Mirror image between gas-particle partitioning and soil-moss distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the polar regions.

The concentrations and congener-specific profiles of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were investigated in the atmosphere, soil and moss samples were collected from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard in the Arctic and King Georgia Island (KGI), Fildes Peninsula in Antarctica, respectively. The congener profiles of PBDEs were symmetrical between gas and moss, as well as between particles and soil at Ny-Ålesund and KGI, respectively, similar to a "mirror image". The proportions of highly brominated congeners (for example, BDE-99, -153 and -183) in the particle phase and soil were higher than those in the gas phase and moss, while tri- and tetra-BDEs possessed higher proportions in the gas phase and moss at both sites. The slopes of log-log linear correlations between the gas-particle partition coefficient (Kp) and sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures (p°L) of PBDEs were observed at both sites compared with the values in the urban areas. Moreover, the slopes of logKp vs. logp°L (-0.51 at Ny-Ålesund and - 0.29 at KGI) were notably close to the slopes of log-log linear correlations between the dimensionless soil-moss quotient (QSM) and p°L (-0.42 at Ny-Ålesund and -0.22 at KGI). Significant correlations between particle fraction (φparticle) and soil fraction (φsoil) at both sites indicated that the gas-particle partitioning of PBDEs is directly related to their distribution in moss and soil.