Winter Tracking Data Suggest that Migratory Seabirds Transport Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances to Their Arctic Nesting Site.
Environ Sci Technol
; 58(29): 12909-12920, 2024 Jul 23.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38991194
ABSTRACT
Seabirds are often considered sentinel species of marine ecosystems, and their blood and eggs utilized to monitor local environmental contaminations. Most seabirds breeding in the Arctic are migratory and thus are exposed to geographically distinct sources of contamination throughout the year, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Despite the abundance and high toxicity of PFAS, little is known about whether blood concentrations at breeding sites reliably reflect local contamination or exposure in distant wintering areas. We tested this by combining movement tracking data and PFAS analysis (nine compounds) from the blood of prelaying black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) nesting in Arctic Norway (Svalbard). PFAS burden before egg laying varied with the latitude of the wintering area and was negatively associated with time upon return of individuals at the Arctic nesting site. Kittiwakes (n = 64) wintering farther south carried lighter burdens of shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs, C9-C12) and heavier burdens of longer chain PFCAs (C13-C14) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid compared to those wintering farther north. Thus, blood concentrations prior to egg laying still reflected the uptake during the previous wintering stage, suggesting that migratory seabirds can act as biovectors of PFAS to Arctic nesting sites.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Seasons
/
Animal Migration
/
Charadriiformes
/
Fluorocarbons
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Environ Sci Technol
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: