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Accelerated delivery of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in recent sediments near a large seabird colony in Arctic Canada |
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| Authors: | Neal Michelutti Huijun Liu Lynda E Kimpe Mark Mallory Marianne SV Douglas |
| Institution: | a Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie St., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada b Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China c Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada d Environment Canada, Iqaluit, NU, Canada e Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada f University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada |
| Abstract: | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in sediment cores from ponds located near a large seabird colony at Cape Vera, Devon Island, Arctic Canada. Surface sediment PCB concentrations were ∼5× greater in seabird-affected sites relative to a nearby control pond and were correlated with independent indicators of seabird activity including, sedimentary δ15N and lakewater chlorophyll a and cadmium concentrations. PCB fluxes were amongst the highest recorded from the High Arctic, ranging from 290 to 2400 ng m−2 yr−1. Despite a widespread ban of PCBs in the mid-1970s, PCB accumulation rates in our cores increased, with the highest values recorded in the most recent sediments. Possible mechanisms for the recent PCB increases include a vertical flux step driven by seabird-delivered nutrients and/or delayed loading of PCBs from the catchment into the ponds. The high PCB levels recorded in the seabird-affected sites suggest that seabird colonies are exposing coastal ecosystems to elevated levels of contaminants. |
| Keywords: | Polychlorinated biphenyls Biovector transport Seabirds Paleolimnology Arctic Canada |
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