Abstract: In birds, maternal transfer is a major exposure route for several contaminants, including poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Little is known, however, about the extent of the transfer of the different PFAS compounds to the eggs, especially for alternative fluorinated compounds. In the present study, we measured legacy and emerging PFAS, including Gen-X, ADONA, and F-53B, in the plasma of prelaying black-legged kittiwake females breeding in Svalbard and the yolk of their eggs. We aimed to (1) describe the contaminant levels and patterns in both females and eggs, and (2) investigate the maternal transfer, that is, biological variables and the relationship between the females and their eggs for each compound. Contamination of both females and eggs were dominated by linPFOS then PFUnA or PFTriA. We notably found 7:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid─a precursor of long-chain carboxylates─in 84% of the egg yolks, and provide the first documented finding of ADONA in wildlife. Emerging compounds were all below the detection limit in female plasma. There was a linear association between females and eggs for most of the PFAS. Analyses of maternal transfer ratios in females and eggs suggest that the transfer is increasing with PFAS carbon chain length, therefore the longest chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were preferentially transferred to the eggs. The mean ∑PFAS in the second-laid eggs was 73% of that in the first-laid eggs. Additional effort on assessing the outcome of maternal transfers on avian development physiology is essential, especially for PFCAs and emerging fluorinated compounds which are under-represented in experimental studies.

Abstract: Variations in sea ice occurrence for the Barents Sea since c. AD 1700 have been determined by analysis of the abundance of the sea ice biomarker IP25 in three marine sediment box cores obtained from locations in the north, southeast and southwest parts of the region. Depth/age models for each core were established using excess 210Pb activity profiles. Comparisons between these depth/age models with those reported previously for the Barents Sea, suggest that the proxy sea ice record may, alternatively, extend back to c. AD 1500--1600. Sedimentation accumulation rates and bulk densities were combined with IP 25 concentrations, resulting in temporal changes to IP25 fluxes, which have been interpreted in terms of sea ice variability. The IP25 sea ice proxy data are also compared with other bulk organic geochemical parameters (total organic carbon and C/N ratios) and with sediment particle size distributions. The data indicate ice-free conditions for the southwest Barents Sea for the past c. 300 yr, consistent with previous reports based on historical sea ice records. In contrast, the combined proxy data from the southeast and north Barents Sea suggest variable spring sea ice occurrence on a c. 10--50 yr timescale, with reduced sea ice over the last c. 40--100 yr. In the early record, an enhanced sea ice occurrence is observed for the southeast Barents Sea during the mid--late nineteenth century, but as early as c. AD 1780 for the northern region. The outcomes of this study are broadly consistent with those obtained from ice edge position determinations derived previously from observational records. The study also demonstrates the potential of using IP25 as a sea ice proxy for longer-term palaeo sea ice determinations (e.g. the Holocene) for the Barents Sea.

Abstract: Studies on the bryophyte flora of the Southern Ocean islands and in the Antarctic are briefly reviewed and the current state of knowledge of the moss flora of Îles Kerguelen is discussed. Macrocoma tenue (Hook. & Grev.) Vitt is recorded from the Îles Kerguelen archipelago and this constitutes the first record of the genus Macrocoma (Müll. Hal.) Grout from the Subantarctic. The local plants of the species are characterized and illustrated and their ecology is discussed. Global distribution of M. tenue is reviewed and mapped. It is suggested that the type subspecies of M. tenue is a Gondwanan relictual taxon, which could have evolved on this supercontinent prior to its break-up and, subsequently, it reached Îles Kerguelen where it survived during the Pleistocene glacial epoch.