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Andersson Stavridis M, Røed SB, Hansen BB, Mikkelsen Ø, Ciesielski TM, Jenssen BM. Tracing the footprints of Arctic pollution: Spatial variations in toxic and essential elements in Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) faeces. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167562. [PMID: 37802349 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic is an accumulation zone of long-range transported pollution. In addition, local anthropogenic activities further contribute to regional pollution levels. The Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is a suitable organism for studying and monitoring exposure to anthropogenic pollutants at the base of the terrestrial Arctic food web, and reindeer faeces have been promoted as non-invasive means of biomonitoring contaminant exposure. This study used HR-ICP-MS to analyse levels and composition of 16 elements in Svalbard reindeer faeces (n = 96) and soil (n = 9) from two locations on Svalbard, with the aim to assess whether local anthropogenic pollution influences element bioavailability. One of the sampling areas, the Nordenskiöld coast, is situated on the west coast of Spitsbergen, close to the Arctic Ocean and relatively far from local anthropogenic sources. The other sampling area, Adventdalen, is located further inland and close to Longyearbyen, the largest settlement of the archipelago. There was a significant difference in faecal elemental concentration and composition between the Adventdalen and Nordenskiöld coast reindeer populations. Elements of geogenic origin (e.g., Al, Cu and Fe) were found at higher levels in faeces from Adventdalen. In comparison, levels of Ca, Se and the toxic elements Cd and Pb were higher in faecal samples from the Nordenskiöld coast. The significantly higher levels of faecal Cd and Pb at Nordenskiöld coast may be due to marine input, dietary differences between the populations, or possible anthropogenic influence from the nearby settlement of Barentsburg. There was, however, a decoupling in elemental composition between faecal and soil samples, which may derive from a selective vegetational uptake of elements from the soil. The results suggest that reindeer are exposed to a range of elements and that faeces can be used to monitor the exposure to bioavailable environmental levels of both essential and toxic elements in terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Andersson Stavridis
- Department of Arctic Technology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Susanne Brix Røed
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Brage Bremset Hansen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Øyvind Mikkelsen
- Department of Arctic Technology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski
- Department of Arctic Technology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bjørn Munro Jenssen
- Department of Arctic Technology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
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Yang Y, Chen Z, Song Y, Yan M, Xue C, Ji J, Ayoko GA, Frost RL. Environmental implication of geochemical record in the Arctic Ny-Ålesund glacial sediment, Svalbard (Norway). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 880:163255. [PMID: 37031934 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Glacial sediments as an important end member of the global dust system, could indicate changes in global climate, aerosols sources, ocean elements, and productivity. With global warming, ice caps shrinking and glaciers retreat at high latitudes have attracted concern. To understand the response of glacier to environment and climate in modern high latitude ice-marginal environments, this paper investigated glacial sediments in the Ny-Ålesund region of the Arctic and clarified the response of polar environmental to global changes through geochemical characteristics of glacial sediments. The results showed that: 1) main factors affecting the elements distribution of the Ny-Ålesund glacial sediments were thought as soil formation, bedrock and weathering, and biological activity; 2) variations of SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/Al2O3 + Fe2O3, indicating low weathering of the soil. The ratio of Na2O/K2O indicating a weak chemical weathering, was negatively correlated to the CIA. With the average CIA of Ny-Ålesund glacial sediments for main minerals of quartz, feldspar, and muscovite as well as dolomite and calcite 50.13, which implied glacial sediments at the early stage of chemical weathering and depletion of Ca and Na; 3) the separating effect of stones and soils by stone circle formation due to thermal conductivity and frost heave makes sediments in stone circle have lower chemical weathering with only two main minerals, albite and quartz; 4) changes of carbonate content in sediments with glacier front retreating in different period implied that weathering rate of calcite averagely reached an estimate of 0.0792%wt/year in glacier A. The succession of vegetation made biological weathering become an important driving force for carbonate leaching from glacial sediments. These results and data provide scientifically significant archive for future global change studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanpeng Yang
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yinxian Song
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China.
| | - Ming Yan
- Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China.
| | - Chuandong Xue
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Junfeng Ji
- Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Godwin A Ayoko
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for The Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2324, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Ray L Frost
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for The Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2324, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
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