(Supplementary Table 1) Mercury isotope values for common and thick-billed murre (Uria aalge, Uria lomvia) eggs from Alaska ...

• Main Authors: Point, David, Sonke, Jeroen E, Day, R D, Roseneau, D G, Hobson, Keith A, Vander Pol, S S, Moors, A J, Pugh, R S, Donard, Olivier F X, Becker, P R
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Event label; Latitude of event; Longitude of event; Sample ID; Species, common name; Species; Sample type; Area/locality; DATE/TIME; δ199Hg; δ200Hg; δ201Hg; δ202Hg; Δ199Hg; Δ201Hg; Biological sample; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Arctic Ocean; Bering Sea; International Polar Year; IPY; Sea ice; thick-billed murre; Uria aalge; Uria lomvia; Alaska; uria
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.818266; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.818266

Atmospheric deposition of mercury to remote areas has increased threefold since pre-industrial times. Mercury deposition is particularly pronounced in the Arctic. Following deposition to surface oceans and sea ice, mercury can be converted into methylmercury, a biologically accessible form of the toxin, which biomagnifies along the marine food chain. Mass-independent fractionation of mercury isotopes accompanies the photochemical breakdown of methylmercury to less bioavailable forms in surface waters. Here we examine the isotopic composition of mercury in seabird eggs collected from colonies in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the western Arctic Ocean, to determine geographical variations in methylmercury breakdown at northern latitudes. We find evidence for mass-independent fractionation of mercury isotopes. The degree of mass-independent fractionation declines with latitude. Foraging behaviour and geographic variations in mercury sources and solar radiation fluxes were unable to explain the ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...