Current state of knowledge on biological effects from contaminants on arctic wildlife and fish

Dietz, Runé; Letcher, Robert J.; Desforges, Jean‐Pierre; Eulaers, Igor; Sonne, Christian; Wilson, Simon; Andersen-Ranberg, Emilie; Basu, Niladri; Barst, Benjamin D.; Bustnes, Jan Ove; Bytingsvik, Jenny; Ciesielski, Tomasz Maciej; Drevnick, Paul E.; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing; Haarr, Ane; Hylland, Ketil; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro; Levin, Milton; McKinney, Melissa A.; Nørregaard, Rasmus Dyrmose; Pedersen, Kathrine Eggers; Provencher, Jennifer F.; Styrishave, Bjarne; Tartu, Sabrina; Aars, Jon; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu; Barrett, Rob; Bignert, Anders; Born, Erik W.; Branigan, Marsha; Braune, Birgit M.; Bryan, Colleen E.; Dam, Maria; Eagles‐Smith, Collin A.; Evans, Marlene S.; Evans, Thomas J.; Fisk, Aaron T.; Gamberg, Mary; Gustavson, Kim; Hartman, C. Alex; Helander, Björn; Herzog, Mark P.; Hoekstra, Paul F.; Houde, Magali; Hoydal, Katrin S.; Jackson, Allyson K.; Kucklick, John R.; Lie, Elisabeth; Loseto, Lisa L.; Mallory, Mark L.; Miljeteig, Cecilie; Mosbech, Anders; Muir, Derek C. G.; Nielsen, Sanna Túni; Peacock, Elizabeth; Pedro, Sara; Peterson, Sarah H.; Polder, Anuschka; Rigét, Frank; Roach, Pat; Saunes, Halvor; Sinding, Mikkel Holger S.; Skaare, Janneche Utne; Søndergaard, Jens; Stenson, Garry B.; Stern, Gary A.; Treu, Gabriele; Schuur, Stacy S.; Víkingsson, Gísli A.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133792

Cited by 193 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 300 publications

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“…The geometric mean ΣPCBs for adult male seal-eaters (n = 4; 46 µg/g l.w) was almost double the levels previously recorded in adult male fish-eating killer whales from Norway in 2002 (n = 8; 27 µg/g l.w) 16 . These lower levels from 2002 have been used to conclude that killer whales from Norway are at less risk from PCB-mediated health effects than other Arctic killer whale populations 7 . We found higher median ΣPCBs in adult male seal-eating killer whales from our study (51 µg/g l.w), which were comparable to levels in an adult male killer whale harvested from Greenland with seal remains in the stomach (65 µg/g l.w), suggesting equitable risk 17 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preying on seals pushes killer whales from Norway above pollution effects thresholds

Andvik

Jourdain²,

Ruus

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are at risk from high levels of biomagnifying pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury (Hg). Previous toxicological risk assessments for the Norwegian killer whale population have assumed fish as the primary prey source, and assessed the population as below established effect thresholds. However, some individuals have recently been identified to also feed on seals. This study is the first to quantify levels of pollutants in seal-eating killer whales from northern Norway, and to measure Hg levels in the skin of killer whales worldwide. We found higher levels of all pollutants in seal-eating than fish-eating killer whales, including the emerging brominated flame retardants pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), pentabromotoluene (PBT) and hexabromobenzene (HBB). Sum polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs) in the blubber of seal-eaters (n = 7, geometric mean = 46 µg/g l.w.) were four times higher than fish-eaters (n = 24, geometric mean = 11 µg/g l.w.), which pushed all seal-eating individuals above multiple thresholds for health effects. Total Hg levels in skin of seal-eaters (n = 10, arithmetic mean = 3.7 µg/g d.w.) were twice as high as in fish-eaters (n = 28, arithmetic mean = 1.8 µg/g d.w.). Our results indicate that by feeding on higher trophic prey, the Norwegian killer whale population is at higher risk of health effects from pollution than previously assumed. Pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury (Hg), have the potential to cause harmful effects in wildlife due to their persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties 1,2. PCBs are a type of organohalogen contaminant (OHC): anthropogenically produced pollutants that include a range of pesticides and industrial products. Hg is a naturally occurring element, however the concentrations measured in wildlife have increased by 3-4 orders of magnitude over the last 150 years due to anthropogenic activities 3. The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is a species particularly vulnerable to biomagnifying pollutants due to its position as an apex predator, long life span, and thick blubber layer in which lipophilic OHCs can accumulate 4. High recorded tissue levels of PCBs and Hg led to the killer whale being named the most exposed species by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) 5 , and over 50% of killer whale populations worldwide have been predicted to collapse within the next 100 years due to PCB exposure 6. The levels of pollutants in a killer whale population, and thus its risk of health effects, are higher in populations feeding at high trophic levels due to increased exposure from biomagnification in prey 6,7. For example, in the northeast Pacific, marinemammal eating killer whale populations have higher levels of PCBs than fish-eating populations from the same geographic area 8,9. Variations in Hg levels according to dietary preference have not yet been recorded in killer whales, although higher Hg levels would be expected in groups feeding on marine mammal prey, as Hg also biomagnifie...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preying on seals pushes killer whales from Norway above pollution effects thresholds

Andvik

Jourdain²,

Ruus

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…This latter region has previously been associated with elevated Hg risk in seabirds. For instance, the investigation of Hg concentrations in the blood of Brünnich's guillemot breeding at Coats Island (Canadian Arctic, Northwest Atlantic) showed that above ~90% of the sampled individuals were associated with at least a moderate risk (Dietz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Hg Toxicity and Risks For Non-breeding Arctic Seabirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concentrations of mercury (Hg), a naturally-occurring non-essential element, have increased in marine ecosystems over the last decades because of anthropogenic emissions (UNEP, 2013). In its methylated, toxic form (methyl-mercury, MeHg), Hg is considered a pollutant of concern for both wildlife and human health (Braune et al, 2012;Dietz et al, 2019Dietz et al, , 2013Tan et al, 2009;Wolfe et al, 1998), prevalent even in remote areas such as the polar regions (Albert et al, 2019;AMAP, 2018;Johansen et al, 2007;Provencher et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mercury is assimilated by organisms through their diet and biomagnifies through food webs (Morel et al, 1998). The highest concentrations are generally found in top predators, such as seabirds and marine mammals, with the latter often carrying even higher body burdens than seabirds (AMAP, 2005(AMAP, , 1998Dietz et al, 2019Dietz et al, , 2013Dietz et al, , 1996. In turn, elevated Hg may be associated with physiological, behavioral or reproductive impacts, such as neurological deficiencies, immune disruption or lowered egg hatchability (Ackerman et al, 2016;Dietz et al, 2019), ultimately having long-term, deleterious effects on seabird population dynamics (Goutte et al, 2014a(Goutte et al, , 2014b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The highest concentrations are generally found in top predators, such as seabirds and marine mammals, with the latter often carrying even higher body burdens than seabirds (AMAP, 2005(AMAP, , 1998Dietz et al, 2019Dietz et al, , 2013Dietz et al, , 1996. In turn, elevated Hg may be associated with physiological, behavioral or reproductive impacts, such as neurological deficiencies, immune disruption or lowered egg hatchability (Ackerman et al, 2016;Dietz et al, 2019), ultimately having long-term, deleterious effects on seabird population dynamics (Goutte et al, 2014a(Goutte et al, , 2014b. Spatial differences have been highlighted in numerous marine species with higher Hg concentrations found in the Canadian Arctic compared to the European Arctic (AMAP, 2018), but with large interspecies variation (Albert et al, 2019;AMAP, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation of mercury contamination in Arctic seabirds: A pan-Arctic assessment

Albert

Helgason

Brault‐Favrou

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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Mercury (Hg) is a natural trace element found in high concentrations in top predators, including Arctic seabirds. Most current knowledge about Hg concentrations in Arctic seabirds relates to exposure during the summer breeding period when researchers can easily access seabirds at colonies. However, the few studies focused on winter have shown higher Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period than breeding period in several tissues. Hence, improving knowledge about Hg exposure during the non-breeding period is crucial to understanding the threats and risks encountered by these species year-round. We used feathers of nine migratory alcid species occurring at high latitudes to study bird Hg exposure during both the breeding and non-breeding periods. Overall, Hg concentrations during the nonbreeding period were ~3 times higher than during the breeding period. In addition, spatial differences were apparent within and between the Atlantic and Pacific regions. While Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period were ~9 times and ~3 times higher than during the breeding period for the West and East Atlantic respectively, Hg concentrations in the Pacific during the non-breeding period were only ~1.7 times higher than during the breeding period. In addition, individual Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period for most of the seabird colonies were above 5.00 µg g-1 dry weight (dw), which is considered to be the threshold at which deleterious effects are observed, suggesting that some breeding populations might be vulnerable to non-breeding Hg exposure. Since wintering area locations, and migration routes may influence seasonal Hg concentrations, it is crucial to improve our knowledge about spatial ecotoxicology to fully understand the risks associated with Hg contamination in Arctic seabirds.

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Fuzzy cognitive mapping as a tool to assess the relative cumulative effects of environmental stressors on an Arctic seabird population to identify conservation action and research priorities

Rooney

Daniel

Hedd

et al. 2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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In the Arctic, chemical contaminants, shipping, oil pollution, plastic pollution, changing habitats in relation to climate change and fisheries have been identified as environmental stressors to seabirds such as Fulmarus glacialis (northern fulmar; qaqulluk; ᖃᖁᓪᓗᖅ), but rarely have these stressors been considered within a cumulative effects framework in this species which is currently showing a declining populations trend. As a novel tool to understand cumulative effects within a conservation context, we applied a fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) approach that allows experts to arrange key factors and their interrelationships, organizing their understanding of the components of a complex issue into a graphical representation; a ‘cognitive map’. This process was grounded in local environment concerns as documented in several Nunavut‐specific reports and discussions, and worked with western‐trained seabird experts with knowledge of northern fulmar populations to assess the inter‐related environmental threats to fulmars as a way to combine these stressors in a cumulative effects framework and identify conservation actions and knowledge gaps. We found strong agreement that the main stressors affecting northern fulmar populations in Canada include pollution (11% total influence (TI)), shipping activities (16% TI), hunting and fishing (18% TI) and mining/oil and gas exploitation activities (22% TI). The indirect influence of threats on northern fulmar population size (57% TI) exceeded the total direct influence (43% TI), emphasizing the value of cognitive mapping in cumulative effects assessment for a more holistic understanding of interacting stressors. Participants expressed substantial uncertainty regarding the strong relationships leading from the concepts, commercial fishing activity in the BBDS and the North Atlantic fisheries activity, indicating that these potential stressors require more research. Similarly, uncertainty was expressed about the potential effects of zodiac traffic, ship strikes of northern fulmar, number of oil spills and magnitude of oil spills on northern fulmar. By characterizing individual factors as manageable or not, we determined that stressors are largely manageable with enforcement of existing policies (58% TI)—importantly, fishing activities were both highly influential on fulmars and deemed manageable, which will inform ongoing co‐management planning in the region.

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Current state of knowledge on biological effects from contaminants on arctic wildlife and fish

Cited by 193 publications

References 300 publications

Preying on seals pushes killer whales from Norway above pollution effects thresholds

Preying on seals pushes killer whales from Norway above pollution effects thresholds

Seasonal variation of mercury contamination in Arctic seabirds: A pan-Arctic assessment

Fuzzy cognitive mapping as a tool to assess the relative cumulative effects of environmental stressors on an Arctic seabird population to identify conservation action and research priorities

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