Tara Polaris expeditions: seasonal and long-term contaminant monitoring in the changing central Arctic
Abstract
The central Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, is heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. While some contaminants originate from local activities, the majority are transported over long distances via rivers, ocean currents, and atmospheric pathways. Contaminants can have adverse effects on the environment, ecosystems, and human health, which are expected to intensify with continued emissions and warming climate. This article outlines the objectives for new studies on contaminants in the Arctic Ocean, in particular during the Tara Polaris expedition, with an emphasis on year-round long-term contaminant dynamics and associated ecotoxicological risks. Mercury contamination remains a major concern in the Arctic, especially in the form of methylmercury, which is primarily produced by marine microbes. Methylmercury bioconcentrates, bioaccumulates and biomagnifies to harmful levels in Arctic wildlife and threatens indigenous communities. Anthropogenic lead (Pb), though low in Arctic waters, remains toxic and may be remobilized by climate change. Plastic pollution, from nano-to macro-scales, is widespread across all Arctic compartments, closely interacting with planktonic communities and posing ingestion risks to invertebrates, fish, seabirds and mammals (including humans). Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern (CEAC), including newly recognized persistent organic pollutants inherited from past industrial activities (e.g., per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)), are more recalcitrant in the environment than many other synthetic compounds, raising serious questions about their long-term ecological and health effects. In this context, the Tara Polaris expeditions aim to produce high-resolution, year-round observational data in the central Arctic to deepen our understanding of contaminant sources, transport, internal cycling and environmental fate. These data will also support the development and refinement of numerical models for contaminant dynamics in the context of both Arctic and global environmental change.
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BibTeX
@article{ghiglione2026tara,
title = {{Tara Polaris expeditions: seasonal and long-term contaminant monitoring in the changing central Arctic}},
author = {Jean-François Ghiglione and Lars-Eric Heimbürger-Boavida and Marion Fourquez and Ian Hough and Jeroen E. Sonke and Alexandra ter Halle and Kathy S. Law and Julia Schmale and J. Michel Flores and Julien Gigault and Mathieu Ardyna and Stephen Kohler and Zhiyong Xie and Jay Cullen and Maxime Geoffroy and Clémentine Moulin and Nathalie Joli and Romain Troublé and Lee Karp-Boss and Chris Bowler and Marcel Babin and Hélène Angot},
journal = {Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1525/elementa.2025.00111},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05466231v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tara Polaris expeditions: seasonal and long-term contaminant monitoring in the changing central Arctic
AU - Jean-François Ghiglione
AU - Lars-Eric Heimbürger-Boavida
AU - Marion Fourquez
AU - Ian Hough
AU - Jeroen E. Sonke
AU - Alexandra ter Halle
AU - Kathy S. Law
AU - Julia Schmale
AU - J. Michel Flores
AU - Julien Gigault
AU - Mathieu Ardyna
AU - Stephen Kohler
AU - Zhiyong Xie
AU - Jay Cullen
AU - Maxime Geoffroy
AU - Clémentine Moulin
AU - Nathalie Joli
AU - Romain Troublé
AU - Lee Karp-Boss
AU - Chris Bowler
AU - Marcel Babin
AU - Hélène Angot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene
DO - 10.1525/elementa.2025.00111
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05466231v2
AB - The central Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, is heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. While some contaminants originate from local activities, the majority are transported over long distances via rivers, ocean currents, and atmospheric pathways. Contaminants can have adverse effects on the environment, ecosystems, and human health, which are expected to intensify with continued emissions and warming climate. This article outlines the objectives for new studies on contaminants in the Arctic Ocean, in particular during the Tara Polaris expedition, with an emphasis on year-round long-term contaminant dynamics and associated ecotoxicological risks. Mercury contamination remains a major concern in the Arctic, especially in the form of methylmercury, which is primarily produced by marine microbes. Methylmercury bioconcentrates, bioaccumulates and biomagnifies to harmful levels in Arctic wildlife and threatens indigenous communities. Anthropogenic lead (Pb), though low in Arctic waters, remains toxic and may be remobilized by climate change. Plastic pollution, from nano-to macro-scales, is widespread across all Arctic compartments, closely interacting with planktonic communities and posing ingestion risks to invertebrates, fish, seabirds and mammals (including humans). Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern (CEAC), including newly recognized persistent organic pollutants inherited from past industrial activities (e.g., per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)), are more recalcitrant in the environment than many other synthetic compounds, raising serious questions about their long-term ecological and health effects. In this context, the Tara Polaris expeditions aim to produce high-resolution, year-round observational data in the central Arctic to deepen our understanding of contaminant sources, transport, internal cycling and environmental fate. These data will also support the development and refinement of numerical models for contaminant dynamics in the context of both Arctic and global environmental change.
SN - 2325-1026
ER -