Presence and Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Arctic and Subarctic Marine Food Chains

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2111-2123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald W. Bowes ◽  
Charles J. Jonkel
Keyword(s):  
Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Industrial Chemicals ◽  
Food Residue ◽  
Marine Food ◽  
High Concentrations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), man-made industrial chemicals, have been identified in tissues of polar bears (Ursus maritimus), ringed (Phoca hispida) and square flipper (Erignathus barbatus) seals, and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) of the Canadian arctic and subarctic. All tissues from each species examined contained these compounds. PCB content in tissue, both absolute and relative to the concentration of DDT (p,p′-DDE + p,p′-DDD + p,p′-DDT), generally increased from seals to adult polar bears to polar bear cubs and young. Polar bear milk contained high concentrations of PCB and is the most probable source of the high concentrations in polar bear cubs. Chromatograms revealed a greater accumulation of higher chlorinated PCB isomers in polar bears than in seals, their main food. Residue data suggest that polar bear subpopulations in the eastern Canadian arctic and subarctic have been exposed to higher levels of PCB and DDT than western subpopulations.

Organochlorine contaminants in arctic marine food chains: identification, geographical distribution and temporal trends in polar bears

1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1063-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross J. Norstrom ◽  
Mary. Simon ◽  
Derek C. G. Muir ◽  
Ray E. Schweinsburg
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Organochlorine Contaminants ◽  
Marine Food

scholarly journals Three recent ice entrapments of Arctic cetaceans in West Greenland and the eastern Canadian High Arctic

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
MP Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
P Richard ◽  
M Ramsay ◽  
S Akeeagok
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Bowhead Whale ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
The One

Three ice entrapments of Monodontids have been reported in the western North Atlantic since 1993. Hunters in Disko Bay, West Greenland, discovered one in March 1994 that included about 150 narwhals (Monodon monoceros). The entrapment occurred during a sudden cold period which caused ice to form rapidly. The trapped whales were subject to hunting, but about 50 of the killed whales could not be retrieved in the ice. The whales were trapped in a small opening in the ice and because of that they would probably have succumbed even if not discovered by hunters. Two entrapments involving white whales or belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) occurred in the eastern Canadian Arctic in May 1999; one in Lancaster Sound discovered by polar bear (Ursus maritimus) researchers and one in Jones Sound discovered by hunters. The first included one bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) and about 40 belugas that were being preyed upon by polar bears. The second involved at least 170 belugas, of which about 100 were killed by polar bears and 17 were taken by hunters. The entrapments in Disko Bay and Jones Sound both occurred in areas where entrapments have previously been reported, whereas the one in Lancaster Sound was in a new area.

Current-use pesticides in seawater and their bioaccumulation in polar bear-ringed seal food chains of the Canadian Arctic

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1695-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam D. Morris ◽  
Derek C.G. Muir ◽  
Keith R. Solomon ◽  
Robert J. Letcher ◽  
Melissa A. McKinney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polar Bear ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Ringed Seal ◽  
Food Chains

scholarly journals The utility of drones for studying polar bear behaviour in the Canadian Arctic: opportunities and recommendations

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Mathiew Jagielski ◽  
Andrew F Barnas ◽  
H. Grant Gilchrist ◽  
Evan Richardson ◽  
Oliver Love ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Individual Level

Climate-induced sea-ice loss represents the greatest threat to polar bears (Ursus maritimus), and utilizing drones to characterize behavioural responses to sea-ice loss is valuable to forecasting polar bear persistence. In this manuscript, we review previously published literature and draw on our own experience of using multirotor aerial drones to study polar bear behaviour in the Canadian Arctic. Specifically, we suggest that drones can minimize human-bear conflicts by allowing users to observe bears from a safe vantage point; produce high-quality behavioural data that can be reviewed as many times as needed and shared with multiple stakeholders; and foster knowledge generation through co-production with northern communities. We posit that in some instances drones may be considered as an alternative tool for studying polar bear foraging behaviour, interspecific interactions, human-bear interactions, human safety and conflict mitigation, and den-site location at individual-level, small spatial scales. Finally, we discuss flying techniques to ensure ethical operation around polar bears, regulatory requirements to consider, and recommend that future research focus on understanding polar bears’ behavioural and physiological responses to drones and the efficacy of drones as a deterrent tool for safety purposes.

Depth and temperature preference of anadromous Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus in the Kitikmeot Sea, a shallow and low-salinity area of the Canadian Arctic

2020 ◽  
Vol 634 ◽  
pp. 175-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
LN Harris ◽  
DJ Yurkowski ◽  
MJH Gilbert ◽  
BGT Else ◽  
PJ Duke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Temperature Preference ◽  
Low Salinity

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls in polar bear, penguin and south polar skua

2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurunthachalam Senthil Kumar ◽  
Kurunthachalam Kannan ◽  
Simonetta Corsolini ◽  
Thomas Evans ◽  
John P Giesy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
South Polar Skua ◽  
South Polar

Seabirds as biomonitors of mercury inputs to epipelagic and mesopelagic marine food chains

1998 ◽  
Vol 213 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Thompson ◽  
Robert W Furness ◽  
Luis R Monteiro
Keyword(s):  
Food Chains ◽  
Marine Food

Variable transfer of detoxified metals from snails to hermit crabs in marine food chains

1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Nott ◽  
A. Nicolaidou
Keyword(s):  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Marine Food

scholarly journals The Life and Status of the Polar Bear

Oryx ◽  
1965 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Valuable Resource ◽  
Kind Permission ◽  
Complete Protection ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Arctic Species ◽  
Canadian Wildlife

Polar bears are on the IUCN list of endangered species. In 1961, when there were signs of serious depletions, the Canadian Wildlife Service started a five-year research project on the polar bear's biology and ecology, and the author is engaged on this work. He points out that polar bears are a most valuable resource, especially to the Canadian Eskimos, and if their numbers are allowed to dwindle to the point at which they have to be given complete protection they will have little more than aesthetic value, which in the case of an Arctic species is limited. These extracts from a comprehensive paper on the polar bear's life history and status are reproduced from “Canadian Audubon” by kind permission of the author and editor.

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