The occurrence and bioaccumulation of new and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), and Dechlorane Plus (DPs) and their related compounds (Dechloranes) in an ecosystem on King George Island, Antarctica are investigated. The new and legacy POPs were widely detected in the animal samples collected from Antarctica, which included Limpet, Antarctic cod, Amphipods, Antarctic icefish, Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, Kelp gull, and South polar skua. The trophic magnification factors indicated that the levels of PCNs and HBCDs, as well as the legacy POPs, were magnified through the food web, whereas DPs might be diluted through the trophic levels contradicting the classification of Dechloranes as POPs. This is one of the first extensive surveys on PCNs, HBCDs, and Dechloranes, which provides unique information on the distribution and trophic biomagnification potential of the new and legacy POPs in the Antarctic region.

Korea Polar Research Institute 26 Songdomirae ro Yeonsu gu Incheon 21990 South Korea

Multiphase Chemistry Department Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Hahn Meitner Weg 1 55128 Mainz Germany; Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 Brno 625 00 Czech Republic

Pohang University of Science and Technology 26 Songdomirae ro Yeonsu gu Incheon 21990 South Korea

Pohang University of Science and Technology San 31 Hyoja dong Nam gu Pohang 37673 South Korea

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