Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) across the Canadian Arctic

Ringed seals (Phoca hispida) have been used as bioindicator species of environmental contamination in Canada since the 1970s. In the present study, seals were harvested during subsistence hunts in four regions of the Canadian Arctic: Beaufort Sea, Arctic Archipelago, Hudson Bay, and coastal Labrador. An extensive suite of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was determined in seal blubber collected for multiple years between 1972 and 2016. Results from this long-term study indicate geographical differences in the contaminant concentrations in seals and the significant general decrease of most POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and related compounds, chlordanes (CHL), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH) over time in ringed seals. Overall, results suggest that North American and international regulations have led to the long-term reduction of most POPs in Canadian Arctic ringed seals by reducing emissions from primary sources. However, other sources of legacy compounds (e.g., environmental reservoirs) as well changes in food web composition and structure in relation to climate changes could also be influencing the very slow rates of decline, or stable levels, of contaminants found in seals at some sites.

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Metadata Record Information

File Identifier
16502a42-b121-4660-9dad-1c0390475515 XML
Date Stamp
2022-11-15T19:02:00
Metadata language

eng; CAN
Character set
UTF8
Hierarchy Level
Series
Point of contact
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology Branch / Water Science and Technology / Aquatic Contaminants Research Division - ACRD Data Management Team
867 Lakeshore Rd. , Burlington , Ontario , L7S 1A1 , Canada
 

Data identification

Date (Publication)
2019-06-04
Date (Creation)
2014-04-10
Status
On going
Metadata language

eng; CAN
Topic category
  • Environment
Maintenance and Update Frequency
As needed
Spatial representation type
Text, table
Point of contact
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology Branch / Water Science and Technology / Aquatic Contaminants Research Division - Dr. Magali Houde ( Research scientist )
105 McGill St. , Montreal , Quebec , H2Y 2E7 , Canada
Originator
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology Branch / Water Science and Technology / Aquatic Contaminants Research Division - Dr. Derek Muir ( Research scientist, emeritus )
867 Lakeshore Rd. , Burlington , Ontario , L7S 1A1 , Canada
Collaborator
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Science and Technology Branch / Water Science and Technology / Aquatic Contaminants Research Division - Pierre Gagnon ( Mathematician )

Keywords

Place

  • Northwest Territory

  • Labrador

  • Canadian High Arctic

  • Inuvialuit

  • Nunavut

  • Nunavik

  • Nunatsiavut
Theme

  • Observation/Measurement

  • Northern Contaminants Program (NCP)

  • community-based monitoring

  • contaminants

  • marine mammals

  • Ringed seal (Phoca hispida)

  • Persitent organic pollutants (POPs)

  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

ECCC Information Category EN

  • Nature and Biodiversity - Contaminants

Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus

  • Arctic

Business Functions

  • Assess Toxicity, Manage and Monitor for Environmental Presence of Hazardous Substances and Waste

  • Monitor / Assess Substance and Waste Levels in Air, Water, Soil, Biota

Geography

  • National (CA)

Branch

  • Science and Technology Branch

Directorate

  • Water Science and Technology

Environment Canada - Program

  • 1.2.1. Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Health

GC Security Level

  • Unclassified
 
Use Limitation

Open Government Licence - Canada ( http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada )

Access Constraints
License
Use Constraints
License
Begin Date
1972-01-01
End Date
2016-11-30

Extent

N
S
E
W
thumbnail


 
 

Ref. system Reference Systems

Reference system identifier
http://www.epsg-registry.org / EPSG:4326 / 1
 

Distribution

Distribution Formats

Distribution format
  • CSV ( 1 )

 
Distributor
  Government of Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada - Public inquiries centre
Fontaine Building 12th floor, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd. , Gatineau , Quebec , K1A 0H3 , Canada
1-800-668-6767
https://www.canada.ca
 
 

Overviews

N
S
E
W
thumbnail


Keywords

Canadian High Arctic Inuvialuit Labrador Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) Northwest Territory Nunatsiavut Nunavik Nunavut Observation/Measurement Persitent organic pollutants (POPs) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) community-based monitoring contaminants marine mammals
Branch
Science and Technology Branch
Business Functions
Assess Toxicity, Manage and Monitor for Environmental Presence of Hazardous Substances and Waste Monitor / Assess Substance and Waste Levels in Air, Water, Soil, Biota
Directorate
Water Science and Technology
ECCC Information Category EN
Nature and Biodiversity - Contaminants
Environment Canada - Program
1.2.1. Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Health
GC Security Level
Unclassified
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus
Arctic

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