Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Biology
First Advisor
Deborah A. Duffield
Term of Graduation
2011
Date of Publication
1-1-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology
Department
Biology
Language
English
Subjects
California Sea Lion, Steller Sea Lion, Harbor seals, Marine mammals -- Effect of heavy metals on -- Oregon -- Pacific Coast, Marine mammals -- Effect of heavy metals on -- Washington (State) -- Pacific Coast, Marine mammals -- Mercury content -- Oregon -- Pacific Coast, Marine mammals -- Mercury content -- Washington (State) -- Pacific Coast, Mercury -- Bioaccumulation, Methylmercury -- Bioaccumulation
DOI
10.15760/etd.310
Physical Description
1 online resource (vi, 69 pages)
Abstract
Muscle samples from 105 marine mammals stranded along the Oregon-Washington coasts (2002-2009) were tested for levels of total mercury by Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry. The total mercury present is predominantly in the form of highly toxic methylmercury. After normalizing muscle tissue to 75% water weight, due to variance in water content, Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) exhibited the highest mean concentrations of total mercury followed by harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and California sea lions (Zalophus californianus); 0.34 ± 0.278, 0.34 ± 0.485, 0.21 ± 0.216, 0.17 ± 0.169 and 0.15 ± 0.126 mg/kg normalized weight, respectively. Mean normalized values demonstrated limited muscle methylmercury accumulation in these species in the Pacific Northwest. Normalizing muscle mercury concentrations eliminated variability from desiccation, and allowed for a clearer indication of the amount of mercury the animal accumulated before stranding. However, actual wet weight concentrations in some of the stranded carcasses were high enough to pose a risk to scavengers.
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/7064
Recommended Citation
Wintle, Nathan J., "Total Mercury in Stranded Marine Mammals from the Oregon and Southern Washington Coasts" (2011). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 310.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.310