Summary

Description

This study was a portion of a multiyear assessment of contaminant concentrations from a variety of biotic and abiotic samples on the North Slope of Alaska. The original objective of this study was to obtain baseline and comparative information on trace element concentrations, and aIiphatic, polycyclic aromatic, and organochlorine hydrocarbons, including biphenyls and polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, from livers of arctic and red fox from the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge prior to oil and gas development. Samples from Prudhoe Bay, an existing oilfield on Alaskas arctic coast, would be used for comparative purposes. Data from the refuge would enable determination of significant deviations from baseline conditions through beforeafter development comparisons, and would also identify any existing natural or anthropogenic sources of contamination. None of the intended fox samples from the l002 area were obtained, due to a population crash. Sampling of the Arctic Refuge was therefore deferred for several years to allow the 1002 coastal plain fox population to rebuild itself. This report presents results only from six fox captured in the Prudhoe Bay oilfield in 1990. These data afford information on potential contamination from longterm oil field operations on mammals on the North Slope. Because fox act as both scavengers and active predators, they may be regarded as sentinels for impacts to predatory mammals, and, to some extent, to scavenger bird species utilizing the oil fields as well.