geological sequestration is an immediately available option for removing large amounts of the gas from the atmosphere. However, our understanding of the transition behavior between Forchheimer and Darcy flow through porous media during CO₂ injection is currently very limited. In addition, the kinetic mass transfer of SO₂ and CO₂ from CO₂ stream to the saline and the fully coupling between the changes of porosity and permeability and multiphase flow are two significant dimensions to investigate the brine acidification and the induced porosity and permeability changes due to SO₂ co-injection with CO₂. Therefore, this dissertation develops a multiphase flow, contaminant transport and geochemical model which includes the kinetic mass transfer of SO₂ into deep saline aquifers and obtains the critical Forchheimer number for both water and CO₂ by using the experimental data in the literature. The critical Forchheimer numbers and the multiphase flow model are first applied to analyze the application problem involving the injection of CO₂ into deep saline aquifers. The results show that the Forchheimer effect would result in higher displacement efficiency with a magnitude of more than 50% in the Forchheimer regime than that for Darcy flow, which could increase the storage capacity for the same injection rate and volume of a site. Another merit for the incorporation of Forchheimer effect is that more CO₂ would be accumulated in the lower half of the domain and lower pressure would be imposed on the lower boundary of the cap-rock. However, as a price for the advantages mentioned above, the injection pressure required in Forchheimer flow would be higher than that for Darcy flow. The fluid flow and contaminant transport and geochemical model is then applied to analyze the brine acidification and induced porosity and permeability changes due to SO₂ co-injection. The results show that the co-injection of SO₂ with CO₂ would lead to a substantially acid zone near the injecting well and it is important to include the kinetic dissolution of SO₂ from the CO₂ stream to the water phase into the simulation models, otherwise considerable errors would be introduced for the equilibrium assumption. This study provides a useful tool for future analysis and comprehension of multiphase Darcy-Forchheimer flow and brine acidification of CO₂ injection into deep saline aquifers. Results from this dissertation have practical use for scientists and engineers concerned with the description of flow behavior, and transport and fate of SO₂ during SO₂ co-injection with CO₂ in deep saline aquifers.

A fusion protein composed of antibody fragments and β-lactamase was earlier created by Kojima et al. (2011), with antigen specificities against a bone disease marker and a pesticide. The enzyme was circularly permutated and fused to the variable heavy and light chain antibody fragments, thereby ensuring inactivity until binding of the target antigen triggered enzyme activation. Upon activation, the β-lactamase produced a colorimetric signal, which indicated antigen presence. In this work, a similar strategy was used to create two novel fusion proteins composed of circularly permuted β-lactamase and superfolder green fluorescent protein with anti-benzo[a]pyrene variable antibody fragments. The fusion proteins were designed and expressed in E. coli for the development of a single-step visual immunoassay. It was hypothesized that the cp reporter proteins would be activated once the binding of B[a]P to the variable antibody fragments occurred, and this interaction was expected to produce a detectable colorimetric or fluorescent signal. Although positive results were obtained in one instance, substantial supportive evidence in favour of the hypothesis could not be obtained. / SENTINEL Bioactive Paper Network, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Research Chairs Program.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é ser uma contribuição ao entendimento dos mecanismos envolvidos na migração por gravidade dos compostos orgânicos chamados de DNAPLs, quando eles são liberados em meios porosos e em meios porosos fraturados, para aportar ao desenvolvimento de tecnologias efetivas orientadas principalmente à localização e à remediação do sistema subterrâneo contaminado. Primeiramente são apresentados os conceitos elementares envolvidos nos modelos matemáticos que descrevem o fluxo bifásico em meios porosos, o processo de modelagem de um problema geral da natureza, os modelos conceituais, os matemáticos e os numéricos, e a aplicabilidade dos modelos conceituais conforme a considerações de escala. Em segundo lugar, são desenvolvidas as equações matemáticas que governam os fenômenos em estudo e são apresentadas as soluções às equações governantes a partir de técnicas computacionais e esquemas de integração numérica. As equações do fluxo bifásico são resolvidas mediante técnicas de elementos finitos mistos hibridizados (EFHM) e elementos finitos descontínuos (GD), e as equações do transporte de contaminantes são resolvidas mediante a técnica dos elementos finitos convencionais (EF). Seguidamente são avaliados numericamente problemas de transporte de contaminantes em 1D e 2D, problemas de transporte de contaminantes com transferência de massa, problemas de fluxo bifásico em 2D, e problemas acoplados envolvendo tanto fluxo bifásico como transporte de contaminantes com transferência de massa. Finalmente, são apresentadas as conclusões do trabalho desenvolvido bem como sugestões para trabalhos futuros. / [en] The objective of this work is to contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the gravity migration of organic compounds, called DNAPLs, when they are released in a porous media and in a fractured porous media, and to contribute to the development of effective technologies mainly oriented to the location and remediation of contaminated underground system. Firstly, some basic concepts are presented, especially those involved in the mathematical models that describe the two-phase flow in porous media, the conceptual models, the mathematical models, as well as the numerical models. Secondly, the mathematical equations that govern the phenomena under study are developed and the solutions to the governing equations from computational techniques and numerical integration schemes are presented. The biphasic flow equations are solved using mixed and hybridized finite element techniques (EFHM) and discontinuous finite element (GD), and the contaminant transport equations are solved by the conventional technique of finite element (FE). Then, some problems are numerically evaluated in 1D and 2D, such as transport of contaminants with and without mass transfer, two-phase flow problems in 2D, and attached problems involving both biphasic flow and contaminant transport with mass transfer. Finally, the conclusions of this thesis as well as the suggestions for future works are presented.

La mauvaise qualité de l'air intérieur a été classée parmi les cinq principaux risques environnementaux sur la santé publique (EPA, 2013). La ventilation est une solution bien connue pour réduire la variété de contaminants qui pourraient être trouvés à l'intérieur de bâtiments résidentiels. Cependant, comme l'air propre est un facteur essentiel pour une vie saine et un bâtiment sain, une faible consommation d'énergie est essentielle pour une planète saine. Pour ces raisons, différentes recherches scientifiques sont menées pour l'amélioration des performances des systèmes de ventilation afin de créer un équilibre entre la distribution de l'air et la qualité de l'air intérieur d’un côté et le confort thermique et l'efficacité énergétique d’un autre côté. Un des systèmes de ventilation existants est la ventilation mécanique par insufflation (VMI). Son principe consiste à introduire mécaniquement de l’air neuf depuis l’extérieur, après l’avoir filtré et préchauffé. Les systèmes existant à ce jour en France introduisent l’air via un ou deux points d’insufflation (situés généralement au centre de l’habitation). Quant à l'évacuation de l’air vicié, celui-ci est véhiculé par les sorties naturelles installées dans chaque pièce de la maison. L’objectif de ce travail est tout d’abord d’étudier les performances de la ventilation par insufflation dans un environnement réel puis de trouver des pistes d’amélioration qui permettront d’atteindre une meilleure qualité de l’air intérieur. En se basant sur deux études préliminaires présentées par le chapitre II, on a installé un système à insufflation répartie (un point d’insufflation/pièce de vie) dans une maison réelle où l’on a mené des expérimentations. Des scénarios d’émission de polluant ont été effectués à l’aide de la technique de gaz traceur. L’étude a montré que, malgré un débit de ventilation global du système VMI inférieur à celui du système de référence (ventilation mécanique par extraction hygroréglable B), la VMI fournit des résultats satisfaisants. En outre, elle aide à lutter contre le confinement des chambres et à réduire à l'intérieur, les concentrations des particules provenant des sources extérieures. Une étude numérique est réalisée en utilisant un modèle aéraulique et de transfert de masse multizone. Les résultats ont montré un bon accord avec l'expérience et sont prometteurs pour l’avenir ; une étude paramétrique permettant d'améliorer la performance de la VMI vient parachever ce travail. / Poor indoor air quality has been ranked among the top five environmental risks on public health (EPA, 2013). The ventilation is a well-recognized solution for reducing the variety of contaminants that could be found inside residential buildings. However, as well as clean air is an essential factor for a healthy life and a healthy building, low energy consumption is significant for a healthy planet. For these reasons, scientific research are conducted to improve the performance of ventilation systems in order to obtain a balance in the controversial relationship between the air distribution and indoor air quality on the one hand and the thermal comfort and energy efficiency on the other hand. One of the existing ventilation systems is the Supply-Only Ventilation (SOV), known also as positive input ventilation (PIV). It functions by mechanically introducing fresh, filtered and preheated air into the center of the building. So far, the existing systems in France introduce air through one or two supply points (usually located in the center of the house). As for the evacuation, steal air goes out through natural vents installed in each room of the house. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of this system in terms of indoor air quality in a real environment and to find improvement field that will help in increasing the indoor air quality. Based on preliminary studies and on the airflow path principle required by French regulation, we decided to investigate a Multi Supply-Only Ventilation system (M-SOV). The idea is to have an insufflation point in the bedrooms and living room, while the free air outlets are located in the utility rooms (kitchen, bathroom and toilets). Different emission scenarios are experimentally simulated using tracer gas methods. The study shows that even though the flow rate of this system is lower than the extract only ventilation system (EOV), it provides satisfactory results. In addition, it helps fight against the confinement room and reduce the indoor particles concentrations originated from outdoor sources. A numerical study using a multizone airflow and contaminant transport model is performed. The numerical results show a good agreement with that of the experimental ones. Moreover, they are promising for the future parametric study in order to improve the SOV performance.

Poly- och perfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) är samlingsnamnet för en stor grupp kemikalier som det senaste årtiondet tilldelats världsomfattande uppmärksamhet med anledning av frekventa förekomster i vattenmiljö, djurliv och människor. Samtliga PFAS som uppträder i miljön är antropogena och har blivit industriellt framtagna och tillämpade i över 60 år. På grund av deras fysiska och kemiska stabilitet och ytaktiva egenskaper är PFAS eftertraktade inom en rad olika industriella och kommersiella produkter, från filmbildande brandskum till vatten-, smuts- och fettavvisande ytbeläggningar. De omfattande möjligheterna för användning har resulterat i utsläpp av PFAS i miljön, antingen av direkta källor (~80 %) som tillverkning och tillämpning av PFAS-innehållande produkter, eller indirekta källor (~20 %) som nedbrytning och transport av prekursorer. Åtgärder har därför tagits på nationell, regional och global nivå för att begränsa användningen och spridningen av selekterade PFAS-ämnen. En av de mest uppmärksammade föroreningsproblemen med PFAS i Sverige är utsläppen av filmbildande brandsläckningsskum (AFFF) från brandövningsplatser. Som en konsekvens av flera decenniers användning och okontrollerat utsläpp till miljön har koncentrationerna av PFAS uppmätts att vara som högst i anslutning till övningsplatserna. Ämnenas mobilitet och höga vattenlöslighet gör att risken för transport till kringliggande områden är stor, vilket ökar risken att förorena närliggande grundvattentäkter. Flera exempel på PFAS-haltigt dricksvatten i svenska hushåll har bland annat upptäckts i kommuner såsom Uppsala, Ronneby, Halmstad, Botkyrka. Två före detta brandövningsplatser i Bodens kommun har brukat AFFF i övningssyfte i samband med brandövningar då platserna var aktiva. NIRAS Sweden AB har på uppdrag av Försvarsmaktens miljöprövningsenhet utrett området med avseende på PFAS och konstaterade förhöjda nivåer av ämnena i grundvattenmiljö. Eftersom flera ytvattenförekomster gränsar till brandövningsområdet finns det en oro för ämnenas spridningsbenägenhet och potential att påverka närmsta dricksvattentäkt. Syftet med examensarbetet har av den anledningen varit att kartlägga spridningen av PFAS i grundvatten från de två före detta brandövningsstationerna i Boden. Tillvägagångssättet har gått ut på att upprätta en grundvattenmodell i modelleringsprogrammet Visual MODFLOW Classic. Den hydrogeologiska modellen har tillämpats för att utföra föroreningstransport med hjälp av insticksmodulerna MODPATH och MT3DMS. Transport av det mest framträdande PFAS-ämnet i området, PFOS, modellerades från båda brandövningsplatserna och föroreningsplymens utveckling har visualiserats i flera tidssteg. Resultatet från grundvattenmodelleringen visade att grundvattnet från brandövningsområdena i det övre grundvattenmagasinet rör sig i nordvästlig till nordöstlig riktning, men även mot Luleälven. I det undre grundvattenmagasinet rör sig vattnet i nordvästlig, men har också tendens att röra sig mot Luleälven. Föroreningstransporten visade att PFOS har benägenhet att röra sig mot Luleälven i en sydvästlig riktning. Transporttiden av PFOS från brandövningsplatserna till Luleälven beräknades med MODPATH till sex respektive 7 år för den kalibrerade modellen och område 13/24. Visualisering av PFOS-plymen med MT3DMS visade att det tar cirka 100 år för ämnena att nå Luleälven. / Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is the collective name for a large group of organic chemicals which in the past decade have gained global attention due to their frequent occurence within the aquatic environment, wildlife and humans. All PFAS that occur in the environment are man-made and have been industrially created and used for over 60 years. Due to their physical and chemical stability and surface active attributes, PFAS are coveted within an array of industrial and commercial products, such as film-forming fire foam to water, dirt and grease-repellent coatings. The many possibilities to use PFAS have led to environmental emissions, either through direct sources (~80%) like manufacturing and application of PFAS-containing products, or indirect sources (~20%), through decomposition and transport of precursors. Within the PFAS-family, perfluoroctanesulfonat (PFOS) and perfluoroctaneacid (PFOA) are the most well-known and studied chemicals which have gained particular attention due to their persistence and high frequency in the environment, in turn leading them to be easily detected in humans and animals globally. PFOS and PFOA have further shown bioaccumulative and toxic traits and have thus increased the regulatory interest in the chemicals in questions of environmental and human health. Measures have therefore been taken on national, regional and global levels to restrict the use and dispersion of selected PFAS-substances affiliated with negative effects. One of the contamination issues to have gained most attention in Sweden is the emission of film-forming fire foam from fire drill locations. The PFAS-containing foam has been used throughout the country for practicing extinguishing fires related to class B: liquid fires, and has been predominantly used by military, airports and industries. As a consequence from the multi decennial use and uncontrolled emissions, the PFAS concentration, mainly PFOS and PFOA, has been measured to be highest in connection with the exercise sites. The substances mobility and high water solubility has increased the risk for their transportation to nearby areas and they may through rainfall infiltrate the ground to potentially reach the groundwater where they risk contaminating nearby groundwater sources. In Sweden, contaminated PFAS-areas are a particularly debatable issue, as about 50% of Swedish drinking water comes from groundwater-related water sources and for that reason, they have increased the general concern for human exposure. Several examples of PFAS-rich drinking water in Swedish households have been found in municipalities as Botkyrka, Halmstad, Ronneby and Uppsala and have in some cases been so high that related water resources have been withdrawn. Even if the intake of drinking water containing large quantities of PFAS substances is not considered to give rise to acute health effects, awareness of the long-term effects of exposure to PFAS is still very limited. A number of experimental and epidemiological studies focusing on PFOS and PFOA, on the other hand, have documented that both high and low doses of the substances can cause a number of adverse health effects. More recently, regulations on legislation for PFAS have reduced the scope of application, preferably for PFOS, but in accordance with this, products such as PFOS-containing fire foams have been substituted with other PFAS which have continued to be used at fire drill locations in Sweden. Continuous emissions of PFAS at these sites are thus still an up-to-date and forthcoming issue, as the substances - together with already existing pollutants - will remain for a long time to come. There are therefore reasons to limit the use further, but due to the lack of data for most PFAS pollutants, there is currently no benchmark value issued by the EU for PFAS other than PFOS. However, the National Food Agency has issued limit values based on the presence of 11 PFAS substances (PFBS, PFHxS, 6:2 FTSA, PFBA, PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFNA, PFDA, PFOA och PFOS) with an action threshold of 90 ng·L-1and a health-based limit value for 900 ng·L-1. The values ​​should give an indication that levels of PFAS which are larger in scope than the recommendation are too high and that measures should be taken to minimize the risk of spreading and unhealthy exposure to humans. For this reason, fire drill locations using fire-containing foam containing PFAS in Sweden are a high priority for mapping PFAS distribution in the country and identifying potential areas that are at risk of being affected by the spread of the pollutants in soil and water. As a result, two closed fire drill locations in Boden municipality - as part of a nationwide survey - have been investigated with regard to the fire extinguishing foam that has historically been used and caused pollution in the area. The PFAS-based fire foam is assumed to have had historical application to two exercise sites that operated between 1940 – 1985 and 1987 – 2005, respectively. In 2016, an environmental technical soil survey was carried out with regard to the presumed PFAS occurrence for the area. The investigation was based on sampling of soil and groundwater at four and eight different points respectively, centered around the two fire drill locations, and the results showed that the current contamination in the area was clearly noticeable and that the levels were higher than the Swedish Food Agency's recommended action threshold. Findings of PFOS that exceeded SGI's preliminary target value in groundwater (45 ng·L-1) and in soil (10 µg/kgTS) were also measured in connection with the two fire drill sites, which increased the interest in broadening the mapping of the current pollution situation with the aim of creating a better understanding of the extent of the pollution and potential spreading potential. Because the knowledge of the groundwater flow direction is limited, a hydrogeological model over the fire drill location can lead to a better understanding of the groundwater flow direction and thus the possible spreading direction of the present PFAS substances. The model can also be used as a tool for calculating the time required for the potential of the pollutants to affect the nearest protection object and thereby estimate and prevent the risks for human exposure in the area at the conceivable start of construction work in the now discontinued area. The results from the groundwater modelling showed that the groundwater from the fire drill areas in the upper groundwater reservoir moves in a northwesterly to northeasterly direction, but also towards the Lule River. In the lower groundwater reservoir, the water moves to the northwest and towards the Lule River. The contamination transport showed that PFOS tends to move toward the Lule River in a southwesterly direction. The transport time of PFOS from the fire training sites to the Lule River was estimated with MODPATH to 6 and 7 years respectively for the calibrated model and area 13/24. Visualization of the PFOS plume with MT3DMS showed that it takes about 100 years for the substances to reach the Lule River.

The dominating factors affecting sorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remain subject of research and debate. Traditionally, distribution coefficients (e.g., Kd and KOC) are used to calculate the fractionation of the contaminant between soil and water, to estimate leaching and subsequently the risks it imposes reaching water reservoirs. Research has aimed to establish the sorption mechanisms for PFAS but, due to the complexity of interactions between the substance specific physiochemical properties and geochemical sorbent characteristics, it has shown to be a complicated task. For PFOS, one of the most commonly encountered PFAS, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) recommends using the 10th percentile of a small data set for the organic carbon-water distribution coefficient KOC (500 L/kg) and multiply this with the organic content of the in-situ soil to obtain the soil-water distribution coefficient (Kd). The result of this study shows that this method is insufficient to obtain a good approximation of the mobility of PFOS at a contaminated site. With a review of recent research on PFAS sorption and a case study performed at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, this study concludes that as of today, and due to PFAS potent mobility, well measured field coefficients for each soil type present in the soil profile and an elaborate geohydrological model is necessary to estimate PFAS environmental transport, fate and associated risks. It also concludes that parameters such as anionic exchange capacity and soil protein content may be highly relevant to estimate PFAS sorption.

Inthe mining industry people remove rock from the ground to obtain a metal ore. Afterprocessing , the uneconomic fraction called tailings is deposited as a slurry in large reservoirs .The processing adds water and chemical agents to the tailings so that the original structure ofthe material therefore changes, which make storage of tailings complicated. If a tailingreservoir c ollapse s , it can damage p roperties and life downstream . In addition, tailings maycontain contaminants that disturb living organism s and contaminated groundwater in the localarea even under normal operation s . Therefore, tracing the contaminants and study ing thestability of the tailing reservoir s are important. The aim of the thesis is to investigate seepage,contaminant transport, tailings compaction and slope stability of the Zhaoli ditch tailingsreservoir (China) during its construction and afterwards. Simulations are performed with thecomputer program GeoStudio . According to the simulations and the conditions , contaminanttransport was highly related with total head. Total head boundary conditi ons have also a largeeffect on slope stability. The area that has most vertical displacement is at the middle of thetailing s reservoir , and the greatest change of vertical displacement is located near the slope,w here the vertical displacement can increa se 0.5 meter over a 1 0 30 meter distance. Theslope stability can be different from case to case, but the original designed tailing reservoirhave a good safety factor, indicating that the slope is not going to collapse easily. / Vi människor villutnyttja malm erna i marken för att skapa ett mer effektiv t industrisamhälleF ör att utvinna så myck et användbara metaller som möjligt tillsätts kemika lier och vattenunder anriknings processen, vilket gör att deponering av de vattenmättade restprodukt erna isandmagasin blir en utmaning med avseende på dammstabilitet och föroreningstransport.Eftersomdet är svårt att ändra på en färdig byggd damm för anrikningssand e n använder dettaexamensarbete av Geostudio för att simulera hur olika parameter påverkaföroreningstransport i dammen, vattenläckage från dammen samt da mmens stabilitet ochsäkerhet. Projektet har simulerat förhållanden i Zhaoli ditch damm i Kina .Simulering i GeoStudio visar att förorening sspridning är stark kopplad till den totalahydrauliska potentialen och materialets hydrauliska konduktivitet. Rand villkoren medavseende på den hydrauliska potentialen utanför dammen även har en stor inverkan pådammvallens stabilitet. De största vertikala sättningar sker i mitten av dammen, och denstörste sättningsgradient finns i dammvallens sluttning, där en vertikal sättning på 0.5 meteröver ett avstånd på 10 3 0 meter beräknas. Deformation är störst på första lagret överberggrunden. Simuleringarna visar att dammvallens sluttning är stab il med en tillräcklig högsäkerhetsfaktor.

No description available.

Using a comparative spatial and temporal analysis on sediment cores from 8 lakes in the Mackenzie River Delta uplands region, NT, Canada, this study assessed how persistent organic pollutant (POP) deposition to lake sediments was affected by: (1) the presence of retrogressive thaw slumps on lake shores; and (2) changes occurring with increased autochthonous primary productivity. POPs examined included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), penta- and hexachlorobenzenes (CBzs), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs). Surface sediments of slump-affected lakes contained higher total organic carbon (TOC)-normalized POP concentrations than nearby reference lakes unaffected by thaw slumps. Inorganic sedimentation rates were positively related to contaminant concentrations, suggesting that the influx of siliciclastic material reducing organic carbon in slump-affected lake water indirectly results in higher concentrations of POPs on sedimentary organic matter. This explanation was corroborated by an inverse relationship between sedimentary POP concentrations and TOC content of the lake water. Deposition proxies of autochthonous carbon were not significantly correlated to POP fluxes of surface sediments, and historical profile fluctuations did not coincide with variation in POP deposition. Thus this study does not support the contention that algal-derived organic carbon increases the delivery of organic pollutants to sediments (the algal-scavenging hypothesis), as previously proposed for mercury. Higher POP concentrations observed in surface sediments of slump-affected lakes are best explained by simple solvent switching processes of hydrophobic contaminants onto a lower pool of available organic carbon when compared to neighbouring lakes unaffected by thaw slump development.