2014-2015 Temporal and Spatial Trends of Legacy and Emerging Organic and Metal/Element Contaminants in Canadian Polar Bears

Long term Purpose:In relation to the NCP (AANDC) Blueprint section 7.4.8 Environmental Monitoring and Research - Marine Ecosystems, in polar bears from Canadian subpopulations, to determine spatial differences and/or temporal trends and changes, and conduct research to determine the influence of environmental processes and change, of POPs of interest. These POPs and metals are priorities for the NCP (and LRTAP and Stockholm Convention), and will support Canadian and international chemical management initiatives. Also, to screen for new and emerging, targeted POPs that are predicted or likely to bioaccumulate in polar bears, which may also include congeners, isomers and/or precursors and degradation products.Short term Purpose:1. For polar bears within the two management zones in Hudson Bay, in 2014-2015 to continue to monitor with increased resolution, the temporal trends and changes of NCP priority POPs and elements that are classified as bioaccumulative legacy and new and emerging contaminants;2. Using carbon and nitrogen SIs and FAs as ecological tracers, examine the influence of diet/food web structure, trophic level, sex, age, time of collection and lipid content as confounding factors on POP temporal trends in Hudson Bay polar bears;3. To provide information to Hudson Bay aboriginal communities participating in the study, as well as other communities, on the levels, changes and fate of POPs in polar bears;4. To archive the remaining polar bear tissue samples that were collected in Environment Canada's National Wildlife Specimen Bank (EC-NWSB), NWRC, Carleton University.