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Home » Archive of journals » Volume 16, No. 3, 2026 » Mercury and migratory birds in the Russian Arctic

MERCURY AND MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC

JOURNAL: Volume 16, No. 3, 2026, p. 334-346

HEADING: Research activities in the Arctic

AUTHORS: Glazov, P.M., Udodenko, Y.G., Loshchagina, Y.A., Gnedenko, A.E., Tertitsky, G.M., Tishkov, A.A., Wang, Z.Z.

ORGANIZATIONS: Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Research Center of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-3-334-346.

UDC: 551.510.42+551.577(087.5:598.2)

The article was received on: 15.07.2025

Keywords: waterfowl and shorebirds, breeding, bird migration and wintering, mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), mercury pollution, bird flyways

Bibliographic description: Glazov, P.M., Udodenko, Y.G., Loshchagina, Y.A., Gnedenko, A.E., Tertitsky, G.M., Tishkov, A.A., Wang, Z.Z. Mercury and migratory birds in the Russian Arctic. Arktika: ekologiya i ekonomika. [Arctic: Ecology and Economy], 2026, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 334-346. DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-3-334-346.. (In Russian).

Abstract:

This article examines various aspects of the role of migratory birds in the biogenic transport of mercury in the Arctic. Such studies are scarce for the Russian Arctic. The aim of this study is to demonstrate, based on published literature, the role of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl of the Russian Arctic in the biogenic transport of mercury. The review is based on both international and domestic studies addressing sources of mercury emissions to the environment and its subsequent transport by Arctic birds along their migration routes. The temporal scope of the review is limited to recent decades, as current patterns of mercury transport in high latitudes are hypothesized to be associated with global climate change. The paper also presents the first results of a joint Russian-Chinese project investigating mercury accumulation and transport by Arctic migratory birds along various flyways.

Finance info: The work was conducted within the framework of the Russian-Chinese project of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) 25-47-00074 “A comprehensive study of the mercury threat to migratory birds between Russia and China” and the state-funded research project FMWS-2026-0002 “Biogeographical assessments of the state of the environment as a basis for its territorial protection and the rational use of biological resources”.

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DOI 10.25283/2223-4594