Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic
We examined spatial variation in total mercury (THg) concentrations in 100 hair samples collected between 2008 and 2016 from 87 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Norwegian (Svalbard Archipelago, western Barents Sea) and Russian Arctic (Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea). We used latitude an...
Published in: | Science of The Total Environment |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2022
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Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/spatial-variation-in-mercury-concentrations-in-polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-hair-from-the-norwegian-and-russian-arctic(eef81553-60c0-42dc-8d38-f78c82b51d52).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/333614024/1_s2.0_S0048969722006647_main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124135080&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/eef81553-60c0-42dc-8d38-f78c82b51d52 2023-08-27T04:06:43+02:00 Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic Lippold, Anna Boltunov, Andrei Aars, Jon Andersen, Magnus Blanchet, Marie Anne Dietz, Rune Eulaers, Igor Morshina, Tamara N. Sevastyanov, Vyacheslav S. Welker, Jeffrey M. Routti, Heli 2022-05 application/pdf https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/spatial-variation-in-mercury-concentrations-in-polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-hair-from-the-norwegian-and-russian-arctic(eef81553-60c0-42dc-8d38-f78c82b51d52).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/333614024/1_s2.0_S0048969722006647_main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124135080&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Lippold , A , Boltunov , A , Aars , J , Andersen , M , Blanchet , M A , Dietz , R , Eulaers , I , Morshina , T N , Sevastyanov , V S , Welker , J M & Routti , H 2022 , ' Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic ' , Science of the total Environment , vol. 822 , 153572 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 Chukchi Sea Hg Kara Sea Stable isotopes Svalbard article 2022 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 2023-08-09T22:58:21Z We examined spatial variation in total mercury (THg) concentrations in 100 hair samples collected between 2008 and 2016 from 87 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Norwegian (Svalbard Archipelago, western Barents Sea) and Russian Arctic (Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea). We used latitude and longitude of home range centroid for the Norwegian bears and capture position for the Russian bears to account for the locality. We additionally examined hair stable isotope values of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) to investigate feeding habits and their possible effect on THg concentrations. Median THg levels in polar bears from the Norwegian Arctic (1.99 μg g −1 dry weight) and the three Russian Arctic regions (1.33–1.75 μg g −1 dry weight) constituted about 25–50% of levels typically reported for the Greenlandic or North American populations. Total Hg concentrations in the Norwegian bears increased with intake of marine and higher trophic prey, while δ 13 C and δ 15 N did not explain variation in THg concentrations in the Russian bears. Total Hg levels were higher in northwest compared to southeast Svalbard. δ 13 C and δ 15 N values did not show any spatial pattern in the Norwegian Arctic. Total Hg concentrations adjusted for feeding ecology showed similar spatial trends as the measured concentrations. In contrast, within the Russian Arctic, THg levels were rather uniformly distributed, whereas δ 13 C values increased towards the east and south. The results indicate that Hg exposure in Norwegian and Russian polar bears is at the lower end of the pan-Arctic spectrum, and its spatial variation in the Norwegian and Russian Arctic is not driven by the feeding ecology of polar bears. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Barents Sea Chukchi Chukchi Sea greenlandic Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea Svalbard Ursus maritimus Aarhus University: Research Arctic Svalbard Barents Sea Laptev Sea Kara Sea Chukchi Sea Svalbard Archipelago Science of The Total Environment 822 153572 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Chukchi Sea Hg Kara Sea Stable isotopes Svalbard |
spellingShingle |
Chukchi Sea Hg Kara Sea Stable isotopes Svalbard Lippold, Anna Boltunov, Andrei Aars, Jon Andersen, Magnus Blanchet, Marie Anne Dietz, Rune Eulaers, Igor Morshina, Tamara N. Sevastyanov, Vyacheslav S. Welker, Jeffrey M. Routti, Heli Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
topic_facet |
Chukchi Sea Hg Kara Sea Stable isotopes Svalbard |
description |
We examined spatial variation in total mercury (THg) concentrations in 100 hair samples collected between 2008 and 2016 from 87 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Norwegian (Svalbard Archipelago, western Barents Sea) and Russian Arctic (Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea). We used latitude and longitude of home range centroid for the Norwegian bears and capture position for the Russian bears to account for the locality. We additionally examined hair stable isotope values of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) to investigate feeding habits and their possible effect on THg concentrations. Median THg levels in polar bears from the Norwegian Arctic (1.99 μg g −1 dry weight) and the three Russian Arctic regions (1.33–1.75 μg g −1 dry weight) constituted about 25–50% of levels typically reported for the Greenlandic or North American populations. Total Hg concentrations in the Norwegian bears increased with intake of marine and higher trophic prey, while δ 13 C and δ 15 N did not explain variation in THg concentrations in the Russian bears. Total Hg levels were higher in northwest compared to southeast Svalbard. δ 13 C and δ 15 N values did not show any spatial pattern in the Norwegian Arctic. Total Hg concentrations adjusted for feeding ecology showed similar spatial trends as the measured concentrations. In contrast, within the Russian Arctic, THg levels were rather uniformly distributed, whereas δ 13 C values increased towards the east and south. The results indicate that Hg exposure in Norwegian and Russian polar bears is at the lower end of the pan-Arctic spectrum, and its spatial variation in the Norwegian and Russian Arctic is not driven by the feeding ecology of polar bears. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lippold, Anna Boltunov, Andrei Aars, Jon Andersen, Magnus Blanchet, Marie Anne Dietz, Rune Eulaers, Igor Morshina, Tamara N. Sevastyanov, Vyacheslav S. Welker, Jeffrey M. Routti, Heli |
author_facet |
Lippold, Anna Boltunov, Andrei Aars, Jon Andersen, Magnus Blanchet, Marie Anne Dietz, Rune Eulaers, Igor Morshina, Tamara N. Sevastyanov, Vyacheslav S. Welker, Jeffrey M. Routti, Heli |
author_sort |
Lippold, Anna |
title |
Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
title_short |
Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
title_full |
Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic |
title_sort |
spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (ursus maritimus) hair from the norwegian and russian arctic |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/spatial-variation-in-mercury-concentrations-in-polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-hair-from-the-norwegian-and-russian-arctic(eef81553-60c0-42dc-8d38-f78c82b51d52).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/333614024/1_s2.0_S0048969722006647_main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124135080&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard Barents Sea Laptev Sea Kara Sea Chukchi Sea Svalbard Archipelago |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Barents Sea Laptev Sea Kara Sea Chukchi Sea Svalbard Archipelago |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Barents Sea Chukchi Chukchi Sea greenlandic Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea Svalbard Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Barents Sea Chukchi Chukchi Sea greenlandic Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea Svalbard Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
Lippold , A , Boltunov , A , Aars , J , Andersen , M , Blanchet , M A , Dietz , R , Eulaers , I , Morshina , T N , Sevastyanov , V S , Welker , J M & Routti , H 2022 , ' Spatial variation in mercury concentrations in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair from the Norwegian and Russian Arctic ' , Science of the total Environment , vol. 822 , 153572 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153572 |
container_title |
Science of The Total Environment |
container_volume |
822 |
container_start_page |
153572 |
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1775347529502687232 |