High mercury levels found in Svalbard seabirds

Norwegian researchers have found high mercury levels in seabirds living in the Svalbard archipelago. According to Silje Lundgren, who studied the issue for her master’s thesis at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the samples of feathers and blood from adult black-legged kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots in Kongsfjorden on Svalbard revealed an excessive level of mercury in both species, with potential effects on their reproductive systems. In the kittiwakes, the level of mercury was higher than that previously found by other studies of seabirds in the Arctic region. Lundgren said that high mercury concentrations will not have a negative impact at the individual level but can contribute to the decline of the bird population. Researcher Geir Wing Gabrielsen from the Norwegian Polar Institute agreed with this view, pointing out that seabirds in other parts of Norway are already declining at an alarming rate. Climate change, pollution, loss of breeding areas, hunting, and diseases are the main factors behind the phenomenon.
In the Svalbard archipelago, 57% of the land area is covered by glaciers, which are melting and breaking off due to climate change. Moreover, warm Atlantic water is flowing northwards, bringing with it animals and other organisms from lower latitudes. This has changed the diet of seabirds such as the kittiwake and the Brünnich’s guillemot, which previously lived on polar cod. Now, they eat Atlantic fish species like herring, capelin, and krill. However, these species absorb the pollution released in the water by the melting glaciers, transmitting it to the seabirds feeding on them. For Gabrielsen, this is why the kittiwakes have such increased mercury levels.
NTNU researchers are working with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) to study the effects of pollutants and climate on seabirds in Arctic Coastal ecosystems (ClimACTox). Mercury is one of the priority pollutants under investigation. In 2015, Asian countries accounted for half of its global emissions, according to AMAP (the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program). Researchers believe it is urgent to get these countries to reduce their emissions, which are linked to the use of coal as an energy source.