title: Pan-Arctic concentrations of mercury and stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) in marine zooplankton.
abstract: Zooplankton play a central role in marine food webs, dictating the quantity and quality of energy available to upper trophic levels. They act as "keystone" species in transfer of mercury (Hg) up through the marine food chain. Here, we present the first Pan-Arctic overview of total and monomethylmercury concentrations (THg and MMHg) and stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) in selected zooplankton species by assembling data collected between 1998 and 2012 from six arctic regions (Laptev Sea, Chukchi Sea, southeastern Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Hudson Bay and northern Baffin Bay). MMHg concentrations in Calanus spp., Themisto spp. and Paraeuchaeta spp. were found to increase with higher δ(15)N and lower δ(13)C. The southern Beaufort Sea exhibited both the highest THg and MMHg concentrations. Biomagnification of MMHg between Calanus spp. and two of its known predators, Themisto spp. and Paraeuchaeta spp., was greatest in the southern Beaufort Sea. Our results show large geographical variations in Hg concentrations and isotopic signatures for individual species related to regional ecosystem features, such as varying water masses and freshwater inputs, and highlight the increased exposure to Hg in the marine food chain of the southern Beaufort Sea.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, Nuuk 3900, Greenland. Electronic address: corinne.pomerleau@umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pomerleau
authors.affiliation: Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Gary A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pućko
authors.affiliation: Foster Environmental, Peterborough, ON K9J 8L2, Canada.
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada.
authors.forename: Robie W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.affiliation: Québec-Océan, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fortier
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda; D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002170:Canada; D002244:Carbon; D033342:Copepoda; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D008628:Mercury; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Biomagnification; Monomethylmercury; Pan-Arctic; Stable isotopes; Total mercury; Zooplankton