Development of a supramolecular solvent-based extraction method for application to quantitative analyses of a wide range of organic contaminants in indoor dust.

This study investigates the efficacy of supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS) in extracting a diverse spectrum of organic contaminants from indoor dust. Initially, seven distinct SUPRAS were assessed across nine categories of contaminants to identify the most effective one. A SUPRAS comprising Milli-Q water, tetrahydrofuran, and hexanol in a 70:20:10 ratio, respectively, demonstrated the best extraction performance and was employed for testing a wider array of organic contaminants.

Mercury contamination and potential health risks to Arctic seabirds and shorebirds.

Since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of mercury (Hg) on Arctic biota in 2011 and 2018, there has been a considerable number of new Arctic bird studies. This review article provides contemporary Hg exposure and potential health risk for 36 Arctic seabird and shorebird species, representing a larger portion of the Arctic than during previous AMAP assessments now also including parts of the Russian Arctic. To assess risk to birds, we used Hg toxicity benchmarks established for blood and converted to egg, liver, and feather tissues.

Hepatic Gene Expression Profiling of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Liver after Exposure to Organophosphate Flame Retardants Revealed Altered Cholesterol Biosynthesis and Lipid Metabolism.

Since the phasing out and eventual ban on the production of organohalogen flame retardants, the use of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) has increased rapidly. This has led to the detection of OPFRs in various environments including the Arctic. Two of the most prevalent OPFRs found in the Arctic are tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP), and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP).

Atmospheric Deposition of Organochlorine Pesticides and Industrial Compounds to Seasonal Surface Snow at Four Glacier Sites on Svalbard, 2013-2014.

Winter snow from four glacial sites on Svalbard was analyzed for atmospheric deposition of 36 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 7 industrial compounds (OCICs) by GC-high-resolution MS. Thirteen of the OCPs and all OCICs were detected at all sites. Sampling sites are 230 km apart from west to east, but are at varying elevations, ranging from 700 to 1202 m a.

Artificial light during the polar night disrupts Arctic fish and zooplankton behaviour down to 200 m depth.

For organisms that remain active in one of the last undisturbed and pristine dark environments on the planet-the Arctic Polar Night-the moon, stars and aurora borealis may provide important cues to guide distribution and behaviours, including predator-prey interactions. With a changing climate and increased human activities in the Arctic, such natural light sources will in many places be masked by the much stronger illumination from artificial light. Here we show that normal working-light from a ship may disrupt fish and zooplankton behaviour down to at least 200 m depth across an area of >0.

Covariate and multinomial: Accounting for distance in movement in capture-recapture analyses.

Many biological quantities cannot be measured directly but rather need to be estimated from models. Estimates from models are statistical objects with variance and, when derived simultaneously, covariance. It is well known that their variance-covariance (VC) matrix must be considered in subsequent analyses.

Hidden survival heterogeneity of three Common eider populations in response to climate fluctuations.

Understanding how individuals and populations respond to fluctuations in climatic conditions is critical to explain and anticipate changes in ecological systems. Most such studies focus on climate impacts on single populations without considering inter- and intra-population heterogeneity. However, comparing geographically dispersed populations limits the risk of faulty generalizations and helps to improve ecological and demographic models.

In the darkness of the polar night, scallops keep on a steady rhythm.

Although the prevailing paradigm has held that the polar night is a period of biological quiescence, recent studies have detected noticeable activity levels in marine organisms. In this study, we investigated the circadian rhythm of the scallop Chlamys islandica by continuously recording the animal's behaviour over 3 years in the Arctic (Svalbard). Our results showed that a circadian rhythm persists throughout the polar night and lasts for at least 4 months.

Migration, Prospecting, Dispersal? What Host Movement Matters for Infectious Agent Circulation?

Spatial disease ecology is emerging as a new field that requires the integration of complementary approaches to address how the distribution and movements of hosts and parasites may condition the dynamics of their interactions. In this context, migration, the seasonal movement of animals to different zones of their distribution, is assumed to play a key role in the broad scale circulation of parasites and pathogens. Nevertheless, migration is not the only type of host movement that can influence the spatial ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of infectious diseases.

Could Have Gone Wrong: Effects of Abrupt Changes in Migratory Behaviour on Harvest in a Waterbird Population.

To sustainably exploit a population, it is crucial to understand and reduce uncertainties about population processes and effects of harvest. In migratory species, management is challenged by geographically separated changing environmental conditions, which may cause unexpected changes in species distribution and harvest. We describe the development in the harvest of Svalbard-breeding pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) in relation to the observed trajectory and migratory behaviour of the population.

Seasonal, Oceanographic and Atmospheric Drivers of Diving Behaviour in a Temperate Seal Species Living in the High Arctic.

The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) population in Svalbard marks the northernmost limit of the species' range. This small population experiences environmental extremes in sea and air temperatures, sea ice cover and also in light regime for this normally temperate species. This study deployed Conductivity Temperature Depth Satellite Relay Data Loggers (CTD-SRDLs) on 30 adult and juvenile harbour seals in 2009 and 2010 to study their foraging behaviour across multiple seasons.

Carry-Over or Compensation? The Impact of Winter Harshness and Post-Winter Body Condition on Spring-Fattening in a Migratory Goose Species.

Environmental conditions at one point of the annual cycle of migratory species may lead to cross-seasonal effects affecting fitness in subsequent seasons. Based on a long-term mark-resighting dataset and scoring of body condition in an arctic breeding goose species, we demonstrate a substantial effect of winter harshness on post-winter body condition. However, this effect was compensated along the spring migration corridor, and did not persist long enough to influence future reproduction.

Effect of reduced food intake on toxicokinetics of halogenated organic contaminants in herring gull (Larus argentatus) chicks.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how contaminant exposure and reduced food intake affect tissue distribution and biotransformation of halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs) in Arctic seabirds using herring gull (Larus argentatus) as a model species. Herring gull chicks were exposed for 44 d to cod liver oil containing a typical mixture of contaminants. Following exposure, food intake was reduced for a one-week period in a subgroup of the chicks.

Hepatic antioxidant responses related to levels of PCBs and metals in chicks of three Arctic seabird species.

The efficiency of antioxidant defenses and relationship with body burden of metal and organic contaminants has not been previously investigated in arctic seabirds, neither in chicks nor in adults. The objective of this study was to compare such defenses in chicks from three species, Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), and Herring gull (Larus argentatus), and the relationship with tissue concentrations of essential metals such as selenium and iron and halogenated organic compounds, represented by polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). The results showed significant species-specific differences in the antioxidant responses which also corresponded with metal and PCB levels in different ways.