Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

CANADA #53: Biological Transport of Anthropogenic Contaminants to Polar Ecosystems: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective  (Biological Transport of Anthropogenic Contaminants to Polar Ecosystems: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective)

Outline
Long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants is generally assumed to be the main vector for polar contamination because local pollution sources are rare. In a recently completed study, we have shown that arctic seabirds, which occupy high trophic levels in marine food webs, are the dominant vectors for the transport of marine-derived contaminants to coastal ponds via their guano. For example, the sediments of ponds most affected by seabirds had 60x higher DDT, 25x higher mercury, and 10x higher hexachlorobenzene concentrations than nearby control sites. Bird guano greatly stimulates biological productivity in these extreme environments, but also serves as a major source of pollutants that will be further biomagnified in these remote ecosystems. Building on the foundation of this recent work, which was restricted to Cape Vera (Devon Island, Nunavut), we propose to develop the application of paleolimnological techniques to study long-term environmental change in both polar regions. These data will allow us to establish baseline conditions through the determination of the timing, extent and responses of polar ecosystems to contamination. Contaminants are distributed in high latitude regions via several pathways, including long-range atmospheric transport, regional sources reflecting localized human activities, as well as biological vectors (e.g. anadromous fish populations, seabirds). This project will determine the extent and types of environmental impacts by anthropogenic contaminants in several strategic polar regions. Important questions include: When were particular contaminants first introduced to a region? How have concentrations changed over time? What are the dominant pathways for delivery of anthropogenic contaminants? As long-term monitoring data are not available for polar regions, paleolimnological approaches can be used in lieu of these missing data sets (Blais and Muir, 2001; Douglas et al., 1994; Douglas and Smol 1999; Douglas et al., 2004, Smol 2002). Dated lake sediment cores provide an archive of past environments from which it is possible to determine the onset of a contaminant’s arrival into a system and to explore its impact. These data will provide a bipolar perspective on the long range distribution and trajectories of contaminants, and will provide important information on new contaminant transport mechanisms. As seabirds are often the dominant forms of wildlife in polar ecosystems, the new methods and protocols developed in this proposal will be applicable to many other high latitude regions.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
This research fits under the first three IPY theme areas. It addresses status (IPY1) and change (IPY2) by determining present-day high latitude environmental conditions and establishing the natural variability of these polar ecosystems. It also addresses the theme area of global linkages (IPY3) as it compares the distribution of contaminants at the high latitudes of both hemispheres. This research will provide an overall assessment of the spatial and temporal distribution of contaminants across polar latitudes. In particular, these data will identify the geographic distribution of a contaminant as well as a measure of its concentration in the Antarctic. It will also identify when and primarily via which vector a contaminant first arrived in a region.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
At this stage, research collaborators for the Australian sector (Dr Damian Gore) and the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) have been identified. For the AP, this includes collaboration with the Bulgarian Antarctic Survey (Drs Pimpirev and Metcheva), on Livingston Island, as well as the sites along the Peninsula proper (UK) (Dr D. Hodgson – contact for archived sediment cores from AP). Canadian collaborators include Blais, Douglas, Lean, Mallory and Smol (see sec.4.2 for affiliations)

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Antarctica: along the EAIS (East Antarctic Ice Sheet) of the Australian sectors as well as along the WAIS of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). This latter will include work on Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands) and along the length of the AP. Arctic: this will take place in the Arctic Islands, north of the Canadian mainland.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 06/07 – 08/07      06/08 – 08/08      12/07-02/08
Antarctic: 12/08 – 02/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
For the Arctic work, we will rely primarily on PCSP logistical support for site access. In the Antarctic, we will be working with the Bulgarian, Australian and British bases. The Bulgarians are in the process of acquiring and retrofitting a ship for their own use. This will create a platform, in time for IPY, to access the Antarctic Peninsula and Livingston Island.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
All scientific work will be carried out at existing Antarctic bases. In the case of the Bulgarian ship, a scientific laboratory needs to be set up. We will help set this up and leave in place the necessary research equipment to continue future studies. In the Arctic, we will use and enhance established field research stations (e.g. Cape Vera, Prince Leopold Island).

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This proposal was submitted, as part of a larger one including Dr. A. Rutter and colleagues (Queen’s U), to CCAR (Canadian Committee on Antarctic Research in the spring of 2004. However, this pre-proposal exercise if the first official review at a national level. This pre-proposal has been reviewed and is being submitted by the Canadian Steering Committee (CSC). Ongoing discussions will integrate this pre-proposal into a larger network of related national and international initiatives. The CSC has initially sorted this pre-proposal into: Ecosystems: Contaminants

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
yes

This particular proposal is a new autonomous proposal. However, all the collaborators have been involved in either Arctic or Antarctic research for many years. Some baseline data studies, i.e, for the Arctic, have already been initiated and gathered.

How will the project be organised and managed?
These researchers have worked and published previously together on polar research programs; some have co-supervised graduate students. Marianne Douglas (who has almost 20 years of field experience in both polar regions) will oversee the overall management of the project. Marianne Douglas and John Smol will lead the research on sediment core collections; Jules Blais, Mark Mallory, and David Lean will direct the organohalogen, mercury, and other chemical contaminant analyses. Our colleagues with the Bulgarian Antarctic Survey (with whom M. Douglas has been collaborating for a number of years) will coordinate research in the Antarctic. M. Douglas has also been in contact with Drs D. Gore (Macquarie University, Australia) and D. Hodgson (BAS, UK) who respectively work on contaminants and have archived sediment cores from the Antarctic Peninsula. Both actively work in the Antarctic and have expressed interest in collaboration during IPY. This would help to ensure! the necessary geographical coverage.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
As with our other scientific work, we will publish our results in peer-reviewed scientific publications, and provide information at public and scientific conferences and workshops. Arctic work will be provided to northern Canadian communities through the existing Communication and Outreach program of the Canadian Wildlife Service (Iqaluit).

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
All data will be made available within one year of the fieldwork. Data will be posted on appropriate websites, in journals and outreach products, as well as the Academy of Natural Sciences Data Cooperative (Smol is one of the external advisors for this program).

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The Canadian collaborators have established NSERC, PCSP etc, funding records. J. Smol holds the CRC Environmental Change. The 5 year grant cycle means that some Discovery Grants may only partially fund this initiative. Canadians will seek additional funding via an NSERC strategic grant. This will secure funding for 1 PDF and 2 graduate students as well as travel to these remote areas (Total = $225k). We require additional funding for the analytical work. We would be interested in accessing any Canadian IPY funds that might be made available.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
This project provides a unique and cutting-edge opportunity to tie together polar environmental information that links wildlife populations and life cycles to contaminant levels, pathways and histories, identifying hotspots of local contamination potentially important to aboriginal communities. The resulting information will have significant implications for modelling contaminant transport in polar environments, and can be linked to developing models on climate change and potential shifts in wildlife distribution and abundance in polar systems.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr  Marianne Douglas
University of Toronto
Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell St, Toronto, ON
M5S 3B1
Canada

Tel: (416) 978 3709
Mobile: no
Fax: (416) 978 3938
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation