Clare Margaret Andvik

• Andvik, Clare; Bories, Pierre; Harju, Mikael; Borgå, Katrine; Jourdain, Eve & Karoliussen, Richard [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Phthalate contamination in marine mammals off the Norwegian coast. Marine Pollution Bulletin. ISSN 0025-326X. 199. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115936. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Phthalates are used in plastics, found throughout the marine environment and have the potential to cause adverse health effects. In the present study, we quantified blubber concentrations of 11 phthalates in 16 samples from stranded and/or free-living marine mammals from the Norwegian coast: the killer whale (Orcinus orca), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Five compounds were detected across all samples: benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP; in 50 % of samples), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP; 33 %), diisononyl phthalate (DiNP; 33 %), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP; 19 %), and dioctyl phthalate (DOP; 13 %). Overall, the most contaminated individual was the white-beaked dolphin, whilst the lowest concentrations were measured in the killer whale, sperm whale and long-finned pilot whale. We found no phthalates in the neonate killer whale. The present study is important for future monitoring and management of these toxic compounds.

• Gormley, Kate; Hague, Emily; Andvik, Clare Margaret; DaCosta, Valentina; Davies, Abigail & Diz, Daniela [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). First port of call: a horizon scanning workshop for sustainable Arctic marine infrastructure. The Polar Journal. ISSN 2154-896X. 13(1), p. 146–162. doi: 10.1080/2154896X.2023.2205243. Full text in Research Archive
• Andvik, Clare Margaret; Haug, Tore; Lyche, Jan Ludvig & Borgå, Katrine (2023). Emerging and legacy contaminants in common minke whale from the Barents sea. Environmental Pollution. ISSN 1566-0745. 319. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121001. Full text in Research Archive
• MacKenzie, Kirsteen M.; Lydersen, Christian; Haug, Tore; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Aars, Jon & Andvik, Clare Margaret [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2022). Niches of marine mammals in the European Arctic. Ecological Indicators. ISSN 1470-160X. 136. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108661. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Arctic is warming rapidly, with concomitant sea ice losses and ecosystem changes. The animals most vulnerable to Arctic food web changes are long-lived and slow-growing such as marine mammals, which may not be able to adapt rapidly enough to respond to changes in their resource bases. To determine the current extent and sources of these resource bases, we examined isotopic and trophic niches for marine mammals in the European Arctic using skin carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) stable isotope (SI) compositions from 10 species: blue, fin, humpback, minke, sperm and white whales, bearded and ringed seals, walruses and polar bears, and dietary fatty acids (FAs) in polar bears, walruses and most of the whale species listed here. SI values showed clear species separation by trophic behaviour and carbon sources. Bearded seals, walruses and white whales had the smallest isotopic niches; these species are all resident High Arctic species and are likely to be particularly vulnerable to changes in Arctic ecosystems. We found clear separation between FA groupings driven by pelagic, benthic and planktonic/algal sources: pelagic FAs in all whales, benthic FAs in walruses, and copepod/algae/dinoflagellate FAs in polar bears, with some polar bear compositions approaching those of the whales and walruses. There is strong niche partitioning between study species with minimal functional redundancy, which could impact Arctic ecosystem structure and connectivity if populations of these large nutrient vectors are reduced or lost.

• Andvik, Clare Margaret; Jourdain, Eve; Lyche, Jan Ludvig; Karoliussen, Richard & Borgå, Katrine (2021). High Levels of Legacy and Emerging Contaminants in Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) from Norway, 2015 to 2017. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. ISSN 0730-7268. 40(7), p. 1848–1858. doi: 10.1002/etc.5064. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Little is known of the movement or presence of unregulated, emerging contaminants in top predators. The aim of the present study was to conduct the first screening of legacy and emerging contaminants in multiple tissues of killer whales (Orcinus orca) from Norway and investigate tissue partitioning and maternal transfer. Blubber was collected from 8 killer whales in 2015 to 2017, in addition to muscle from 5 of the individuals, and kidney, liver, heart, and spleen from a neonate. We screened for 4 unregulated brominated flame retardants and found pentabromotoluene (PBT) and hexabromobenzene (HBB) at low levels in the blubber of all individuals (median PBT 0.091 ng/g lipid wt, median HBB 1.4 ng/g lipid wt). Levels of PBT and HBB (wet wt) were twice as high in the blubber than the muscle for each individual, confirming preferential accumulation in lipid-rich tissues. Perfluoroalkyl substances and total mercury levels were lower in the neonate than adults, suggesting less efficient maternal transfer of these substances. Polychlorinated biphenyl levels in blubber exceeded the threshold for onset of physiological effects (9 µg/g lipid wt) in 7 of the 8 whales, including the neonate. The presence of PBT and HBB in the neonate is the first evidence of maternal transfer of these unregulated contaminants in marine mammals. Our results are relevant for the continued environmental monitoring of contaminants in the Arctic. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1850–1860. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

• Jourdain, Eve; Andvik, Clare ; Karoliussen, Richard; Ruus, Anders; Vongraven, Dag & Borgå, Katrine (2020). Isotopic niche differs between seal and fish-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) in northern Norway. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 10(9), p. 4115–4127. doi: 10.1002/ece3.6182. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ecological diversity has been reported for killer whales (Orcinus orca) throughout the North Atlantic but patterns of prey specialization have remained poorly understood. We quantify interindividual dietary variations in killer whales (n = 38) sampled throughout the year in 2017–2018 in northern Norway using stable isotopic nitrogen (δ15N: 15N/14N) and carbon (δ13C: 13C/12C) ratios. A Gaussian mixture model assigned sampled individuals to three differentiated clusters, characterized by disparate nonoverlapping isotopic niches, that were consistent with predatory field observations: seal‐eaters, herring‐eaters, and lumpfish‐eaters. Seal‐eaters showed higher δ15N values (mean ± SD: 12.6 ± 0.3‰, range = 12.3–13.2‰, n = 10) compared to herring‐eaters (mean ± SD: 11.7 ± 0.2‰, range = 11.4–11.9‰, n = 19) and lumpfish‐eaters (mean ± SD: 11.6 ± 0.2‰, range = 11.3–11.9, n = 9). Elevated δ15N values for seal‐eaters, regardless of sampling season, confirmed feeding at high trophic levels throughout the year. However, a wide isotopic niche and low measured δ15N values in the seal‐eaters, compared to that of whales that would eat solely seals (δN‐measured = 12.6 vs. δN‐expected = 15.5), indicated a diverse diet that includes both fish and mammal prey. A narrow niche for killer whales sampled at herring and lumpfish seasonal grounds supported seasonal prey specialization reflective of local peaks in prey abundance for the two fish‐eating groups. Our results, thus, show differences in prey specialization within this killer whale population in Norway and that the episodic observations of killer whales feeding on prey other than fish are a consistent behavior, as reflected in different isotopic niches between seal and fish‐eating individuals.

• Andvik, Clare Margaret; Jourdain, Eve; Ruus, Anders; Lyche, Jan Ludvig; Karoliussen, Richard & Borgå, Katrine (2020). Preying on seals pushes killer whales from Norway above pollution effects thresholds. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322. 10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68659-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are at risk from high levels of biomagnifying pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury (Hg). Previous toxicological risk assessments for the Norwegian killer whale population have assumed fish as the primary prey source, and assessed the population as below established effect thresholds. However, some individuals have recently been identified to also feed on seals. This study is the first to quantify levels of pollutants in seal-eating killer whales from northern Norway, and to measure Hg levels in the skin of killer whales worldwide. We found higher levels of all pollutants in seal-eating than fish-eating killer whales, including the emerging brominated flame retardants pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), pentabromotoluene (PBT) and hexabromobenzene (HBB). Sum polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs) in the blubber of seal-eaters (n = 7, geometric mean = 46 µg/g l.w.) were four times higher than fish-eaters (n = 24, geometric mean = 11 µg/g l.w.), which pushed all seal-eating individuals above multiple thresholds for health effects. Total Hg levels in skin of seal-eaters (n = 10, arithmetic mean = 3.7 µg/g d.w.) were twice as high as in fish-eaters (n = 28, arithmetic mean = 1.8 µg/g d.w.). Our results indicate that by feeding on higher trophic prey, the Norwegian killer whale population is at higher risk of health effects from pollution than previously assumed.

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• Andvik, Clare Margaret; Jourdain, Eve Marie; Borgen, Anders; Haug, Tore; Karoliussen, Richard & Borgå, Katrine (2023). Short, Medium and Long-chain Chlorinated Paraffins and Dechloranes in Marine Mammals from Norway.
• Giebichenstein, Julia; Thorstensen, Helene; Knudtzon, Nina Cathrine; Liholt, Håvard Nilsen; Andvik, Clare Margaret & Evenrud, Gunnvor [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Stand at Forskningstorget 2019 in Oslo, entitled «The invisible pollution».
• MacKenzie, Kirsteen M.; Lydersen, Christian; Haug, Tore; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Aars, Jon & Andvik, Clare Margaret [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2022). Stable isotope (C&N) and dietary fatty acid compositions (>1%) for marine mammals in the European Arctic. Norwegian Polar Data Centre.

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