Seabirds as a Vector and Concentrators of Microplastics in Arctic ecosystems
Plastic debris is now recognized as a common contaminant affecting marine ecosystems. Since 2003 the Arctic seabird team has worked to assess which northern marine bird species are vulnerable to ingesting marine plastic pollution. To date a number of marine bird species have been shown to ingest pla...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | unknown |
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Canadian Cryospheric Information Network
2021
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.21963/13057 https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch?doi_id=13057 |
| Summary: | Plastic debris is now recognized as a common contaminant affecting marine ecosystems. Since 2003 the Arctic seabird team has worked to assess which northern marine bird species are vulnerable to ingesting marine plastic pollution. To date a number of marine bird species have been shown to ingest plastics. Through these studies it have also been recently demonstrated that seabirds may shed ingested plastics in the form of microplastics in their guano. This suggests that seabirds may act as a vector for microplastic movement in the marine environment, and potentially to the terrestrial environment. To test if seabird excretion of microplastics is contributing to an accumulation of microplastics around seabird colonies, we will work with local hunters in Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut to collect biotic and environmental samples from around two local seabird colonies known to have birds with high plastic ingestion rates. Air, water, blue mussels and sediment samples will be collected below the cliff-side colonies, and at increasing distances from the colony edges. Both Thick-billed Murres and Northern Fulmars will also be collected to assess current plastic accumulation levels. This work builds on past work in the region, and will further identify how microplastics are distributed and move through Arctic ecosystems. : The aim of this project is to determine the distribution of both plastics and microplastics in Arctic ecosystems, and how seabirds may act as vectors and accumulators of plastic pollution. Thus, this project aims to explore how microplastics in bird guano around seabird colonies may contribute to the fate and concentration of microplastics in Arctic ecosystems. Specifically, this project will answer three main questions; 1) what is the distribution of microplastics in air, water, and sediments and how do they relate to their proximity from large seabird colonies?; 2) how are microplastics distributed in a benthic indicator species (blue mussels) in relation to their proximity from large seabird colonies?; and 3) how has the type and quantity of plastics accumulated by two seabird species in the Qikiqtarjuaq area changed since it was last quantified in 2007/08? |
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