ACCESS NUMBER: M13AC00005

STUDY TITLE: Sensitivity to Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the 

Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

REPORT TITLE: Sensitivity to Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the 

Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

CONTRACT NUMBERS: M13AC00005

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA(S): Beaufort and Chukchi Seas

FISCAL YEAR(S) OF PROJECT FUNDING: 2013-2016

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: October 31, 2016

COST(S): by fiscal year

FY2013 (May 9 to September 30, 2013): $9,986.56

FY2014 (October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014): $87,783.16

FY2015 (October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015): $77,798.57

FY2016 TO DATE: (October 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016): $10,396.00

CUMULATIVE PROJECT COST: $185,964.29 

PROJECT MANAGER(S): Dr. Tuula Hollmen

AFFILIATION: 1University of Alaska Fairbanks and 2Alaska SeaLife Center

ADDRESS: 1P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775, 2P.O. Box 1329, Seward, AK 99664

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S): Dr. Tuula Hollmen

KEY WORDS: P450, CYP1A, EROD, avian, cell culture, hydrocarbon, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort 

Sea

BACKGROUND: A rich taxonomic variety of marine bird species use the coastal habitats along 

Chukchi and Beaufort Seas during their Arctic pre-breeding, breeding, and post-breeding 

seasons. The region supports a large number of migratory birds, birds important for 

subsistence use, and several marine bird species identified as conservation concern due to 

documented population declines. With prospects of development of oil and gas resources in the

Arctic, establishment of baselines and assessment of sensitivity of arctic biota to hydrocarbon 

exposure provide key information needed for management and conservation of natural 

resources potentially impacted by development. Baselines of exposure levels provide 

invaluable reference information for monitoring of population status and, if needed, restoration 

efforts. Identification of sensitive species and populations will help planning, risk assessments of 

new development activities, and development of long term monitoring strategies. We evaluated 

baselines of hydrocarbon exposure and sensitivity to hydrocarbons and by measuring liver 

cytochrome P450 activity. Cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) enzyme induction has been widely used 

as a biomarker of hydrocarbon exposure in wildlife, including marine waterfowl. It is induced by 

exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons constituents of crude oil, and analysis of liver 7-

ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity has been used as an indicator of CYP1A 

induction. EROD activity measures the catalytic function of hydrocarbon-inducible CYP1A and 

is a standard, and widely used, measurement for assessing exposure to hydrocarbons from oil.

OBJECTIVES: 1) Assess baselines of current CYP1A activity in selected marine bird indicator 

species of Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 2) Assess comparative sensitivity to hydrocarbon 

exposure in selected marine bird indicator species of Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

DESCRIPTION: We evaluated baselines of hydrocarbon exposure in selected avian species of 

subsistence importance (king eider, common eider, and greater white-fronted goose) in the 

Chukchi and Beaufort Seas by measuring CYP1A activity. Results will provide a first 

assessment of baselines for hydrocarbon exposure in these species, and form a basis for 
ACCESS NUMBER: M13AC00005

further development of field programs for monitoring of exposure levels in marine birds in the 

Arctic. We also evaluated sensitivity to hydrocarbons in a broader suite of marine bird species 

using cell culture methods. Using species-specific liver cell lines and a suite of reference 

compounds, including crude oil, we characterized species-specific responses in a broader suite 

of marine bird species. Results will provide guidance on further selection of suitable bioindicator 

species based on their responses and sensitivity to hydrocarbon exposure.

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we recommend maintaining the current 

protocol to freeze liver samples for enzyme analysis within 10 minutes of death. Our results 

from cell dosing experiments suggest that multiple marine bird species can be considered as 

suitable candidate species in future monitoring programs, and recommend common murre and 

common eider as two potentially useful indicator species representing two different taxonomic 

groups and exhibiting moderate-to-high responses to a suite of testing reagents. 

STUDY RESULTS: We provide guidelines for collection of liver samples from hunter killed 

specimens of Arctic marine birds for EROD analysis, and a reference data set for enzyme 

activity in three species of importance to subsistence. Differences in species responses to 

hydrocarbons were observed in controlled laboratory dosing studies of species-specific cell 

lines, offering guidance to selection of candidate indicator species for monitoring exposure. 

STUDY PRODUCT(S):

Hollmén T.E, and A. E. Riddle. 2016. Sensitivity to Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in 

Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. BOEM Final Report October, 31, 2016 project 

M13AC00005. 

In progress: Riddle A.E. Assessing Hydrocarbon Sensitivity and Establishing Current CYP1A 

Activity in Select Marine Birds and Waterfowl of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. MS Thesis. 

University of Alaska. 2017.

Presentations and Posters

Riddle A.E. and T.E. Hollmén. 2014. Sensitivity to Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in 

Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Coastal Marine Institute Annual Review, 

Fairbanks AK, January 15, 2014. 

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., and R Stimmelmayr. 2014. Sensitivity to Hydrocarbons 

and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Alaska Marine 

Science Symposium, Anchorage AK, January 20-24 2014 (poster). 

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., and R Stimmelmayr. 2014. Assessing Hydrocarbon 

Sensitivity and Establishing Baselines of Current Exposure in Marine Birds on the Beaufort and 

Chukchi Seas. Arctic Science Conference, Fairbanks AK, September 27, 2014 (poster). 

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., and R Stimmelmayr. 2014. Assessing Hydrocarbon 

Sensitivity and Establishing Baselines of Current Exposure in Marine Birds and Waterfowl on 

the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Alaska SeaLife Center Colloquium, Seward, AK, October 29 

2014.

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., and R Stimmelmayr. 2014. Assessing Hydrocarbon 

Sensitivity and Establishing Current CYP1A Baselines in Select Marine Birds and Waterfowl of 
ACCESS NUMBER: M13AC00005

the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage AK, January 

19-23, 2015 (poster).

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Stimmelmayr R., and R. Sarren. 2015. Sensitivity to 

Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 

Coastal Marine Institute Annual Review, Anchorage AK, January 23, 2015. 

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Stimmelmayr R., R. Sarren. 2015. Sensitivity to 

Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 

University of Alaska, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences IMS Seminar, Fairbanks AK, April 

15, 2015.

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Sarren R., and R. Stimmelmayr. 2015. Sensitivity to 

Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 

Alaska SeaLife Center Board of Directors Meeting, Anchorage AK, April 22, 2015.

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Sarren R., and R. Stimmelmayr. 2015. Assessing 

Hydrocarbon Sensitivity and Establishing Current P450 Baselines in Select Marine Birds and 

Waterfowl of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference, Anchorage 

AK, May 18-22, 2015 (poster).

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Sarren R., Stimmelmayr R. 2016. Assessing 

Hydrocarbon Sensitivity and Establishing Current CYP1A Baselines in Arctic Marine Birds and 

Waterfowl. Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage AK, January 25-28, 2016 (poster).

Riddle A.E., Hollmén T.E., Suydam R., Sarren R., Stimmelmayr R. 2016. Sensitivity to 

Hydrocarbons and Baselines of Exposure in Marine Birds on the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 

Coastal Marine Institute Annual Review, Anchorage AK, January 29, 2016. 

Figure 1: Pre- and post- breeding liver sample collection areas. Pre-breeding greater whitefronted goose (GWFG) locations were hunted from snow blinds (blue diamonds). Post-breeding 

GWFG locations were hunted inland on the tundra (red star), and at a pond near Pigniq (local 

hunting station; red cicle). Post-breeding king eider (KIEI) and common eider (COEI) were taken 

also near Pigniq as birds flew toward the Chukchi Sea.