Health of the Beaufort Sea beluga whales as it relates to contaminants and climate change

Beluga whales in the Arctic may be vulnerable to the combined effects of contaminants and a changing climate. Our previous work suggested that genes involved in metabolism and condition were altered by inter-annual changes in beluga feeding ecology but a longer time series was needed to document the effects of climate change on their health. Since then, we have processed additional samples so that data is now available for beluga whales sampled at Hendrickson Island, Northwest Territories, between 2008 and 2017. A total of 23 genes that are markers of contaminant exposure, endocrine disruption, general and nutritional stresses have been quantified. This will shed some light on the health of this population of beluga whales and help distinguish between contaminant and climate stresses.