Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer
Anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions and climate change are altering the global cycle of Hg. Levels of Hg in natural archives can help us understand not only its historical trends but also the future changes in different ecosystems, including the Arctic. In this study, we investigated the temporal v...
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| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
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| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0043 |
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| author | Saria Sato-Bajracharya Mathilde Le Moullec Brage Bremset Hansen Bjørn Munro Jenssen Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski |
| author_facet | Saria Sato-Bajracharya Mathilde Le Moullec Brage Bremset Hansen Bjørn Munro Jenssen Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski |
| author_sort | Saria Sato-Bajracharya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions and climate change are altering the global cycle of Hg. Levels of Hg in natural archives can help us understand not only its historical trends but also the future changes in different ecosystems, including the Arctic. In this study, we investigated the temporal variation of Hg across 4200 years in 78 antlers of the High-Arctic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). Antler Hg concentrations were higher during the pre-1650 Anno Domini (AD) period compared to the post-1650 AD period. Thus, antler Hg concentrations did not reflect the increased environmental Hg levels caused by high anthropogenic activities during the past three centuries. Trabecular Hg concentrations tended to be higher during the Medieval Warm Period than during the Little Ice Age, as revealed by a post hoc analysis conducted to explore the relationship between climatic variation and antler Hg concentrations. The overall mean (±SE) antler Hg concentration was generally low (5.29 ± 0.46 ng/g) compared to the present levels of Hg in various tissues of terrestrial Arctic ungulates. Combined with other paleo-archives, this millennial-scale study of Hg using antlers could provide insights into the temporal patterns and potential drivers of Hg variation in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9b70eea101494e45b868606a9d93c07f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
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| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b70eea101494e45b868606a9d93c07f2025-08-20T02:13:01ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602025-01-011111310.1139/as-2024-0043Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeerSaria Sato-Bajracharya0Mathilde Le Moullec1Brage Bremset Hansen2Bjørn Munro Jenssen3Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski4Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayAnthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions and climate change are altering the global cycle of Hg. Levels of Hg in natural archives can help us understand not only its historical trends but also the future changes in different ecosystems, including the Arctic. In this study, we investigated the temporal variation of Hg across 4200 years in 78 antlers of the High-Arctic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). Antler Hg concentrations were higher during the pre-1650 Anno Domini (AD) period compared to the post-1650 AD period. Thus, antler Hg concentrations did not reflect the increased environmental Hg levels caused by high anthropogenic activities during the past three centuries. Trabecular Hg concentrations tended to be higher during the Medieval Warm Period than during the Little Ice Age, as revealed by a post hoc analysis conducted to explore the relationship between climatic variation and antler Hg concentrations. The overall mean (±SE) antler Hg concentration was generally low (5.29 ± 0.46 ng/g) compared to the present levels of Hg in various tissues of terrestrial Arctic ungulates. Combined with other paleo-archives, this millennial-scale study of Hg using antlers could provide insights into the temporal patterns and potential drivers of Hg variation in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0043ancient antlercarbon datingcariboumercurypaleo-archive |
| spellingShingle | Saria Sato-Bajracharya Mathilde Le Moullec Brage Bremset Hansen Bjørn Munro Jenssen Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer Arctic Science ancient antler carbon dating caribou mercury paleo-archive |
| title | Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer |
| title_full | Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer |
| title_fullStr | Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer |
| title_short | Exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of High-Arctic wild reindeer |
| title_sort | exploring 4200 years of mercury variation in the antlers of high arctic wild reindeer |
| topic | ancient antler carbon dating caribou mercury paleo-archive |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0043 |
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