Persistent Organic Pollutants in two species of migratory birds from Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctica

Carcasses of South Polar Skuas (Catharacta maccormicki) and Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) were opportunistically collected around of Rothera Research station (67°35′8″S and 68°7′59″W) during the 2016/2017 austral summer. Samples of their tissues (muscle, liver and subcutaneous fat) were analysed fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Pollution Bulletin
Main Authors: Krasnobaev, A., ten Dam, G., van Leeuwen, S.P.J., Peck, Lloyd S., van den Brink, N.W.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/521156/
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/521156/1/Artem%20Birds_draft_Mar%20Poll%20Bull%20accepted%202018.docx
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X18307082
Description
Summary:Carcasses of South Polar Skuas (Catharacta maccormicki) and Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) were opportunistically collected around of Rothera Research station (67°35′8″S and 68°7′59″W) during the 2016/2017 austral summer. Samples of their tissues (muscle, liver and subcutaneous fat) were analysed for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) showed the highest concentrations, notably for pp′-DDE and HCB. The Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-profiles demonstrated a clear dominance of hexa- and hepta-CBs, while concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) remained low. The concentrations of some POPs (e.g. HCB) were lower than in past studies on similar species, however others were within the previous range (PCBs) or even higher than previous reported values (DDE). Although no major interspecific differences in the absolute concentrations of POPs were detected, their profiles varied, being likely related to feeding and migration patterns of each species. The current study provides important baseline data for future monitoring of POPs in Antarctica.