Baseline characterizations of estuarine sediments in Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, were conducted. Concentrations of 194 organic and elemental chemicals were analyzed in sediment and fish, plus stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. The estuaries are shallow embayments, with little shoreline relief. The water columns were turbid, high salinity, and not stratified. Concentrations of arsenic and nickel were elevated throughout the region. Arsenic in fish tissue was elevated. Concentrations of PAHs were relatively high for pristine locations, but did not include petroleum hydrocarbons. Characteristics of PAHs indicate large contributions of terrestrial organic matter. With the exception of Peard Bay, all the estuaries reflected the strong influence of terrestrial plant input with low δₒ/ₒₒ values for carbon and nitrogen. Chlorinated pesticides and PCBs were uniformly low, but detectable in fish tissue. PCB and cyclodiene concentrations were half that seen in southeast Bristol Bay. Hexachlorobenzene was detected in all fish samples.

Seventy-four surface sediment samples were collected from the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea to determine the content of metal(loid)s (As, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cr). Metal(loid)s content in these sediments varied from 2.36–41.90 mg/kg for As, 8.63–82.28 mg/kg for Cu, 0.14–0.71 mg/kg for Cd, 11.86–100.60 mg/kg for Ni, 8.30–27.58 mg/kg for Pb, 39.93–391.43 mg/kg for Zn, and 40.96–106.49 mg/kg for Cr. The pH and water-soluble organic carbon content had considerable impacts on the content of metal(loid)s in sediment, but the texture of sediment has limited influence on metal(loid)s content in sediment. In addition, the hotspots of most of these metal(loid)s appeared in the Beaufort Sea region. The geoaccumulation index (Igₑₒ) indicated that Cd was the metal with the highest contamination in these sediments, with 55.41% of the sample sites posing moderate pollution. The ecological risk for As, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cr indicates low ecological risk (100%), while Cd posed moderate risk (35.14%), considerable risk (54.05%) and high risk (10.81%) and attributed more than 76.45% of the total potential ecological risk of these metal(loid)s.

Concentrations of Fe, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sn, V and Zn in mud (<63μm size), and total and methyl Hg in gross sediment are reported for Arctic Alaska nearshore. Multivariate-PCA analysis discriminated seven station clusters defined by differences in metal concentrations, attributed to regional variations in granulometry and, as in Elson Lagoon, to focused atmospheric fluxes of contaminants from Eurasia. In Colville Delta-Prudhoe Bay, V increase was noted in 1985 and 1997 compared to 1977, and Ba increase from 1985 to 1997. Presumably the source of increased V is the local gas flaring plant, and the elevated Ba is due to barite accumulation from oil drilling effluents. In Prudhoe Bay, concentration spikes of metals in ∼1988 presumably reflect enhanced metals deposition following maximum oil drilling in 1980s. In summary, the Alaskan Arctic nearshore has remained generally free of metal contamination despite petroleum-related activities in past 40years.

Historical (or legacy) contaminants, such as metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs; e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls) have been measured in circumpolar subpopulations of polar bears, especially from Hudson Bay, East Greenland, and Svalbard, but substantially less is currently known about new and/or emerging contaminants such as polychlorinated naphthalenes, current-use pesticides, organotins, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an apex Arctic predator that accumulates high levels of bioaccumulative POPs and mercury (Hg), but there is currently no comprehensive profiling of the present knowledge on contaminants in tissue and body compartments in polar bears. Based on current literature reports and data, and including archived museum samples (as far back as the 1300s) and up to 2018, the aim of this review is to utilize available data to examine the comparative distribution and burden of mainly lipophilic contaminants in kidney, liver, fat, and other body compartments, such as milk, blood, and brain. Highlight outcomes from this review include the following: (1) the kidneys are one of the most important tissue depots of contaminants in polar bears; (2) there is a critical lack of data concerning the presence of metals of concern (other than Hg); and (3) there currently are no data available on the concentrations of many newer and emerging contaminants, such as PACs, which is especially relevant given the increasing oil and gas development in regions, such as the Beaufort Sea (Canada). Additionally, given the vulnerability of polar bear populations worldwide, there is a need to develop non-invasive approaches to monitor contaminant exposure in polar bears.