Kein Folientitel

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BIRD EGGS as indicator for local pollution and
trend analysis
Peter H. Becker Institut für Vogelforschung
Vogelwarte Helgoland Wilhelmshaven
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S PCB (µg/g Fettgewicht)
Becker Bruhn 2003
Species
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Dose-dependent response Seabirds indicate the
contamination of their prey and of the marine
environment
Seabirds at the top of the food
web BIOINDICATORS
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Mercury
PCB
concentration in Common Tern eggs (ngg-1 fresh
weight)
Annual load Elbe (kg year-1)
HCB
Becker et al. (1991)
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Herring, muscle
Guillemot, egg
Year
SDDT (mg/kg fat weight) in Guillemots (eggs) and
herring (muscle) from the Baltic Sea (Bignert et
al. 1995)
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Seabirds integrate the environmental situation
across sea areas
Common Tern Radius of foraging flights in the
breeding season 6.3 km
Peter H. Becker
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Courtship Feeding in the Common Tern
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Bird Eggs as Matrix for Monitoring
Chemicals ADVANTAGES

• originate from a defined area and year
• reflect the contamination of breeding females
• (healthy and reproductive part of the
  population)
• being restricted to the breeding season, the
  seasonal variation
• in chemicals levels is reduced
• not necessary to kill adults
• sampling takes little time
• easy to handle
• consistent composition compared with tissues
• high lipid content (accumulation of lipophilous
  persistent compounds)
• during the egg and early chick stage birds react
  sensitively to
• toxic chemicals
• relationships between contaminants, eggshell
  quality and
• hatching success can be studied
• controlled experiments in the laboratory are
  possible

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Bird Eggs as Matrix for Monitoring
Chemicals DISADVANTAGES

• representative of only a part of the population
  and the year
• some heavy metals are not accumulated in the egg
  (cadmium, lead)

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______________________________________ Environment
al Chemicals in Seabird Eggs analyzed in
TMAP_____________________________________________
______ Industrial Chemicals Mercury
catalyst, seed
disinfection banned in 1982 HCB
byproduct OC-production

fungicide, banned in 1980
PCB soft
maker, in transformers, condensers, (62 -
incl. coplanar - hydraulic oil
banned in 1989 congeners) Insecticides
DDT and metabolites (p,p-)
banned in 1972 HCH-Isomeres (?-, ?-,
?-HCH) technical HCH banned in
1974 Chlordane (Chlordane, Nonachlor) banned
in 1988 _________________________________________
___________________________

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Contaminants in Seabirds
10 eggs per site and species, 1 egg per clutch
TMAP for monitoring the Wadden Sea
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Geographic variation Intersite differences
TMAP Results
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Quecksilber
S PCB
Spatial Variation Common Tern 2002
HCB
Konzentration (ng/g FG)
S DDT
North Sea
S HCH
Area
Gebiet
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Spatial Variation Oystercatcher 2002
concentration (ng/g FW)
North Sea
Area
Gebiet
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Year 2005 Common Tern
Oystercatcher
from annual report 2005
Peter H. Becker
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Discriminant analysis of 62 PCB congeners
Becker et al. (1998)
Major components PCB congeners
138,153,160,180,170,128
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Temporal variation 1981 - 2003
TMAP Results
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Trend Mercury 1981 - 2003
1981 85 1990
95 2000
YEAR
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Trend PCBs 1981 - 2003
1981 85 1990
95 2000
YEAR
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Mercury
2001 03 05 2001 03
05
YEAR
from annual report 2005
Peter H. Becker
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Oystercatcher
Common Tern
Trischen
HCB
SHCH
2001 03 05
2001 03 05
YEAR
from annual report 2005
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2001 -2005 102 trends studied 60 significant
? 48 ( 80 ) negative trends
? 12 ( 20 ) positive trends
from annual report 2005
Peter H. Becker
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• Variation in PCB levels
• Temporal variation (year)
• Spatial variation (site)
• Interspecific variation
• (species)

Peter H. Becker
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Conclusions and Future

• Continue to measure contaminants
• in bird eggs in the Wadden Sea in order to
• - distinguish short-term fluctuations
• from long-term trends
• - to keep the hot spots under careful
  observation

• Adapt the monitoring by
• - an additional sampling site at the Rhine
  delta
• - including new toxic substances

• Intensify policies
• - for reduction of application and inputs of
• hazardous xenobiotics

TMAP
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Conclusions and Future

• EcoQOs

Concentrations (ng/g) should not
exceed Mercury PCBs DDTs HCB
HCHs _____________________________________ CT
200 20 10 2
2 OC 100 20 10
2 2 or values measured at
southwestern Norway or Shetlands (ICES 2004)
TMAP
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Why sampling and chemical analysis on an annual
basis ?

• Logistical reasons continuity in - staff
• 
  - organization of sampling
• 
  - availability of analytics
• is important to run the monitoring
  successfully.
• Time trend analyses Lacking years cause lower
  statistical
• power
  and hamper the function of
• the
  parameter as early warning system

Why the one lab approach ?

• Better compariability of results
• No intercalibration needed

Eggs DK
data
data
1 Lab Terramare
Eggs SH
Eggs NL
data
data
Eggs NS
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Contaminants in Seabirds No. of sites in future ?
10 eggs per site and species, 1 egg per clutch
TMAP for monitoring the Wadden Sea
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Conclusions and Future

• EcoQOs

• Make use of birds as sensitive indicators
• Monitoring reproductive success as
• early warning system

TMAP