Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic.
Mercury (Hg) is a heterogeneously distributed toxicant affecting wildlife and human health. Yet, the spatial distribution of Hg remains poorly documented, especially in food webs, even though this knowledge is essential to assess large-scale risk of toxicity for the biota and human populations. Here...
Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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Atypon
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38739784 |
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ftpubmed:38739784 2024-06-09T07:44:14+00:00 Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. Albert, Céline Moe, Børge Strøm, Hallvard Grémillet, David Brault-Favrou, Maud Tarroux, Arnaud Descamps, Sébastien Bråthen, Vegard Sandøy Merkel, Benjamin Åström, Jens Amélineau, Françoise Angelier, Frédéric Anker-Nilssen, Tycho Chastel, Olivier Christensen-Dalsgaard, Signe Danielsen, Johannis Elliott, Kyle Erikstad, Kjell Einar Ezhov, Alexey Fauchald, Per Gabrielsen, Geir W Gavrilo, Maria Hanssen, Sveinn Are Helgason, Hálfdán H Johansen, Malin Kjellstadli Kolbeinsson, Yann Krasnov, Yuri Langset, Magdalene Lemaire, Jérémy Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon Olsen, Bergur Patterson, Allison Plumejeaud-Perreau, Christine Reiertsen, Tone K Systad, Geir Helge Thompson, Paul M Lindberg Thórarinsson, Thorkell Bustamante, Paco Fort, Jérôme 2024 May 21 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38739784 eng eng Atypon https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38739784 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ISSN:1091-6490 Volume:121 Issue:21 ecotoxicology mercury spatial distribution Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2024 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 2024-05-14T16:02:00Z Mercury (Hg) is a heterogeneously distributed toxicant affecting wildlife and human health. Yet, the spatial distribution of Hg remains poorly documented, especially in food webs, even though this knowledge is essential to assess large-scale risk of toxicity for the biota and human populations. Here, we used seabirds to assess, at an unprecedented population and geographic magnitude and high resolution, the spatial distribution of Hg in North Atlantic marine food webs. To this end, we combined tracking data of 837 seabirds from seven different species and 27 breeding colonies located across the North Atlantic and Atlantic Arctic together with Hg analyses in feathers representing individual seabird contamination based on their winter distribution. Our results highlight an east-west gradient in Hg concentrations with hot spots around southern Greenland and the east coast of Canada and a cold spot in the Barents and Kara Seas. We hypothesize that those gradients are influenced by eastern (Norwegian Atlantic Current and West Spitsbergen Current) and western (East Greenland Current) oceanic currents and melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. By tracking spatial Hg contamination in marine ecosystems and through the identification of areas at risk of Hg toxicity, this study provides essential knowledge for international decisions about where the regulation of pollutants should be prioritized. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Atlantic Arctic Atlantic-Arctic East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Human health Ice Sheet North Atlantic Spitsbergen PubMed Central (PMC) Arctic Canada Greenland Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 21 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
PubMed Central (PMC) |
op_collection_id |
ftpubmed |
language |
English |
topic |
ecotoxicology mercury spatial distribution |
spellingShingle |
ecotoxicology mercury spatial distribution Albert, Céline Moe, Børge Strøm, Hallvard Grémillet, David Brault-Favrou, Maud Tarroux, Arnaud Descamps, Sébastien Bråthen, Vegard Sandøy Merkel, Benjamin Åström, Jens Amélineau, Françoise Angelier, Frédéric Anker-Nilssen, Tycho Chastel, Olivier Christensen-Dalsgaard, Signe Danielsen, Johannis Elliott, Kyle Erikstad, Kjell Einar Ezhov, Alexey Fauchald, Per Gabrielsen, Geir W Gavrilo, Maria Hanssen, Sveinn Are Helgason, Hálfdán H Johansen, Malin Kjellstadli Kolbeinsson, Yann Krasnov, Yuri Langset, Magdalene Lemaire, Jérémy Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon Olsen, Bergur Patterson, Allison Plumejeaud-Perreau, Christine Reiertsen, Tone K Systad, Geir Helge Thompson, Paul M Lindberg Thórarinsson, Thorkell Bustamante, Paco Fort, Jérôme Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
topic_facet |
ecotoxicology mercury spatial distribution |
description |
Mercury (Hg) is a heterogeneously distributed toxicant affecting wildlife and human health. Yet, the spatial distribution of Hg remains poorly documented, especially in food webs, even though this knowledge is essential to assess large-scale risk of toxicity for the biota and human populations. Here, we used seabirds to assess, at an unprecedented population and geographic magnitude and high resolution, the spatial distribution of Hg in North Atlantic marine food webs. To this end, we combined tracking data of 837 seabirds from seven different species and 27 breeding colonies located across the North Atlantic and Atlantic Arctic together with Hg analyses in feathers representing individual seabird contamination based on their winter distribution. Our results highlight an east-west gradient in Hg concentrations with hot spots around southern Greenland and the east coast of Canada and a cold spot in the Barents and Kara Seas. We hypothesize that those gradients are influenced by eastern (Norwegian Atlantic Current and West Spitsbergen Current) and western (East Greenland Current) oceanic currents and melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. By tracking spatial Hg contamination in marine ecosystems and through the identification of areas at risk of Hg toxicity, this study provides essential knowledge for international decisions about where the regulation of pollutants should be prioritized. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Albert, Céline Moe, Børge Strøm, Hallvard Grémillet, David Brault-Favrou, Maud Tarroux, Arnaud Descamps, Sébastien Bråthen, Vegard Sandøy Merkel, Benjamin Åström, Jens Amélineau, Françoise Angelier, Frédéric Anker-Nilssen, Tycho Chastel, Olivier Christensen-Dalsgaard, Signe Danielsen, Johannis Elliott, Kyle Erikstad, Kjell Einar Ezhov, Alexey Fauchald, Per Gabrielsen, Geir W Gavrilo, Maria Hanssen, Sveinn Are Helgason, Hálfdán H Johansen, Malin Kjellstadli Kolbeinsson, Yann Krasnov, Yuri Langset, Magdalene Lemaire, Jérémy Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon Olsen, Bergur Patterson, Allison Plumejeaud-Perreau, Christine Reiertsen, Tone K Systad, Geir Helge Thompson, Paul M Lindberg Thórarinsson, Thorkell Bustamante, Paco Fort, Jérôme |
author_facet |
Albert, Céline Moe, Børge Strøm, Hallvard Grémillet, David Brault-Favrou, Maud Tarroux, Arnaud Descamps, Sébastien Bråthen, Vegard Sandøy Merkel, Benjamin Åström, Jens Amélineau, Françoise Angelier, Frédéric Anker-Nilssen, Tycho Chastel, Olivier Christensen-Dalsgaard, Signe Danielsen, Johannis Elliott, Kyle Erikstad, Kjell Einar Ezhov, Alexey Fauchald, Per Gabrielsen, Geir W Gavrilo, Maria Hanssen, Sveinn Are Helgason, Hálfdán H Johansen, Malin Kjellstadli Kolbeinsson, Yann Krasnov, Yuri Langset, Magdalene Lemaire, Jérémy Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon Olsen, Bergur Patterson, Allison Plumejeaud-Perreau, Christine Reiertsen, Tone K Systad, Geir Helge Thompson, Paul M Lindberg Thórarinsson, Thorkell Bustamante, Paco Fort, Jérôme |
author_sort |
Albert, Céline |
title |
Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
title_short |
Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
title_full |
Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
title_fullStr |
Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic. |
title_sort |
seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the north atlantic. |
publisher |
Atypon |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38739784 |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Greenland |
genre |
Arctic Atlantic Arctic Atlantic-Arctic East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Human health Ice Sheet North Atlantic Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic Atlantic Arctic Atlantic-Arctic East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Human health Ice Sheet North Atlantic Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ISSN:1091-6490 Volume:121 Issue:21 |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38739784 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315513121 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
121 |
container_issue |
21 |
_version_ |
1801373013472444416 |