Updated 2005-09-30
The present study will establish a link between the mercury levels in the abiotic environment (e.g. historical records of mercury data in peat bogs, the ice sheet or marine sediments) with levels in carnivore species (polar bear, birds of prey). These results can be used in a model for predicting past and future development of the mercury loads in high trophic biota. This in turn will enable us to evaluate if changes in mercury levels in the atmosphere are reflected in species at higher trophic levels of the Arctic ecosystem. The project will expand the longevity and certainty of the biotic time series of mercury to about 150 years by analyzing museum samples of bird feathers and polar bear hair and teeth. The project is part of the project “Fate of mercury in the Arctic (FOMA)”.
This is a National Implementation Plan (NIP) project
Time frame
- Status
- Completed
- Project time span
- 2004 - 2005
- Data collection
- 2004 - 2005
- Data processing
- 2004 - 2005
- Data reporting
- 2004 - 2005
Data availability
- Are data archived or planned to be archived at an AMAP Thematic Data Centre?
- no
- If no (or only part of data are reported to a TDC), where and how are (other) data stored?
- Data of Hg in bird feathers and hair and teeths of polar bear going more than 100 years back.
These data are not found relevant for archived in Data Centre
- Samples/specimens archived in specimen banks?
- No
Methods & Procedures
- Procedures and methodology used for, e.g., sampling and sample storage, sample pretreatment, extraction and analysis, including which laboratories are involved, references to methods employed, etc.
NERI laboratory
Additional Information
- Is this a bi- AND multi-lateral project (i.e. a project involving cooperation between different countries)?
- No