Transport of marine pollution from bird cliffs to tundra communities in Svalbard, RIS ID 10420

Persistent pollutants accumulate and biomagnifies in seabirds migrating to Svalbard, and are transferred to the tundra underneath bird cliffs, with the bird´s guano. The aim of this study is i) to examine the presence and levels of contaminants in terrestrial communities close to bird cliffs, and establish if there is an indication of impact by the seabird guano on tundra communities. ii) To determine whether terrestrial invertebrates, Collembolans, in the vicinity of bird cliffs accumulate persistent organic pollutants, and if they are affected on a sub-lethal level, detected on a sub-cellular level.