MAP Info Service Pollution Contaminants in birds
Copper is an essential element that is metabolically regulated in the tissue of seabirds. The levels of copper in muscles do not differ much and are generally low (from 15 to 25 mg/kg dry weight). Copper might be higher in liver (not shown in maps) of scavenger birds and in common- and king eiders. The eider mainly feeds on mussels, snails and crustaceans which have hemocyanin (contains copper) as their blood pigment. Therefore they may have relatively high levels of copper in the liver.
Last Updated ( Monday, 25 January 2010 11:12 )
Read more...
Chromium is an important metal in industry, for example as additive in iron for stainless steel production.
Trivalent chromium (Cr3+) is required in trace amounts for sugar and lipid metabolism in humans and lack of Cr3+ may cause a disease called chromium deficiency. The hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is however toxic and carcinogenic. The levels of chromium were generally low and more than 30% of the...
Last Updated ( Monday, 25 January 2010 11:12 )
Read more...
Cadmium has a high toxicity and is carcinogenic. Cadmium, along with mercury and lead, is one of the heavy metals that are of environmental concern as it can be toxic at levels only moderately elevated above natural ambient levels. The effects of chronic exposure to trace amounts of cadmium are less well understood.
Significant higher levels of cadmium are found in the northern fulmar compared with...
Last Updated ( Monday, 25 January 2010 11:13 )
Read more...
Arsenic is a highly poisonous metalloid with many allotropic forms, including a yellow (molecular non-metallic) and several black and grey forms (metalloids).
The levels of Arsenic found in the samples from south western part of Novaya Zemlya (Guba Chernaya) were 10-50 times higher than in other parts of the Barents Sea area. This area was used as test area for nuclear explosions in the 1960.
Last Updated ( Monday, 22 March 2010 13:50 )
Read more...
More than 100 experts from a total of 9 Russian and 20 Norwegian institutions have participated in the preparation of the report, and the work has been organized in 13 expert groups. The work has been led by Sevmorgeo and PINRO on Russian side and on Norwegian side by the Institute of Marine Research and the Norwegian Polar Institute..
Find author name here...
BarentsPortal is a project developed under the Joint Russian - Norwegian Commission on Environmental Cooperation. The joint environmental report is a co-operation project between the Joint Russian - Norwegian Commission on Environmental Cooperation and the Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission
The level of contaminants in the Barents region marine environment (biota and sediment) has been documented during the last decades both by Russian and Norwegian scientists. Lately, new compounds has been observed and documented in frame of national and international monitoring programs. However, the documentation of contaminants trends has been fragmented and somewhat difficult to follow, and there has been limited compilation and presentation of such data.
BarentsPortal financed in 2009 a project with goals just to do a compilation of the most relevant Russian and Norwegian contaminants data on seabirds in the Barents Sea, and presents them in overview maps.The are currently no maps available in the MAP Service.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances, that is, they are carbon-based. They possess a particular combination of physical and chemical properties such that, once released into the environment, they:
Some heavy metals elements are very toxic for humans and wildlife. They are carcinogenic or toxic, affecting, among others, the central nervous system (Mn, Hg, Pb, As), the kidneys or liver (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu) or skin, bones, or teeth (Ni, Cd, Cu, Cr).
