Oil-related contaminants in Arctic seabirds

We studied the concentrations of oil-related contaminants in 4 seabird species in the Baffin Bay - Davis Strait region in response to the regional Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which called for a greater understanding of the effects of natural oil seeps and anthropogenic released oil on ecosystems. We found that all seabird species examined have been exposed to naturally occurring types of oil, with levels of oil-related contaminants in coastal benthic feeding species higher than in the species that fed more offshore. There is a growing understanding of how oil pollution can affect aquatic ecosystems, including physical and chemical effects. One of the biggest challenges with detecting the effects of oil-related contaminants on biota is understanding background levels of contaminants due to natural sources and their effects prior to large scale oil and gas operations. Seabirds are effective indicators of pollution, and can be useful for tracking oil-related contaminants in the marine environment.为响应巴芬湾-戴维斯海峡区域实施的战略环境评估（Strategic Environmental Assessment, SEA）——该评估呼吁深化对天然石油渗漏与人为释放石油对生态系统影响的认知——本研究针对该区域4种海鸟体内的石油类污染物浓度展开了调查。研究结果显示，所有受检海鸟物种均已暴露于天然来源的石油中，且沿海底栖摄食类海鸟体内的石油类污染物水平显著高于远海摄食类海鸟。当前学界对石油污染通过物理、化学效应影响水生生态系统的认知正不断深化。在检测石油类污染物对生物群落的影响时，最大的挑战之一便是厘清天然来源污染物的本底水平，以及大型油气作业开展前此类污染物所产生的生态效应。海鸟是有效的污染指示生物，可用于追踪海洋环境中的石油类污染物。