Text 14098, 88 rader
Skriven 2005-07-14 18:23:17 av Ed Connell (1:379/1.6)
  Kommentar till text 14096 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Re: Arctic
==================
Hey, Jeff.

 JB> =========================================

 JB> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050714/ap_on_sc/bird_droppings_2

 JB> Arctic Pollution Linked to Bird Droppings

 JB> By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
 JB> Thu Jul 14, 2:24 PM ET

 JB> WASHINGTON - A major source of chemical contamination in the Arctic
 JB> turns out to be bird droppings. Wind currents and human activities long
 JB> have been blamed for fouling the pristine Arctic. But a study by a
 JB> group of Canadian researchers found that the chemical pollution in
 JB> areas frequented by seabirds can be many times higher than in nearby
 JB> regions.

 JB> Researchers led by Jules Blais of the University of Ottawa studied
 JB> several ponds below the cliffs at Cape Vera on Devon Island in the
 JB> Canadian Arctic.

 JB> Scientists report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that the
 JB> ponds, which receive falling guano from a colony of northern fulmars
 JB> that nest on the cliffs, have highly elevated amounts of chemicals.

 JB> "If long-range transport was the only thing bringing these chemicals
 JB> north, we would expect to see a very even distribution," Blais said in
 JB> a telephone interview.

 JB> But the chemicals are concentrated in some places, he said, "and we
 JB> have found a reason ... they can follow biological connections."

 JB> Blais calls it the boomerang effect.

 JB> "These contaminants had been washed into the ocean, where we generally
 JB> assumed they were no longer affecting terrestrial ecosystems. Our study
 JB> shows that sea birds, which feed in the ocean but then come back to
 JB> land, are returning not only with food for their young but with
 JB> contaminants as well. The contaminants accumulate in their bodies and
 JB> are released on land," Blais said.

 JB> The guano that falls into the ponds includes bits of fish, carrion,
 JB> squid and other marine creatures eaten by the fulmars.

 JB> Research team member John Smol of Queen's University in Kingston,
 JB> Ontario, said "the effect is to elevate concentrations of pollutants
 JB> such as mercury and DDT to as much as 60 times that of areas not
 JB> influenced by seabird populations."

 JB> Todd O'Hara of the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of
 JB> Alaska in Fairbanks said the report adds new detail to "the role of
 JB> biotransport in bringing contaminants to the Arctic with clear local
 JB> impacts.

 JB> "Certainly, I believe biotransport is an underestimated process and for
 JB> subsistence users it clearly indicates the need for local assessments
 JB> of food sources and not to generalize about Arctic contamination," said
 JB> O'Hara, who was not part of Blais team.

 JB> Chemicals such as PCB and DDT are no longer being released into the
 JB> environment in North America, Blais noted, but were designed to last a
 JB> long time and are doing so. In addition, he said, other chemicals still
 JB> in use are toxic and also can last in the environment.

 JB> Perhaps the lessons learned from PCBs should be applied to other
 JB> hazardous chemicals too, Blais said.

 JB> The area of the study is one of the most desolate on Earth, Blais said,
 JB> and the local food chain is dependent on the guano from the seabirds.

 JB> Their droppings encourage the growth of mosses and plankton in the
 JB> ponds, which feed lots of insects, which in turn support small birds
 JB> called snow buntings, he said.

 JB> If the seabirds were to disappear the whole ecosystem would disappear,
 JB> he said.

 JB> "If you fly overhead you can see green mosses growing under the
 JB> cliffs," Blais said. "What is particularly striking is that these
 JB> contaminants are getting concentrated at oases of biological
 JB> productivity in the north."

This guy had might as well go ahead and turn in his credentials.  His name 
will be an anthema to all right-thinking scholars. <g> 

--- Fidolook Lite FTN stub 
 * Origin: Sample (1:379/1.6)