Organochlorines in Greenland glaucous gulls Larus hyperboreus/ and Icelandic gulls Larus glaucoides/

Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus. and Icelandic gulls Larus glaucoides. were sampled in 1994 from four different areas in Greenland, three on the west coast and one on the east coast. Livers of 93 glaucous gulls and seven Icelandic gulls were analysed for polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, IUPAC Nos. 28, 31, 52, 101, 105, 118, 138, 153, 156 and 180., DDTs p,p9-DDE, p,p9-DDD, p,p9-DDT., hexachlorocyclohexanes a-, b- and g-HCH., hexachlorobenzene HCB. and trans-nonachlor TNC.. The overall geometric means of the concentrations found in glaucous gull liver were for SPCBs 388 range 20]5557., for SDDTs 363 17]8604., SHCHs 7.4 1]53., HCB 47 4]594. and trans-nonachlor 19 3]187. mg kgy1 wet wt., respectively. The geometric means of concentrations in Icelandic gull liver were for SPCBs 112 24]435., for SDDTs 95 25]298., SHCHs 2.9 1.4]5.2., HCB 22 8]58. and trans-non- achlor 5.1 2.4]8.6. mg kgy1 wet wt., respectively. Significantly Ps0.05. higher concentrations of PCBs, DDTs and HCHs were found in glaucous gulls at Ittoqqortoormiit at the east coast than in gulls from Qeqertarsuaq at the west coast of Greenland. This tendency was also seen for HCB and trans-nonachlor, but the differences were not statistically significant Ps0.05.. A decreasing trend in organochlorine concentrations followed the East Greenland Current, flowing from north to south down the east coast and to the north on the west coast. Gulls taken from the most northerly sampling area of the west coast, however, showed slightly higher concentrations than those from the central west coast. There appeared to be a tendency for higher concentrations to be found in males than females, and in adults compared to young glaucous gulls, but the differences were not statistically significant Ps0.05.. The concentration ranges found in gulls from Greenland were similar to those reported previously for gulls from northern Norway and Russia. A principal component analysis revealed no obvious link between the presence of higher chlorinated PCBs and higher PCB concentrations in glaucous gulls. Significantly higher proportions of higher chlorinated PCBs were found in glaucous gulls than in Icelandic gulls, and in adult glaucous gulls compared to young gulls of 1]2 calendar years. As no such difference was found between female and male gulls it seems that PCBs of all degrees of chlorination may be passed equally well from mother to offspring.