Climate change may affect temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Arctic wildlife. We studied how biological and climate variables influence temporal trends of selected POP groups in landlocked Arctic char muscle and in ringed seal blubber from West and East Greenland. The variables included fish length or animal age, sex, a stable nitrogen isotope, sea ice extent, air or seawater temperature, salinity and the Arctic Oscillation Index (AOI). Model selection for multiple regression showed that the most important predictors varied among POP groups, species and region. Decreasing time trends were found for all POP groups with the exception of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentration which remained stable in Arctic char and ringed seals from West Greenland. When retained in the most parsimonious model, the AOI was positively associated with POP concentrations for East Greenland seals, but negatively for West Greenland seals. Seawater temperature and sea ice extent were positively associated with POP concentrations. The effects of explanatory variables on the annual rates of change in POP concentrations were relatively minor relative to the decline caused by reduction in POP emissions following national and international regulations introduced since the 1970s.

中文翻译：

---

气候和生物变量对格陵兰岛北极炭和环斑海豹中持久性有机污染物的时间趋势的影响。

气候变化可能会影响北极野生生物中持久性有机污染物（POPs）的时间趋势。我们研究了生物和气候变量如何影响内陆北极char炭和西格陵兰和东格陵兰的环斑海豹中选定的POP组的时间趋势。这些变量包括鱼的长度或动物的年龄，性别，稳定的氮同位素，海冰范围，空气或海水温度，盐度和北极涛动指数（AOI）。多元回归的模型选择表明，最重要的预测因素在POP组，物种和地区之间有所不同。除六氯苯（HCB）浓度在北极煤焦和西格陵兰岛的环斑海豹中保持稳定外，所有POP组的时间趋势都在减少。当保留在最简约的模型中时，AOI与东格陵兰海豹的POP浓度呈正相关，而与西格陵兰海豹的POP呈负相关。海水温度和海冰范围与POP浓度呈正相关。解释变量对持久性有机污染物浓度的年变化率的影响相对较小，这与自1970年代以来引入的国家和国际法规所导致的持久性有机污染物排放量减少引起的下降相比。