Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Albert, Celine; Moe, Borge; Strom, Hallvard; Gremillet, David; Brault-Favrou, Maud; Tarroux, Arnaud; Descamps, Sebastien; Brathen, Vegard Sandoy; Merkel, Benjamin; Astroem, Jens; Amelineau, Francoise; Angelier, Frederic; 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, Halfdan H.; Johansen, Malin Kjellstadli; Kolbeinsson, Yann; Krasnov, Yuri; Langset, Magdalene; Lemaire, Jeremy; Lorentsen, Svein-Hakon; Olsen, Bergur; Patterson, Allison; Plumejeaud-Perreau, Christine; Reiertsen, Tone K.; Systad, Geir Helge; Thompson, Paul M.; Thorarinsson, Thorkell Lindberg; Bustamante, Paco; Fort, Jerome
• 署名单位: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); Norwegian Institute Nature Research; Norwegian Polar Institute; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); Universite PSL; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE); Institut Agro; Montpellier SupAgro; CIRAD; Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Universite Paul-Valery; Universite de Montpellier; University of Cape Town; Norwegian Institute Nature Research; Akvaplan-niva; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); Faroe Marine Research Institute (FAMRI); McGill University; Russian Academy of Sciences; Murmansk Marine Biological Institute; Norwegian Institute Nature Research; Norwegian Institute Nature Research; University of Aberdeen; Institut Universitaire de France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); Universite de Rennes
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-9543
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315513121
• 发表日期: 2024-05-21
• 关键词: pelagic seabird; stable-isotopes; arctic seabirds; contamination; accumulation; exposure; feathers; CONSEQUENCES; tracking; tissues

摘要

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 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 pollutants should be prioritized.