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Mytilus Edulis) from Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland

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Mytilus Edulis) from Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland Master’s Thesis Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury Concentrations in Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland Anna N. Hixson Advisor: Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir Ph.D. University of Akureyri Faculty of Business and Science University Centre of the Westfjords Master of Resource Management: Coastal and Marine Management Ísafjörður, May 2019 Supervisory Committee Advisor: Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Ph.D. External Reader: Pernilla Carlsson, Ph.D. Program Director: Catherine Chambers, Ph.D. Anna N. Hixson Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury Concentrations in Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland 45 ECTS thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Resource Management degree in Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre of the Westfjords, Suðurgata 12, 400 Ísafjörður, Iceland Degree accredited by the University of Akureyri, Faculty of Business and Science, Borgir, 600 Akureyri, Iceland Copyright © 2019 Anna N. Hixson All rights reserved Printing: Háskólaprent, Reykjavík, May 2019 Declaration I hereby confirm that I am the sole author of this thesis and it is a product of my own academic research. __________________________________________ Anna Nicole Hixson Abstract Trace elements above natural background levels can be a threat to marine ecosystem health and potentially also human health. Long-term global monitoring programs have generated large datasets that allow for a better understanding of how concentrations of trace elements in the marine biosphere change over time. These monitoring programs utilize water, sediment, and/or biota samples to understand how these elements are interacting in the environment. However, these monitoring programs normally do not investigate oddities or unusual conditions further. In the case of the Westfjords Iceland, concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), have been prominent in the local blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) for over a decade (1999-2018) in Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður. Although, these concentrations have shown peculiarities when compared to other monitoring sites in Iceland, they have not been extensively studied. This thesis aimed to generate a better understanding of the distribution of As, Cd, and Hg in Skutulsfjörður and Álftafjörður, highlight potential sources of these pollutants, and establish viable strategies for future research and management. This study reveals that high As is not limited to a single site in Skutulsfjörður (24.05-83.87 mg/kg dw); illustrates the relatively constant levels of all elements in Álftafjörður since its last sampling in 2013; the potential role of pollution sources on these concentrations; and the differences in these concentrations between populated fjords and rural fjords. These findings suggest the need for new management strategies including further monitoring and more widespread analysis of trace elements in biota in this area, to better understand and mitigate any potential negative consequences that these elevated concentrations may have on the surrounding coastal environment. Útdráttur Ólífræn snefilefni yfir náttúrulegum bakgrunnsgildum geta verið ógn fyrir vistkerfi sjávar og hugsanlega einnig fyrir heilsu manna. Langtíma alþjóðleg vöktunarverkefni hafa leitt af sér yfirgripsmikil gagnasöfn sem auka skilning á því hvernig styrkur ólífrænna snefilefna í lífríki sjávar breytist með tímanum. Í þessum alþjóðlegu vöktunarverkefnum eru tekin sýni af vatni, seti og/eða dýrum/plöntum úr lífríkinu til að skilja tengsl þessara snefilefna við umhverfið. Hins vegar rannsaka þau yfirleitt ekki nánar óvenjulegar niðurstöður sem stinga í stúf. Á Vestfjörðum hefur styrkur arsens (As), kadmíums (Cd) og kvikasilfurs (Hg) verið hár í kræklingi (Mytilus edulis) í meira en áratug (1999-2018) í Skutulsfirði og Álftafirði. Þrátt fyrir að styrkur þessara efna hafi verði hár í samanburði við aðra vöktunarstaði á Íslandi, þá hafa ekki verið gerðar margar rannsóknir á þessu sviði. Þessi ritgerð miðar að því að skapa betri skilning á dreifingu As, Cd og Hg í Skutulsfirði og Álftafirði, benda á hugsanlega uppsprettur þessara mengunarefna og koma með tillögur að mögulegum stjórnunaraðferðum sem og framtíðar rannsóknum. Niðurstöður þessarar rannsóknar sýna; að hár styrkur As sé ekki einungis bundinn við einn stað í Skutulsfirði (24.05-83.87 mg/kg dw); að styrkur allra þriggja snefilefnanna sé svipaður og þegar síðast voru tekin sýni í Álftafirði árið 2013; v hugsanleg áhrif mengandi uppspretta á styrk þessara snefilefna og muninn í styrk snefilefnanna í fjörðum sem eru nágrenni íbúabyggðar eða dreifbýli. Þessar niðurstöður benda til þess að þörf sé á nýjum stjórnunaraðferðum þ.m.t. frekari vöktun og eftirlit með styrk ólífrænna snefilefna í lífríki sjávar á þessum slóðum til þess að skilja betur og draga úr hugsanlega neikvæðum afleiðingum sem hár styrkur snefilefna getur haft á strandsvæði og nærliggjandi lífríki. vi Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. v List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures................................................................................................................................... x Acronyms and Terms .................................................................................................................. xi Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... xii 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Marine Pollutants from a Global Perspective ......................................................................... 1 1.2 Marine Pollutants in the Westfjords of Iceland...................................................................... 2 1.3 Research Aims and Questions ...................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Justification of Research ................................................................................................................. 6 2 State of Knowledge .................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Coastal and Marine Monitoring ................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Blue Mussels as Biomonitors ........................................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 Biomonitoring Programs ..................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Trace Metals in the Marine Environment .............................................................................. 14 2.3.1 Trace Metals in the Arctic ................................................................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Trace Metals in Iceland ........................................................................................................................ 16 2.3.3 Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury ...................................................................................................... 20 3 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 25 3.1 Sampling ............................................................................................................................................ 25 3.1.1 Sampling and Study Area .................................................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 Sample Collection ................................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Analyses of trace metals .............................................................................................................. 32 3.2.1 Sample preparation ............................................................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 Trace metal analysis .............................................................................................................................. 32 3.3 Statistical Analyses ........................................................................................................................ 34 4 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 35 4.1 Temporal Analysis Results ......................................................................................................... 35 4.1.1 Average Concentration of Trace Elements .................................................................................. 35 4.1.2 Temporal Trends .................................................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Spatial Distribution ....................................................................................................................... 39 4.3 Environmental
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