Fróðskaparrit - 01.07.2004, Page 87

Mercury in the Faroe Islands
- a review of available data
Kyksilvur í Føroyum - ein gjøgnumgongd av tøkum dátum
85
Maria Dam
Heilsufrøðiliga Starvsstovan, Falkavegur 6, FO-IOO Tórshavn. Email; mariad@hfs.fo
Summary
Rættiliga stórt kyksilvurmagn er funnið í nøkrum før-
oyskum sýnum tikin av kræklingi, mógv, mold og
bieikju, um borið verður saman við sýni tikin í granna-
londunum. Hinvegin vísa evropisku mosakanningarnar,
sum Føroyar hava lutlikið í síðan 1996, at kyksilvur-
magnið f mosaslagnum Hylocomium splendens sum
heild í Føroyum er minni enn í Svøríki, Noregi og Dan-
mørk. Ein ábending, sum eisini samsvarar væl við
myndilsúrslitini, ið vísa, at kyksilvurupptøkan úr luft og
avfalli í Føroyum yvirhøvur er tveir valdar lægri enn í
Danmørk (Christensen, 2003). Kyksilvurið kemur til
Føroya langvegis frá, og nøgdirnar eru lítlar ella á leið
sum tær í eitt nú skandinaviskum londum. Tað stendur
tó eftir at lýsa, hví so er og hví nøgdirnar eru so stórar í
ávísum sýnum.
Summary
Elevated mercury concentrations in some matrices have
been found in Faroese samples as compared to santples
from neighbour countries/waters. These matrices are
blue mussels, peat and soil, and even Arctic char. These
results inđicate that there are elevated concentrations of
mercury in the Faroes. On the other hand, the European
moss survey in which the Faroe Islands have participat-
ed since 1996, indicate that the mercury concentrations
in Hylocomium s. is overall lower in the Faroes than in
Sweden, Norway and Denmark. An indication, which
also fits well with the model results that deposition of
mercury in air/precipitation in the Faroes is generally
lower by a factor of two than in Denmark (Christensen,
2003). Thus, the question apparently is limited to one of
describing how the amount of mercury that is transport-
ed to the Faroe by long-range transport, in amounts that
are low or comparable to the one to for examples Scan-
dinavian countries, do become so concentrated in some
compartments.
Contents
Summary............................85
Contents...........................85
lntroduction.......................86
Literature sources.................87
Atmosphere and precipitation
Measurements of mercury in air ..87
Percipitation......................89
The terrestrial and freshwater
environment....................90
Peat and Soil......................90
Mercury in vegetation..............92
Freshwater lakes...................94
Fróðskaparrit 52. bók 2004; 85-133
Sediments from freshwater lakes.....96
Terrestrial mammals.................98
Sheep...............................99
The Marine Environment..............99
Analysis of the sea- and seabed
In the fjords...................99
On the banks...................102
On the shelf edge..............103
The littoral.......................105
Marine fish........................107
Squid..............................112
Seabirds...........................112
Feathers....................112
Liver and muscle tissue.....114
Eggs........................116
Marine mammals
Long-finned Pilot whale.....118
White-sided dolphin.........122
Grey seal...................123
Discussion......................125
Conclusion......................127
Acknowledgement.................128
References......................128