| Project Title |  |
| Project
A6: Recent trends of Hg in ringed seal (Phoca hispida), reconstructed
using Hg archived in the incremental layers of teeth.
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| Research Team | |
| R.E.A. Stewart,
Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans, Winnipeg, Manitoba Email: stewartre@dfo-mpo-gc.ca. Co-investigators:
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| Project Summary | |
| Elucidation of the temporal trends
of Hg concentrations in Arctic biota is a priority science issue because of the continuing
importance of country foods, including marine mammals such as ringed seals, in Inuit
diets. These mammals are known to contain relatively high, and possibly increasing amounts
of Hg. The teeth of mammals are useful biomonitors of Hg exposure. This project will use laser ablation ICP-mass spectrometry to analyse Hg in growth layers spanning the period of 1961-1994. It will determine the cross-sectional pattern of Hg in a sub-set of seal teeth to ascertain how Hg exposure changed during the lives to individual seals, and to test for correlations between Hg in the final year layer and soft tissues at the time of death.
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