Climate change and global cycling of persistent organic pollutants： A critical review

• Published in: Science China. Earth sciences 2016-10, Vol.59 (10), p.1899-1911
• Main Authors: Wang, XiaoPing, Sun, DianChao, Yao, TanDong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic ecosystems; Atmospheric circulation; Carbon cycle; Climate change; Climate effects; Drought; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emissions; Environmental behavior; Environmental impact; Environmental policy; Extreme weather; Freshwater; Freshwater ecosystems; Glaciers; Global warming; Ocean currents; Oceans; Permafrost; Persistent organic pollutants; Pollution; Pollution dispersion; POPs; Review; Soil erosion; Storage capacity; Synergistic effect; 全球循环; 全球气候变化; 持久性有机污染物; 气候变暖; 淡水生态系统; 环境政策; 综述
• ISSN: 1674-7313; 1869-1897
• DOI: 10.1007/s11430-016-5073-0

Climate warming, one of the main features of global change, has exerted indelible impacts on the environment, among which the impact on the transport and fate of pollutants has aroused widespread concern. Persistent organic pollutants （POPs） are a class of pollutants that are transported worldwide. Determining the impact of climate warming on the global cy- cling of POPs is important for understanding POP cycling processes and formulating relevant environmental policies. In this review, the main research findings in this field over the past ten years are summarized and the effects of climate warming on emissions, transport, storage, degradation and toxicity of POPs are reviewed. This review also summarizes the primary POP fate models and their application. Additionally, research gaps and future research directions are identified and suggested. Un- der the influence of climate change, global cycling of POPs mainly shows the following responses. （1） Global warming direct- ly promotes the secondary emission of POPs; for example, temperature rise will cause POPs to be re-released from soils and oceans, and melting glaciers and permafrost can re-release POPs into freshwater ecosystems. （2） Global extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, result in the redistribution of POPs through intense soil erosion. （3） The changes in at- mospheric circulation and ocean currents have significantly influenced the global transport of POPs. （4） Climate warming has altered marine biological productivity, which has changed the POP storage capacity of the ocean. （5） Aquatic and terrestrial food-chain structures have undergone significant changes, which could lead to amplification of POP toxicity in ecosystems. （6） Overall, warming accelerates the POP volatilization process and increases the amount of POPs in the environment, although global warming facilitates their degradation at the same time. （7） Various models have predicted the future environmental be- haviors of POPs. These models are used to assist governments in comprehensively considering the impact of global warming on the environmental fate of POPs and therefore controlling POPs effectively. Future studies should focus on the synergistic effects of global changes on the cycling of POPs. Additionally, the interactions among global carbon cycling, water cycling and POP cycling will be a new research direction for better understanding the adaptation of ecosystems to climate change.