Seabirds are polluting the Arctic

The Arctic snowy ice area is probably the only place on Earth that is contaminated with agents not caused by humans but by . sea birds, especially Arctic seagulls.

These migratory birds often absorb contaminants such as DDT or mercury through food (sugar) and spread them (via waste routes) wherever they go. To demonstrate this, a team of University of Ottawa biologists linked instruments to 10,000 pairs of seagulls that live in the Canadian and North Pole regions of Canada.

Results: pollution levels in these areas are much higher than in the surrounding areas. Specifically: the rate of DDT is 60 times higher, mercury is 25 times higher and HCB (hexachlorobenzene) is 10 times higher. The above contaminants are often mixed in food (fish, squid, waste .) found in the stomach of seabirds.