{"id":82245,"date":"2022-05-08T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-08T13:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=82245"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:09","slug":"toxchip-oil-arctic-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/toxchip-oil-arctic-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"Once the slick is gone: New tool helps scientists monitor chronic oil in Arctic wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/sea-lions-on-a-rock-1200w-1.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Once the slick is gone: New tool helps scientists monitor chronic oil in Arctic wildlife\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>This article is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/once-the-slick-is-gone-new-tool-helps-scientists-monitor-chronic-oil-in-arctic-wildlife-181230\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" allowtransparency=\"\" allow=\"clipboard-read; clipboard-write\" src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/the-conversation-canada\/once-the-slick-is-gone--new-tool-helps-scientists-monitor-chronic-oil-in-arctic-wildlife\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we think about the Arctic, most of us think of a snow-covered barren landscape and vast stretches of icy ocean. This is far from the reality of the Canadian Arctic today. With approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/arctic-council.org\/about\/states\/canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">150,000 people calling it home,<\/a> this region is certainly not barren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Arctic is warming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/arctic-warming-four-times-faster-rest-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">faster than anywhere else on Earth<\/a>. This stark increase in temperature affects wildlife, plants and humans and results in less sea ice, which many predators and hunters use year-round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The loss of sea ice is also making the North more accessible than ever, thus increasing the probability of major oil spills as ship and tanker traffic multiplies. These spills expose the wildlife to new contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic compounds \u2014 the main contaminant in oil spills \u2014 which can cause <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph17041363\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cancer in birds.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This influx of new contaminants in the environment makes it challenging for researchers to monitor their effect on wildlife. After studying ways to monitor the quantity and variety of contaminants in Arctic wildlife, we have created a new tool \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.est.1c00229\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ToxChip<\/a> \u2014 to analyze changes in the DNA of animals exposed to oil and solve this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"increased-oil-exploration-and-extraction\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Increased oil exploration and extraction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 1995 and 2015, shipping traffic <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.14430\/arctic4698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">nearly tripled in the Canadian Arctic<\/a> due to depleting sea ice. Newly accessible shipping routes, including the Northern Sea Route, <a href=\"https:\/\/transportgeography.org\/contents\/chapter1\/transportation-and-space\/polar-shipping-routes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut transit time between East Asia and Western Europe by about 10 days<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-left zoomable\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/461231\/original\/file-20220504-27-z7xzez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/461231\/original\/file-20220504-27-z7xzez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"oil\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">The Exxon Valdez tanker discharged over 37,000 tonnes of crude oil in Alaska\u2019s Prince William Sound, killing thousands of birds and other wildlife.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">(AP Photo\/John Gaps III)<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.offshore-technology.com\/features\/oil-spills-in-the-ocean-arctic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">As the Arctic contains around 13 per cent of the world\u2019s unexploited oil<\/a>, the race to claim this precious resource is on. Unfortunately, more extraction and shipping in the Arctic will inevitably lead to more oil spills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The infamous Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 discharged nearly 37,000 tonnes of crude oil into Alaska\u2019s southern coast, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/4087623\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killing over 30,000 birds<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More recently, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2020\/jun\/03\/vladimir-putin-orders-state-of-emergency-huge-fuel-spill-siberia-power-plant-kerch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fuel tank at a power plant released 20,000 tonnes of diesel into the Ambarnaya river<\/a> in Russia in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main compounds found in oil and petroleum products called polycyclic aromatic compounds, or PACs, can <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1006\/jmsc.1997.0254\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">harm birds in the marine environment<\/a>. When emitted through exhaust or spills, these chemicals make their way into wildlife and plants in the area. They easily attach to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-1-4612-2542-3_4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fat in animals and can accumulate in them throughout their lifetime<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"birds-reveal-environmental-contaminants\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Birds reveal environmental contaminants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seabirds are especially vulnerable to the effects of oil, as they feed on the water surface. Oil can coat a bird\u2019s feathers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/climate-and-environment\/how-oil-spills-harm-birds-dolphins-sea-lions-and-other-wildlife-1.5613181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">making them unable to fly or regulate their temperature<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-right\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/461215\/original\/file-20220504-23-euyt2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A bird with oil-covered wings\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">Birds with oil-covered feathers are unable to fly or regulate their body temperature.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">(Shutterstock)<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds also clean their feathers with their beaks, which introduces oil into their digestive system. Oil and petroleum products also affect birds, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1139\/er-2015-0086\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">causing stunted limbs, reduced breeding and population declines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, there are documented long-term effects on ducks, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3354\/meps241271\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">whose survival rates were lower compared to non-oiled birds for at least 11 years after a spill<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"toxchip-new-technologies-can-help-track-contaminants\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">ToxChip: New technologies can help track contaminants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genome.gov\/about-genomics\/fact-sheets\/Biological-Pathways-Fact-Sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Each gene in an animal\u2019s DNA<\/a> contributes to a specific natural function. Some genes are responsible for regulating an animal\u2019s metabolism, while others take care of suppressing tumours. Therefore, if a specific gene is induced after exposure to a contaminant like oil, we can tell what biological processes have been affected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Changes in an animal\u2019s gene expression \u2014 ability to convert DNA instructions into functional products, like protein \u2014 can tell us a lot about <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2013.08.034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">how it responds to a specific chemical, or group of chemicals<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/etc.4309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Current methods to measure the contaminants in animals<\/a> are costly, rely heavily on lab animal use and can only measure the effects of one contaminant at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have developed a new tool called a ToxChip, which investigates the effects of contaminants on the DNA level in sensitive genes. It can quickly detect changes in the genes of seabirds in response to a contaminant. The ToxChip can be customized to species, contaminants and genes of interest.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, we have developed two ToxChips: one for the black guillemot and one for the thick-billed murre. These seabirds nest on rocky cliffs which serve as breeding grounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guillemot doesn\u2019t stray far from its colony and feeds on fish close to the shore. The thick-billed murre, on the other hand, can travel far from the colony and is known for <a href=\"https:\/\/oceana.ca\/en\/marine-life\/thick-billed-murres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">diving deep into the water to catch their prey<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both species are far from endangered and their colony populations can reach the millions, making it possible to determine the extent to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2017.11.057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">which contaminants are affecting the birds<\/a>. As these birds are heavily reliant on open-water food sources, an oil spill could quickly be detrimental to the entire colony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ToxChips can be applied following an oil spill to quantify potential sub-lethal or irreversible damage. Different types of PACs can tell us where they come from. PACs from forest fires will have a different chemical make-up than PACs from an oil spill. This ToxChip data allows us to determine the cause of toxicity to seabirds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a recent use of the ToxChip, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.est.1c00229\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">we were able to determine the likely effects from a natural oil seep off the coast on Nunavut<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"a-cheaper-faster-and-more-affordable-solution\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A cheaper, faster and more affordable solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The future applications of this tool are vast and promising. It can help look at the effects of pesticides on bullfrog\u2019s DNA or the impact of plastic pollution on the biological processes in pink salmon and so on. Species-specific ToxChips can help shape evidence-based policy recommendations or monitoring initiatives that would limit vessel traffic in endangered bird areas during the breeding season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Monitoring contaminants in wildlife is particularly important to those who rely on local country food. Using these tools can help inform those living in the Arctic if the animals they depend on have been exposed to contaminants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They can be used as an emergency response to an oil spill. Oil can linger long after the clean-up crews have removed the visible oil from the environment. ToxChips can help understand if seabirds continue to be exposed to oil pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/461352\/original\/file-20220504-17-dqrbiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"People are using high pressured hoses to wash oil from rocks on a beach.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">The toxic components and chemicals released in oil spills can stay in the environment despite cleaning efforts.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">(AP Photo\/Rob Stapleton, File)<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While the tool is still evolving, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.est.5b06181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it has been developed<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.est.1c00229\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two seabird species<\/a> and is being put into practice currently to assess gene expression changes after a large oil spill and at an old military site with known contamination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ToxChip projects will make contaminant testing more affordable, more accurate, faster and less dependent on lab animals. It could help reduce the impacts of oil pollution on animals in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\">Carleton Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/181230\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we think about the Arctic, most of us think of a snow-covered barren landscape and vast stretches of icy ocean. This is far from the reality of the Canadian Arctic today. With approximately 150,000 people calling it home, this region is certainly not barren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":82246,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[1623],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-82245","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-expert-perspectives"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/82245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/82245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82251,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/82245\/revisions\/82251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=82245"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=82245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}