show that there are large differences in fate between the two chemicals and between the two lakes. The chemicals display differences in fate, mainly because of their differences in degradation half lives and their air–water partition coefficients (KAW). Volatilization is much more significant for D5 which has a KAW 105 times that of PCB-180. Both substances have large KOCs, thus they tend to associate with suspended matter in the water column and are subject to appreciable sedimentation. The mass distributions between water and sediment (which are independent of emission rates) of the two chemicals in Lake Pepin are similar. In contrast, in Lake Ontario 42% of the D5 partitions to sediment compared to 99% of the PCB. An interesting and at first counterintuitive observation is that the residence times of the less persistent D5 is similar in Lake Pepin (103 d) to that in Lake Ontario (124 d). The reason for this is that in the shallower Lake Pepin there is faster sediment deposition of D5 of 40 kg year−1 compared to 3 kg year−1 in Lake Ontario, resulting in a higher fraction of the chemical mass in the sediment. The overall residence time is a function of the half lives in water and sediment and the relative mass distributions as influenced by the sediment water partition coefficients, the relative volumes or depths and by the rates of other loss processes such as volatilization. The slow degradation rate of PCB-180 results in residence times of about a year in Lake Pepin and about 20 years in Lake Ontario.
The key output quantities are regarded as the relative steady state masses in water and sediment and their respective residence times or persistence. These residence times not only express the potential of the chemicals to establish high concentrations, but they also indicate the time that would be required for substantial elimination of the substances from the aquatic ecosystems. For a more rigorous evaluation of remediation response times a Level IV model is required. The model also explains the cause of these differences by quantifying the relative magnitudes of the various contributory processes by advection from water (outflow), from sediments (burial), degrading reactions in water and sediment and volatilization. A significant mass transfer rate as revealed by the model may indicate a need to obtain a more accurate estimate of the corresponding rate coefficient. Also of interest are the relative fugacities in water and sediment since these can provide insights into bioaccumulation in pelagic and benthic organisms and may justify the application of more detailed food web models.
In conclusion, the environmental fate of these two substances in the two lakes is a complex function of physical chemical properties and the relative dimensions and hydrology of the two lakes. Insights into the key differences in fate are best obtained by comparing the relative chemical masses in the water and sediment as well as their relative equilibrium status as indicated by the ratios of sediment and water fugacities. A mass balance model is essential for elucidating the effects of these parameters, for identifying the most significant fate processes and for providing a visual depiction of the key fate processes.