Persistent organic pollutants and mercury in dead and dying glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) at Bjørnøya (Svalbard)
Dead and dying glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) were collected on Bjørnøya in the Barents Sea in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Autopsies of the seabirds only explained a clear death cause for three (14%) of the 21 birds. A total of 71 % of the birds were emaciated. Liver and brain samples were analysed for...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.511.4813 http://munin.uit.no/bitstream/handle/10037/2244/paper_5.pdf;jsessionid=B581EDBB6230CD71E20D007602321BE3?sequence=1 |
| Summary: | Dead and dying glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) were collected on Bjørnøya in the Barents Sea in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Autopsies of the seabirds only explained a clear death cause for three (14%) of the 21 birds. A total of 71 % of the birds were emaciated. Liver and brain samples were analysed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and mercury (Hg). Elevated levels of OCPs, PCBs, PBDEs and α-HBCD were found in liver and brain. Compared to a 1989-sample of dead and dying glaucous gulls, the congeners ’ composition tended to change toward more persistent compounds. The brain levels of OCPs and PCBs did not change between 1989 and 2003-2005, while the liver levels decreased significantly. The brain/liver ratio for PCB and PBDE significantly decreased with halogenations of the molecule, indicating a clear discrimination of highly halogenated PCBs and PBDEs entering the brain. There was further a clear negative correlation between contaminant concentrations and body condition. The brain levels were not as high as earlier |
|---|