Temporal trends and future predictions of mercury concentrations in Northwest Greenland polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair.

Hair samples from 117 Northwest Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were taken during 1892-2008 and analyzed for total mercury (hereafter Hg). The sample represented 28 independent years and the aim of the study was to analyze for temporal Hg trends. Mercury concentrations showed yearly significant increases of 1.6-1.7% (p < 0.0001) from 1892 to 2008 and the two most recent median concentrations from 2006 and 2008 were 23- to 27-fold higher respectively than baseline level from 1300 A.D. in the same region (Nuullit). This indicates that the present (2006-2008) Northwest Greenland polar bear Hg exposure is 95.6-96.2% anthropogenic in its origin. Assuming a continued anthropogenic increase, this model estimated concentrations in 2050 and 2100 will be 40- and 92-fold the baseline concentration, respectively, which is equivalent to a 97.5 and 98.9% man-made contribution. None of the 2001-2008 concentrations of Hg in Northwest Greenland polar bear hair exceeded the general guideline values of 20-30 µg/g dry weight for terrestrial wildlife, whereas the neurochemical effect level of 5.4 µg Hg/g dry weight proposed for East Greenland polar bears was exceeded in 93.5% of the cases. These results call for detailed effect studies in main target organs such as brain, liver, kidney, and sexual organs in the Northwest Greenland polar bears.

On-line D/H analysis for water, natural gas, and organic solvents by manganese reduction

A new technique for on-line sample preparation and D/H determination is described. The technique is suitable for the preparation of fresh and brine waters, as well as natural gases and organic solvents. A 5-microL sample of water or hydrogen equivalent is injected and reduced by means of hot manganese metal in a specially designed reaction tube surrounded by a tube furnace and attached directly to the mass spectrometer inlet without modification.The hydrogen gas flows directly into the MS to be analyzed by reference/sample comparison. The reproducibility varied between 0.7 and 1.8% for all liquid and gas samples. The accuracy of this technique is confirmed by analysis of IAEA standard waters V-SMOW, GISP, and SLAP, as well as NGS-3 (IAEA methane intercomparison material).

Validating methods for measuring delta18O and delta13C in otoliths from freshwater fish.

The ability of the phosphoric acid digestion technique to extract carbon dioxide from biogenic carbonates and reliably reproduce delta(18)O and delta(13)C signatures from standard reference materials (NBS-18, NBS-19) was tested and shown to produce accurate, unbiased measurements of non-biologic materials. The effects of roasting preparation methods commonly reported when analyzing biogenic carbonates were also tested in a series of experiments using reference standards and otoliths obtained from aquacultured Arctic charr and rainbow trout. Roasting had no effect on the isotope measurement of reference standards. No significant differences between mean oxygen isotope signatures from paired experiments with roasted and non-roasted fish otoliths were found. However, otolith oxygen isotope measurements were significantly enriched in comparison to rearing water-based measurements for both species. Agreement between expected isotopic equilibrium and measured otolith delta(18)O values varied as a function of roasting temperature and between species. Criteria for the selection of appropriate roasting temperatures are suggested and favour 350 degrees C in freshwater fish where unbiased estimates of average rearing water temperatures and known differences in rearing temperatures were obtained. Carbon isotopic disequilibria were observed for both species. A mixing model analysis established differences in the percentage of metabolically derived carbon in studied otoliths, with Arctic charr deriving a greater proportion of otolith delta(13)C from metabolism as a result of higher metabolic rates.

Mass spectrometric 13C/12C determinations to detect high fructose corn syrup in orange juice: collaborative study.

The 13C/12C ratios in orange juice are sufficiently uniform and different from those in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) so that the addition of HFCS to orange juice can be detected. HFCS averages -9.7% (parts per thousand) delta 13C, orange juice averages -24.5%, and mixtures of HFCS and orange juice possess intermediate values. One pure orange juice and 4 orange juice -HFCS mixtures containing from 25 to 70% orange juice were properly classified by 7 collaborators. Samples with delta 13C values less negative than -22.1%, 4 standard deviations from the mean of pure juices, can, with a high degree of confidence, be classified as adulterated. Samples with values more negative than -22.1% must be considered unadulterated with HFCS, because pure orange juices possess a range of delta 13C values. The 13C/12C mass spectrometric method was adopted official first action for detecting HFCS in orange juice.