Mercury (Hg) pollution remains a concern to Arctic ecosystems, due to long-range transport from southern industrial regions and melting permafrost and glaciers. The objective of this study was to identify intrinsic, extrinsic, and temporal factors influencing Hg concentrations in Arctic-breeding shorebirds and highlight regions and species at greatest risk of Hg exposure. We analyzed 1094 blood and 1384 feather samples from 12 shorebird species breeding at nine sites across the North American Arctic during 2012 and 2013. Blood Hg concentrations, which reflect Hg exposure in the local area in individual shorebirds: 1) ranged from 0.01–3.52 μg/g ww, with an overall mean of 0.30 ± 0.27 μg/g ww; 2) were influenced by species and study site, but not sampling year, with birds sampled near Utqiaġvik, AK, having the highest concentrations; and 3) were influenced by foraging habitat at some sites. Feather Hg concentrations, which reflected Hg exposure from the wintering grounds: 1) ranged from 0.07–12.14 μg/g fw in individuals, with an overall mean of 1.14 ± 1.18 μg/g fw; and 2) were influenced by species and year. Most Arctic-breeding shorebirds had blood and feather Hg concentrations at levels where no adverse effects of exposure were predicted, though some individuals sampled near Utqiaġvik had Hg levels that would be considered of concern. Overall, these data increase our understanding of how Hg is distributed in the various shorebird breeding areas of the Arctic, what factors predispose Arctic-breeding shorebirds to Hg exposure, and lay the foundation for future monitoring efforts.

由于来自南部工业区的长距离迁移以及永久冻土和冰川的融化，汞（Hg）污染仍然是北极生态系统关注的一个问题。本研究的目的是确定影响北极繁殖鸻鹬鸟类汞浓度的内在、外在和时间因素，并强调汞暴露风险最大的地区和物种。我们分析了 2012 年和 2013 年期间在北美北极地区 9 个地点繁殖的 12 种滨鸟的 1094 个血液样本和 1384 个羽毛样本。血液汞浓度反映了个别滨鸟局部区域的汞暴露情况：1) 范围为 0.01–3.52 µg /g ww，总体平均值为 0.30 ± 0.27 μg/g ww；2) 受到物种和研究地点的影响，但不受采样年份的影响，在阿拉斯加州乌特恰维克附近采样的鸟类浓度最高；3）受到某些地点觅食栖息地的影响。羽毛汞浓度反映了越冬地的汞暴露情况：1) 个体的汞浓度范围为 0.07–12.14 μg/g fw，总体平均值为 1.14 ± 1.18 μg/g fw；2）受物种和年份的影响。大多数北极繁殖的鸻鹬鸟类的血液和羽毛汞浓度水平预计不会受到暴露的不利影响，但在乌特恰维克附近采样的一些个体的汞水平值得关注。总体而言，这些数据增加了我们对汞在北极各个鸻鹬鸟类繁殖区的分布情况、哪些因素导致北极繁殖鸻鹬鸟类容易接触汞的了解，并为未来的监测工作奠定了基础。