Plastic ingestion by northern fulmars from Kongsfjorden

Plastic pollution is a major concern worldwide and the Arctic is no exception. Svalbard, and especially the Kongsfjorden area, is of high relevance because it receives both Arctic and Atlantic waters, the latter being expected to bring up plastics and the Kongsfjorden fauna is considered as an early warning indicator of climate change which might affect plastic levels in the Arctic. The northern fulmar is a biomonitoring species for plastic pollution in the North Sea and is one of the most studied animals in the Arctic in the frame of monitoring. In Kongsfjorden, only one study focused on plastic ingestion by northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis, revealing that 87% of individuals had ingested plastic. Here, we aim to assess plastic and associated chemicals (PBDEs and phthalates) levels and plastic transfer from parents to chicks. The fieldwork will be done in early September which is very timely given the growth pattern of birds and accessibility in that area. These results will be complemented by samples already collected in 2006 and 2013 and stored in Tromsø, where the samples will be processed. These sample sets will define a trend in plastic levels and therefore provide valuable results in the frame of monitoring plastic pollution in the Arctic.