Seabirds as indicators of marine litter

Monitoring plastic ingestion by northern fulmars, Fulmaris glacialis, in the Norwegian high Arctic, during my MSci at the University of Southampton.

Key findings:

• Arctic marine litter levels were higher than expected from regional trends, and exceeded the ecological quality objective defined by OSPAR for European seas.

• Highlighted the value of seabirds as bio-indicator species within marine policy, the connectivity of the global oceans, and the need for urgent regulation of plastic pollution in the Arctic

• Contributed to ongoing monitoring and recommendation of standardised methods for quantifying debris ingestion in marine megafauna

TipKey publications

Trevail, A. M., Gabrielsen, G. W., Kühn, S., & Van Franeker, J. A. (2015). Elevated levels of ingested plastic in a high Arctic seabird, the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). Polar Biology, 38(7), 975–981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1657-4

Provencher, J. F., Bond, A. L., Avery-Gomm, S., Borrelle, S. B., Bravo Rebolledo, E. L., Hammer, S., Kühn, S., Lavers, J. L., Mallory, M. L., Trevail, A. M., & Van Franeker, J. A. (2017). Quantifying ingested debris in marine megafauna: A review and recommendations for standardization. Analytical Methods, 9(9), 1454–1469. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6AY02419J