Lead institution:
University of Bergen, Department of Biological Sciences – Norway
Polar bear and whales fill important niches as mid or top predators in marine food chains. Their high energy intake is often accompanied with elevated levels of contaminants having bioaccumulating and biomagnifying properties.
Further research is needed to better understand effects of contaminants on population dynamics and help the resurgence of these large and important animals. To date, only a handful of studies have given mechanistic insights in contaminant response in marine mammals. Over the last couple of years, we have established alternative approaches to overcome these hurdles.
This project aims to go deeper and wider into the field of marine mammal toxicology and to communicate scientific knowledge about the threats of anthropogenic stressors, with a focus on environmental pollution, to marine mammals to the public and to stakeholders via existing communication platforms and displays at relevant museums and science centers.
Start Date: 01/09/2023
End Date: 31/12/2027
Lead Contact: Anders Goksøyr (anders.goksoyr@uib.no)