The Hawaiian monk seal (HMS) is an endangered seal endemic to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). During the 21<sup>st</sup> century, the HMS is slowly becoming established within the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) (state of Hawai’i) which has placed the seals in an area of higher anthropogenic (urban industrialization, agricultural practices, and military activity) and natural (volcanic activity) sources of elemental contaminants. HMS bone samples were opportunistically collected from skeletons of naturally deceased seals from the NWHI and the MHI. An initial set of 6 female pups deceased in the early 2000s were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Preliminary data show no Cd and Ni in the bones while V (71 – 268 µg/g) and Zn (108 – 203 µg/g) yielded the highest concentrations, and Cu (0.73 – 3.3 µg/g), Cr (0.97 – 6.3 µg/g), and Pb (0.75 – 4.8 µg/g) had lower concentrations. All five of the elements found in the bones are constituents of basalt, cooled oceanic lava that forms the Hawaiian Island chain. Fresh basalt is found at the southeast edge of the chain (Hawai’i Island) where there is active volcanism. Weathering and island subduction is greatest at the northwest extent of the chain. By studying the spatial distribution of the seals relative to crustal weathering and anthropogenic inputs, we can use the seals as biomonitors of these environmental contaminants and potentially assign sources of these elements.

Elemental concentrations in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal from the Northwest and main Hawaiian Islands

ACS Spring 2022

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