A risk assessment of the effects of mercury on Baltic Sea, Greater North Sea and North Atlantic wildlife, fish and bivalves

Environment International

Jérôme Fort¹  Line Anker Kyhn²  Igor Eulaers³  Anders Galatius³  Morten Helberg⁴  Hallvard Strøm⁵  Olivier Gilg⁶  Jens Søndergaard⁶  Marcel Eens⁶  Rune Dietz⁶  Thorkell Lindberg Thórarinsson⁶  Sveinn Are Hanssen⁶  Tone K. Reiertsen⁶  Yann Kolbeinsson⁶  Rune Skjold Tjørnløv⁶  Céline Albert⁶  Jonas Teilmann⁶  Anna Roos⁶  Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski⁷  Simon Wilson⁸  Kjell Einar Erikstad⁸  Jón Einar Jónsson⁹  Jóhannis Danielsen^1,10  Kaarina Kauhala^1,10  Frank F. Rigét^1,11  Jakob Strand^1,12  Jan Ove Bustnes^1,13  Christian Sonne^1,13  Martin Mørk Larsen^1,14  Ulf Lindstøm^1,15  Aili Lage Labansen^1,15  Veerle L.B. Jaspers^1,16  Signe Sveegaard^1,16  Thomas Kjær Christensen^1,16  Svend-Erik Garbus^1,16  Ole Roland Therkildsen^1,17  Bjørn Munro Jenssen^1,18  Jiachen Sun^1,18  Sam Dastnai^1,19  Björn Helander^2,20 

[1] Corresponding author at: Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Bioscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.;Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway;Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium;Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 rue de Vernot, 21440 Francheville, France;UiT Norwegian Arctic University, Institute of Arctic and Marine Biology, Dramsveien 201, 9037 Tromsø, Norway;Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Grenåvej 14, 8410 Rønde, Denmark;;Behavioural Ecology &CEES, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, 0316 Oslo, Norway;Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway;Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland;Institute of Marine Research, FRAM Centre, 9007 Tromsø, Norway;LIENSs, UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France;Natural Resources Institute Finland, LUKE, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4A, 20520 Turku, Finland;Northeast Iceland Nature Research Centre, Hafnarstétt 3, 640 Húsavík, Iceland;Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway;Norwegian Polar Institute, FRAM Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway;Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Contaminant Research, Frescativägen 40, PO Box 50007, 104 18 Stockholm, Sweden;The Faroese Marine Research Institute, Nóatún 1, 100 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands;UMR 6249 Chrono-environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25000 Besançon, France;

关键词: Biological effect;    Hg;    Marine mammal;    Seabird;    Bird of prey;    Risk threshold;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

A wide range of species, including marine mammals, seabirds, birds of prey, fish and bivalves, were investigated for potential population health risks resulting from contemporary (post 2000) mercury (Hg) exposure, using novel risk thresholds based on literature and de novo contamination data. The main geographic focus is on the Baltic Sea, while data from the same species in adjacent waters, such as the Greater North Sea and North Atlantic, were included for comparative purposes. For marine mammals, 23% of the groups, each composing individuals of a specific sex and maturity from the same species in a specific study region, showed Hg-concentrations within the High Risk Category (HRC) and Severe Risk Category (SRC). The corresponding percentages for seabirds, fish and bivalves were 2.7%, 25% and 8.0%, respectively, although fish and bivalves were not represented in the SRC. Juveniles from all species showed to be at no or low risk. In comparison to the same species in the adjacent waters, i.e. the Greater North Sea and the North Atlantic, the estimated risk for Baltic populations is not considerably higher. These findings suggest that over the past few decades the Baltic Sea has improved considerably with respect to presenting Hg exposure to its local species, while it does still carry a legacy of elevated Hg levels resulting from high neighbouring industrial and agricultural activity and slow water turnover regime.

【 授权许可】

Unknown