McGill University
Postdoctoral fellow candidate
Supervisor: Kyle Elliott
Kim Fernie, ECCC
Start: 2024-04-18
End: 2027-03-31

Project

Interactive effects of climate change and plastic-related contaminants on Arctic seabirds
Climate change and environmental contamination, including plastic pollution, are among the major threats to Arctic wildlife. As Arctic temperatures warm, ice cover decreases, making ice-associated top predators change their migratory routes throughout the year. Some Arctic top predators are also impacted by plastic pollution, but very little is known about the impacts of plastics-associated chemical contaminants for Arctic wildlife. These multiple stressors are also interactive: with warming, some contaminants will increase or decrease, and with changing migration routes, wildlife may move through different contamination landscapes that can impact them in multiple ways. I propose to investigate the interactive effects of climate change and plastic-related contaminants on a key Arctic species, thick-billed murre, the most abundant seabird in the Canadian Arctic. I will quantify for the first time the levels of a suite of contaminants, including microplastics, plastic-related contaminants (e.g., organophosphate esters (OPEs), ultraviolet stabilizers), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and mercury in murres from both breeding and wintering grounds. Furthermore, I will use state-of-the-art miniature bio-loggers worn by the same individuals to model seabird migration patterns in response to climate-related changes in environmental conditions and sea ice cover. These migratory routes will be compared to contaminants loads to understand when and where seabirds are affected by contaminants. This spatio-temporal mapping of contaminant exposure will inform how trends in contaminant exposure will be influenced by climate change. Beyond the implications for wildlife health, this work will provide long-term information on country foods security as murres are an important cultural and food resource for Northern communities.