Mercury in Ringed Seals (Pusa hispida) from the Canadian Arctic in Relation to Time and Climate Parameters

Mercury in Ringed Seals (Pusa hispida) from the Canadian Arctic in Relation to Time and Climate Parameters The objectives of the present long‐term study, spanning a 45 year period, were to 1) investigate the temporal trends of total mercury (THg; muscle and liver) and selenium (Se; liver) in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from different regions of the Canadian Arctic; and 2) examine possible relationships with age, diet, and climate parameters such as air temperature, precipitation, climatic indices, and ice‐coverage. Citation: Houde, M., Taranu, Z.E., Wang, X., Young, B., Gagnon, P., Ferguson, S.H., Kwan, M., Muir, D.C.G., 2020. Mercury in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from the Canadian Arctic in relation to time and climate parameters. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 39, 2462–2474. doi: 10.1002/etc.4865 Supplemental Information The Northern Contaminants Program (NCP, http://www.science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_7A463DBA.html) was established in 1991 in response to concerns about human exposure to elevated levels of contaminants in wildlife species that are important to the traditional diets of northern Aboriginal peoples. Early studies found a wide variety of substances, many of which had no Arctic or Canadian sources, but which were, nevertheless, reaching unexpectedly high levels in the Arctic ecosystem. The Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) and the Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) have been developed over the past two decades through collaborative partnerships between the University of Waterloo and numerous government, university, and private organizations to provide the data and information management infrastructure for the Canadian cryospheric community. The PDC is one of Canada’s primary online sources for data and information about the Arctic and is Canada's National Antarctica Data Centre. Polar Data Catalogue Canadian Cryospheric Information Network Metadata Record: 10780 Supporting Projects: Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) 2022-10-13 Environment and Climate Change Canada open-ouvert@tbs-sct.gc.ca Nature and EnvironmentArcticCanadian High ArcticInuit NunangatNorthwest TerritoryInuvialuitNunavutNunavikNunatsiavutLabradorPinnipedsRinged seals (Pusa hispida)community-based monitoringcontaminantsmarine mammalsMetalsTotal mercurySeleniumNorthern Contaminants Program (NCP)Climate ChangeTemporal trendsMarine mammals View ECCC Data Mart (English)HTML https://data-donnees.ec.gc.ca/data/substances/monitor/monitoring-of-contaminants-in-ringed-seals-from-the-canadian-arctic-and-labrador/mercury-in-ringed-seals-pusa-hispida-from-the-canadian-arctic-in-relation-to-time-and-climate%20Parameters/?lang=en View ECCC Data Mart (French)HTML https://data-donnees.ec.gc.ca/data/substances/monitor/monitoring-of-contaminants-in-ringed-seals-from-the-canadian-arctic-and-labrador/mercury-in-ringed-seals-pusa-hispida-from-the-canadian-arctic-in-relation-to-time-and-climate%20Parameters/?lang=fr

The objectives of the present long‐term study, spanning a 45 year period, were to 1) investigate the temporal trends of total mercury (THg; muscle and liver) and selenium (Se; liver) in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from different regions of the Canadian Arctic; and 2) examine possible relationships with age, diet, and climate parameters such as air temperature, precipitation, climatic indices, and ice‐coverage.

Citation: Houde, M., Taranu, Z.E., Wang, X., Young, B., Gagnon, P., Ferguson, S.H., Kwan, M., Muir, D.C.G., 2020. Mercury in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from the Canadian Arctic in relation to time and climate parameters. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 39, 2462–2474. doi: 10.1002/etc.4865

Supplemental Information

The Northern Contaminants Program (NCP, http://www.science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_7A463DBA.html) was established in 1991 in response to concerns about human exposure to elevated levels of contaminants in wildlife species that are important to the traditional diets of northern Aboriginal peoples. Early studies found a wide variety of substances, many of which had no Arctic or Canadian sources, but which were, nevertheless, reaching unexpectedly high levels in the Arctic ecosystem.

The Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) and the Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) have been developed over the past two decades through collaborative partnerships between the University of Waterloo and numerous government, university, and private organizations to provide the data and information management infrastructure for the Canadian cryospheric community. The PDC is one of Canada’s primary online sources for data and information about the Arctic and is Canada's National Antarctica Data Centre.

Polar Data Catalogue Canadian Cryospheric Information Network Metadata Record: 10780

Supporting Projects: Northern Contaminants Program (NCP)

Data and Resources

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