The cryosphere serves as a significant sink in the global circulation of organic pollutants. Among them, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemical”, are of great concern as their concentrations surpass the Earth's planetary safety boundary. In this review, we synthesize knowledge on the fate of PFAS in the cryosphere, focusing on their sources, accumulation, release process, and ecological effects. Long-range atmospheric transport leads to widespread of PFAS in the cryosphere, whereas local activities are primarily responsible for the regional PFAS pollution. Because of the wide replacements of the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons after the Montreal Protocol, the ultra-short chain (C < 4) PFAS, particularly trifluoroacetic acid, have emerged as the predominant compounds in the cryosphere, which may become a focus of future research. Cryospheric components such as snowfall, sea ice, and permafrost are important accumulation reservoirs of PFAS, while under climate warming, air-snow exchange, sea-ice melting and permafrost thaw lead to redistribution of PFAS. During snow/ice melt, short-chain PFAS are released earlier than long-chain PFAS. The PFAS remaining in the proglacial environment exhibit a range of ecological effects on both micro- and higher trophic organisms through the food web, ultimately leading to biodiversity loss. Our analysis shed light on the fate of PFAS in the cryosphere under climate warming and highlighted the urgent need for their long-term monitoring and study of PFAS in glacial regions to protect the fragile ice world.

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全球冰冻圈中“永久化学品”的命运


冰冻圈是有机污染物全球循环中的一个重要汇。其中，被称为“永久化学品”的全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质 （PFAS） 因其浓度超过了地球的地球安全边界而备受关注。在这篇综述中，我们综合了有关 PFAS 在冰冻圈中命运的信息，重点关注它们的来源、积累、释放过程和生态效应。长距离大气运输导致 PFAS 在冰冻圈中广泛传播，而当地活动是造成区域 PFAS 污染的主要原因。由于《蒙特利尔议定书》后消耗臭氧层的氯氟烃被广泛替代，超短链 （C < 4） PFAS，尤其是三氟乙酸，已成为冰冻圈中的主要化合物，可能成为未来研究的重点。降雪、海冰和永久冻土等冰冻圈成分是 PFAS 的重要积累库，而在气候变暖下，气雪交换、海冰融化和永久冻土融化导致 PFAS 的重新分布。在雪/冰融化过程中，短链 PFAS 的释放时间早于长链 PFAS。残留在冰期环境中的 PFAS 通过食物网对微营养生物和高等营养生物表现出一系列生态影响，最终导致生物多样性丧失。我们的分析阐明了气候变暖下 PFAS 在冰冻圈中的命运，并强调了它们迫切需要长期监测和研究冰川地区的 PFAS，以保护脆弱的冰雪世界。