A regional survey of environmentally harmful substances in fish in autumn 2013 revealed elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in perch from Lake Oxundasjön, north of Upplands Väsby in Stockholm County. Follow-up studies have shown that the quantity of PCBs contained in the lake is unique of its kind in Sweden, and that the area of influence also includes downstream Rosersbergsviken, a bay of Lake Mälaren. The elevated concentrations in fish exceed today's market limits and environmental quality standards for PCBs, as of this, responsible authorities discourage from consumption of fish from Lake Oxundasjön and Rosersbergsviken. The aim has been to use statistical analyses and mass-balance modelling to study the current state of the lake system and how it may evolve in the future under different circumstances. There is a statistically significant correlation between PCB levels in sediment and perch from 21 different sites in the Stockholm-Mälaren region, including Lake Oxundasjön and Rosersbergsviken, this was demonstrated with a linear regression model. With the multivariate analysis method principal component analysis (PCA), it was illustrated how the contaminant levels in fish from Lake Oxundasjön and Rosersbergsviken differed on contaminant levels in fish from other sites. The difference mainly concerned the size and composition of PCBs. Mass-balance modelling of quantities and flows of PCBs in Lake Oxundasjön and Rosersbergsviken was made in the simulation program STELLA®. The modelling indicated that the system currently serves as a secondary distribution source of PCBs to the environment. The recovery of PCB levels is slow in the system, it will take more than 25 years for concentrations in fish to reach today’s market limits and environmental quality standards for PCBs. The model was used to evaluate three different treatment methods for Lake Oxundasjön: dredging, capping and activated carbon treatment. Simulations of these treatments led to a substantial improvement of the PCB situation in Lake Oxundasjön. Moreover, they also had a positive impact on the recovery process in the downstream Rosersbergsviken. Future climate changes, with warmer temperatures and higher run off, led to a slightly faster recovery progress of PCBs in the system.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are hydrophobic substances that readily sorb to organic matter in particles and colloids instead of being freely dissolved in the water phase. This sorption affects the bio­availability and environmental transport of the POPs. The major part of this thesis concerns the role of sediments as secondary sources of POPs. As the primary emissions decrease, contaminated sediments where POPs have accumulated can become the main source of contamination. If the contaminated sediment by time becomes covered with cleaner layers, the POPs are buried and no longer in contact with the aquatic environment. Experiments in this thesis showed, however, that new invading species can alter the sediment-water dynamics as a result of their bioturbation, i.e. mixing of sediment particles and pore-water. Marenzelleria spp., invading species in the Baltic Sea that burrow deeper than native species, were found to increase the remobilization of buried contaminants. The sediment-to-water flux was inversely related to the burial depth (2-10 cm) of the POP congeners (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and also inversely related to the hydrophobicity of the congener. The flux was therefore most pronounced for less hydrophobic contaminants, which was linked to the bioirrigating behaviour of these species. Marenzelleria spp. also accumulated the buried POPs and increased concentrations in surface sedi­ment. Contaminants previously considered buried at a ’safe’ depth can thus be remobilized as a result of the invasion of Marenzelleria spp. in the Baltic Sea. One method to decrease the remobilization of contaminants from sediments is ’capping’, i.e. a layer of clean material is placed as a cap on the sediment. By amending the cap with active materials, which sequester the POPs and decrease their availability, thinner layers can be used (’active capping’ or ’thin-layer capping’). Results from an experiment with thin-layer capping using different active materials (activated carbon (AC) and kraft lignin) showed that both the sediment-to-water flux and the bioaccumulation by benthic species of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and octachlorostyrene (OCS) decreased with increased thick­ness of the cap layer (0.5-5 cm). Amendments with active materials further increased the cap efficiency. AC was more efficient than kraft lignin, and a 3 cm cap with 3.3% AC reduced the flux and bioaccumulation with ~90%. The reduction of the sediment-to-water flux was inversely related to the hydrophobicity of the POP, and reductions in the flux had similar magnitudes as reductions in the concentration in deep-burrowing polychaetes, demonstrating the importance of bioturbation for sediment-to-water transport. In a one-year study on the levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and HCB in a coastal area of the Baltic Sea, the correlations between the POP levels and the levels of particles and organic carbon in the water were found to differ for POPs of different structure and hydrophobicity. The levels of PCDD/Fs decreased to one third in May, which could be related to the increased sedimentation, i.e. water-to-sediment transport, during spring bloom.

Dans ce travail, deux méthodes d'extraction multi-résidus de contaminants présents dans des sédiments ont été développées. Dans la première partie de cette étude, une méthode a été développée pour l’'extraction simultanée de deux familles de métabolites oxygénés d'hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP), les quinones et les HAP hydroxylés (OH-HAP). Une approche chimiométrique a permis de déterminer les paramètres influant sur l’extraction assistée par micro-ondes (MAE) et une zone de compromis a été trouvée pour extraire de manière optimale les deux familles de composés. Deux méthodologies d’analyses chromatographiques ont été développées et validées pour analyser les extraits, puis comparées, à savoir la chromatographie liquide haute performance couplée aux détections UV et fluorimétrique (HPLC-UV-Fluo) et la chromatographie en phase gazeuse couplée à un spectromètre de masse par impact électronique (CPG-SM). En CPG-SM, des réactions de silylation des OH-HAP et d’acétylation des quinones ont dû être mises au point, afin d’abaisser les limites de détection (LD), en particulier pour les ortho-quinones. En HPLC-UV-Fluo, les LD étaient plus faibles qu’en CPG-SM, surtout pour les OH-HAP détectés en Fluo et l'analyse était plus rapide, sans processus de dérivation; mais la détection n’étant pas sélective, l’identification des analytes s’est avérée hazardeuse. Le choix s’est donc porté sur la CPG-SM pour une analyse plus fiable des deux familles de composés de matrices sédimentaires naturellement contaminées. Dans la deuxième partie de ce travail de thèse, une nouvelle méthodologie d'extraction a été développée et validée, basée sur la dispersion en phase solide de la matrice solide (MSPD), capable d'extraire mais aussi de purifier l’échantillon, méthodologie par ailleurs simple et rapide. Deux familles de composés ont été extraits simultanément à partir de sédiments, les HAP et les polychlorobiphényles (PCB). Un certain nombre de paramètres ont été optimisés, tels la nature des agents dispersants, le temps de broyage, le volume et la nature du mélange de solvants d’élution. Dans un deuxième temps, l'introduction des OH-HAP dans le processus analytique a amené à coupler à la MSPD une autre méthode d’extraction/purification beaucoup plus sélective, basée sur les polymères à empreintes moléculaires (MIP). En effet, les interférents polaires, restés piégés par l’agent dispersant polaire dans la première cartouche contenant le sédiment broyé, devaient être élués afin de libérer les OH-HAP, qui a leur tour devaient être retenus sélectivement dans un MIP empreint pour les phénols, pour fournir une élution finale exempte d'autres composés. Il a été montré que ces MIPs pouvaient extraire sélectivement les OH-HAP de faible et de haut poids moléculaire, mais il fallait choisir soigneusement le solvant de percolation pour ne pas endommager le polymère. Cependant, la difficulté principale a été de désorber les OH-HAP fortement retenus par le sédiment par liaison hydrogène. Cela a pu être réalisé pour les OH-HAP légers, en utilisant un mélange de solvants avec un effet de relargage par un sel, mais pas pour les OH-HAP lourds, trop fortement adsorbés sur la matrice sédimentaire. Par ailleurs, il a fallu utiliser une grande quantité de polymère à empreinte moléculaire à cause de la compétition pour les sites de reconnaissance entre les OH-HAP et des composés phénoliques. / In this work two multiresidual methods for extracting contaminants from sediments were developed. In the first part of this study, a method was developed for extracting simultaneously two groups of oxygenated metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), quinones and hydroxylated PAHs (hydroxy-PAHs). A chemometric approach allowed us to determine the influential parameters on microwave assisted extraction (MAE), and a compromise could be found for extracting quantitatively both families of compounds. Two chromatographic analytical methodologies were developed and validated for analysing the extracts: high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorimetric and ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV-FLD) and gas chromatography coupled with an electronic impact mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Using GC-MS, reactions of silylation of hydroxy-PAHs and of acetylation of quinones had to be developed, to decrease detection limits (LOD), particularly for ortho-quinones. Using HPLC-UV-FLD, LODs were lower than using GC-MS, particularly for hydroxy-PAHs detected by FLD, and the analysis was faster, without derivatization; but the detectors were not selective, and identification of analytes was doubtful. Choice was done to favour GC-MS for a more reliable analysis of the two families of compounds extracted from naturally contaminated sediments. In the second part of this thesis work, a new fast and simple extraction methodology was developed and validated, based on matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD), capable of extracting and purifying simultaneously sediment samples. Two families of compounds were simultaneously extracted from sediments, PAHs and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs). Many parameters were optimized, as the nature of dispersing agents, the time of grinding, the volume and nature of elution solvent mixtures. In a second step, hydroxy-PAHs were introduced in the analytical process, which led us to add another more selective extraction/purification method to MSPD, based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). Indeed polar interfering compounds, trapped by the polar dispersant in the first cartridge containing the blended sediment, had to be eluted to release hydroxy-PAHs, which in turn had to be selectively retained by the polymer, imprinted for phenols, to provide a final eluate free from other polar compounds. It was demonstrated that those MIPs could selectively extract low and high molecular weight hydroxy-PAHs, but appropriate percolating solvents had to be chosen to avoid polymer damages. However, the main difficulty was to desorb hydroxy-PAHs strongly retained by the sediment matrix through hydrogen bonds. It could be achieved for light hydroxy-PAHs, using a mixture of eluting solvents with salting-out effect, but not for heavy hydroxy-PAHs which stayed strongly sorbed on the sediment matrix. Furthermore we needed to use high amounts of imprinted polymer because of the competition for recognition sites between hydroxy-PAHs and phenolic compounds.

[For the Abstract, please see the PDF files below, namely "front.pdf"] CONTENTS. Chapter 1 Introduction. Chapter 2 Gross and microscopic visceral anatomy of the male Cape fur seal with reference to organ size and growth. Chapter 3 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part one, external body. Chapter 4 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part two, skull. Chapter 5 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part three, baculum. Chapter 6 Suture age as an indicator of physiological age in the male Cape fur seal. Chapter 7 Sexual dimorphism in the adult Cape fur seal: standard body length and skull morphology. Chapter 8 Reproduction in the male Cape fur seal: age at puberty and annual cycle of the testis. Chapter 9 Diet and foraging behaviour of the Cape fur seal. Chapter 10(a) The Impact of the fur seal industry on the distribution and abundance of Cape fur seals. Chapter 10(b) South African Airforce wildlife rescue: Cape fur seal pups washed from Black Rocks, Algoa Bay, during heavy seas, December 1976. Chapter 11(a) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part one, trawl fishing. Chapter 11(b) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part two, squid jigging and line fishing. Chapter 11(c) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part three, entanglement in man-made debris. Chapter 12 Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni & Zn) and organochlorine contaminants (PCBs, DDT, DDE & DDD) in the blubber of Cape fur seals. Chapter 13 Endoparasites of the Cape fur seal. Chapter 14(a) Preliminary investigations of shark predation on Cape fur seals. Chapter 14(b) Aggressive behaviour of an adult male Cape fur seal towards a great white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Chapter 15 Conclusions and future directions.

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.

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.