Oil Spill Contaminant Concentrations in Arctic Marine Mammal Tissues

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in tissues of Arctic marine mammals collected during subsistence harvests and from stranded animals. The data was generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish baseline exposure levels. The project aims to address data gaps for endangered populations like ice seals and bowhead whales.

Use Cases

• Establish baseline contaminant exposure levels based on tissue concentrations of PAHs and alkylated PAHs.
• Identify appropriate tissues and fluids for monitoring recent oil exposure in marine mammals.
• Assess potential risks to endangered Arctic marine mammal populations from increased oil exploration and shipping.
• Validate analytical methods for oil-spill related compounds in biological samples.

Strengths

• Data is produced under the guidance of NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.
• Analytical methods are developed and validated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to ensure known and acceptable quality.
• Focuses on endangered or threatened Arctic marine mammal populations like ice seals and bowhead whales.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The data is provided in PDF format, which may hinder direct analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Samples collected during subsistence harvests and from fresh dead stranded animals.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:51:43.055486; freshness should be verified.

Geography

U.S. Arctic