AMAP Faroe Islands 2017 - 2020: Heavy Metals and POPs Core Programme

The present report summarises the monitoring data acquired in partial fulfilment of the circumpolar Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), further details are available on the website www.amap.no. The contribution encompasses analyses of heavy metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in fresh water, terrestrial and marine biota of the Faroe  slands. The monitoring results are part of an ongoing effort that began in 1996,  and which has continued though with adaptations and varying intensity.

The biotic sample types included in the AMAP Faroe Islands Heavy Metals and POPs Core Programme are shown in table 1. Stable isotopes are included in the monitoring programme as indicators of placement in the food web. The table also specifies the various tissues and contaminants that have been analysed.

In addition to presenting the newly acquired analytical data, the report also contains information that assists in the overall interpretation of the results. The biological parameters that give rise to variability in the concentration of pollutants are discussed, and the most recent data are given perspective by presenting a suitable selection of previously acquired data. Some of the older data included for perspective were acquired in the context of the AMAP programme and some were acquired in connection with other projects or programmes of the Environment Agency.