It seems Jeremy Piven isn’t alone in suffering from high levels of mercury. Researchers publishing in PLoS One this week have determined that certain populations of arctic foxes are suffering, too.

Arctic foxes on a Russian island called Mednyi in the northern Pacific have seen their population crash tremendously since the 1970s. Among the 100 or so foxes that still live on the island, small and juvenile foxes show high mortality rates, and the entire population exhibits low body weight and poor coat condition.

“When going into this project, we thought that an introduced pathogen would explain the poor condition of the foxes and their high mortality but after extensive screening, we did not find anything,” says Alex Greenwood, one of the co-authors of the study. Instead, the researchers began to suspect that something else was at play. “If pathogens were not the cause, we thought perhaps pollutants could be involved.”

Sure enough, high levels of mercury were found in the foxes’ fur. In addition, using museum skin samples from this island population, the researchers also found that the foxes have been suffering from exposure to mercury for a long time.

While mercury levels in the Arctic atmosphere have been increasing recently due to sea ice melt, the researchers confirmed that the source of contamination for the foxes was their food; these foxes feed almost exclusively on sea birds and seal carcasses. Testing the seals and sea birds in the area, the team found equally high mercury levels.

The scientists also compared mercury levels in the Mednyi foxes to arctic foxes that live inland on Iceland. These foxes eat non-marine birds and rodents, and their mercury levels are much lower.

The researchers hope their study has conservation implications and urge the reduction of mercury pollution.

Image: Rama/Wikipedia

Happy Earth Day! We would like to share a few recent headlines for you to peruse to ponder and protect our planet…

Pollution
From high to low, all around the world, pollution affects our world. Recent headlines show that “Toxic chemicals are accumulating in the ecosystems of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau,” according to Nature. Tiny plastic particles aren’t just trouble in the oceans; the Great Lakes contain millions of microplastics, too. The New York Times’ Dot Earth blog has a short post about the importance of not littering. And National Geographic has an article about how pollution on land can affect marine life like dolphins and local sea otters.

Colorado River
While many U.S. rivers have problems with pollution, the Colorado River’s mismanagement, overuse and drought put it atop the list of Endangered Rivers of 2013. National Geographic has an entire series on the Colorado River delta, and the New York Times has offered both an article and video last week on the region’s hopeful revival.

Drought
Speaking of drought… Do drought-stressed trees cry for help? French scientists are listening for clues. Climate change was not responsible for last summer’s Midwestern drought, according to NOAA, but then what was? And how might we be able to predict future droughts?

Climate Change
Climate change may not have caused of the recent drought, but it is responsible for other devastating events and looming disasters: bumpier flights, more storms, bark beetle plagues, drowned islands, failures in agriculture systems and more extinctions. Researchers are also getting a better handle on tracking climate change through mapping ocean eddies and looking at historic ocean temperatures and air pressure.

Ecology
How do species react to environmental changes? Rapid evolution, according to one study. Another study suggests that endangered species are already doomed. And Nature offers an update on a decades-long study of habitat fragmentation in the Amazon.

Energy
How has energy usage in our country changed over the past two hundred years? NPR has a graph (or four) for that. In response, Scientific American presents a diagram illustrating our potential for future alternative energy use and resources accompanying an article titled, “How to Power the World without Fossil Fuels.” Germany seems to have taken notice—the European country has ambitious renewable plans. But it’s not the only one. The U.S. had a huge year in 2012 for wind power. And, heading across the country soon? How about a solar-powered flight?

Earth Day
Finally, let’s truly celebrate the planet’s holiday with history, maps, jokes about Earth Day, and facts and photos of our beautiful home.

Image: Terra/ASTER/NASA and NASA Earth Observatory

One, published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, looked at the health of 19 loggerhead turtles near Cape Canaveral. Scientists gave these turtles complete check-ups (including blood tests) in 2006 and 2007 and tagged them with satellite transmitters. Half of the turtles migrated north (as far as New Jersey!); half stayed near Cape Canaveral. According to the New York Times, the researchers found

the animals had measurable blood levels of 67 different chemicals used in pesticides and other industrial products. The loggerheads that migrated had higher levels than those that stayed near Florida, confirming prior research that found more pollutants in turtles in northern latitudes.

Despite the large number of chemicals, the animals appear healthy. But the researchers admit that sea turtle health is hard to measure.

(The Academy’s own Wallace “J” Nichols and his colleagues published a study in March on the effect of plastic pollution on sea turtles. You can read more here.)

Another study, published in PLoS One, looked at the history of the oceanic cycle and the health of sea turtles in Japan and Florida. Again, using loggerheads as a barometer, this study looked at the nesting success of the animals. ScienceNow reports:

Together, the past and recent oceanic conditions explained about two-thirds—and as much as 88%—of loggerhead nesting activity.

The authors warn that while causes of nesting successes and failures may seem natural, human-influenced climate change contributes to these ocean cycles.

Finally, two Florida scientists were trying to figure out how to attach satellite tracking tags to teeny turtle hatchlings. The first two months is make-or-break time in the turtles’ lifecycle. To protect these animals, it’s important to understand the hazards they face during this time. Inspired by a good manicure (and really, who isn’t?), the scientists developed a method to adhere the tag so it will last two months and not harm or alter the turtle’s shell. Success! You can read more at Nature News.

Image: ukanda/Wikimedia