Mercury accumulation, biomagnification, and relationships to δC, δN and δS of fishes and marine mammals in a coastal Arctic marine food web.

Combining mercury and stable isotope data sets of consumers facilitates the quantification of whether contaminant variation in predators is due to diet, habitat use and/or environmental factors. We investigated inter-species variation in total Hg (THg) concentrations, trophic magnification slope between δN and THg, and relationships of THg with δC and δS in 15 fish and four marine mammal species (249 individuals in total) in coastal Arctic waters. Median THg concentration in muscle varied between species ranging from 0.

Spatiotemporal variation of ringed seal blubber cortisol levels in the Canadian Arctic.

Climate change in the Arctic has widespread and complex effects on the health of animals and their populations. We used radioimmunoassay to measure blubber cortisol in ringed seals () sampled in Ulukhaktok, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories, Canada (spring, 2002, 2004-2005, 2007-2012) and Arviat, Nunavut, Canada (autumn, 2003-2012) to examine chronic stress relative to biology (age, sex, length), body condition (blubber depth), and diet (δC, δN, and isotopic niche size). Ulukhaktok ringed seals had higher cortisol concentrations overall (0.