(Table 1) Concentration of pollutants in hair of East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus), supplement to: Bechshøft, Thea Ø; Rigét, Frank F; Sonne, Christian; Letcher, Robert J; Muir, Derek C G; Novak, M A; Henchey, E; Meyer, J S; Eulaers, I; Jaspers, Veerle LB; Eens, Marcel; Covaci, Adrian; Dietz, Rune (2012): Measuring environmental stress in East Greenland polar bears, 1892-1927 and 1988-2009: What does hair cortisol tell us? Environment International, 45, 15-21

• Main Authors: Bechshøft, Thea Ø, Rigét, Frank F, Sonne, Christian, Letcher, Robert J, Muir, Derek C G, Novak, M A, Henchey, E, Meyer, J S, Eulaers, I, Jaspers, Veerle LB, Eens, Marcel, Covaci, Adrian, Dietz, Rune
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science 2012
• Subjects: Polychlorinated biphenyl 138; Polychlorinated biphenyl, standard deviation; Polychlorinated biphenyl 153; Polychlorinated biphenyl 156; Polychlorinated biphenyl 170; Polychlorinated biphenyl 180; Polychlorinated biphenyl 183; Polychlorinated biphenyl 187; para,para-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, standard deviation; Oxychlordane; Standard deviation; trans-Nonachlor; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, congener BDE-47; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, standard deviation; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Dietz; Greenland; Novak; East Greenland; International Polar Year; IPY; polar bear; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.807320; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.807320

Hair sampled from 96 East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the periods 1892-1927 and 1988-2009 was analyzed for cortisol as a proxy to investigate temporal patterns of environmental stress. Cortisol concentration was independent of sex and age, and was found at significantly higher (p<0.001) concentrations in historical hair samples (1892-1927; n = 8) relative to recent ones (1988-2009; n = 88). In addition, there was a linear time trend in cortisol concentration of the recent samples (p< 0.01), with an annual decrease of 2.7%. The recent hair samples were also analyzed for major bioaccumulative, persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There were no obvious POP related time trends or correlations between hair cortisol and hair POP concentrations. Thus, polar bear hair appears to be a relatively poor indicator of the animal's general POP load in adipose tissue. However, further investigations are warranted to explore the reasons for the temporal decrease found in the bears' hair cortisol levels. : All concentrations per g hair, dry weight. Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150