Researchers have long known that heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT concentrate in the Arctic, in top predator animals like polar bears.
Researchers have long known that heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT concentrate in the Arctic, in top predator animals like polar bears.
But what happens with animals like Svalbard’s reindeer, which graze on arctic plants?
How contaminated are these animals? How do they compare to other reindeer species, such as caribou, across the Arctic? What kinds of effects might those contaminants have? And lastly, people eat Svalbard reindeer. Do they need to cut back?
Read more at: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
A bull Svalbard reindeer. Female reindeer also grow antlers but they are typically smaller than the male’s. (Photo Credit: Nicola Messinger)
