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The Norwegian Water Column Monitoring: Passive sampler calibration for PAHs, alkylphenols and naphthenic acids
Get PDFProsjektleder: Ian AllanThis study focuses on measuring contaminant concentrations with the help of passive sampling devices specifically addressing PAHs, alkylphenols, and naphthenic acids present in produced water. The use of silicone rubber for passive sampling is explored, with laboratory experiments conducted to determine polymer-water partition coefficients for alkylphenols. The research involves diffusion cell experiments to calibrate transfer kinetics across stainless steel membranes and batch sorption experiments to calibrate components of a modified version of POCIS to be used to sample alkylphenols and naphthenic acids. Additionally, POCIS devices and silicone rubber were exposed to produced water dilutions, in a 7-day long calibration experiment. The results provide insights into the applicability of passive sampling for monitoring environmental contaminants in produced water-impacted seawater.Offshore Norway, represented by ConocoPhillipspublishedVersio
Development of a probabilistic risk model for pharmaceuticals in the environment under population and wastewater treatment scenarios
Get PDFPreparing for future environmental pressures requires projections of how relevant risks will change over time. Current regulatory models of environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pollutants such as pharmaceuticals could be improved by considering the influence of global change factors (e.g., population growth) and by presenting uncertainty more transparently. In this article, we present the development of a prototype object-oriented Bayesian network (BN) for the prediction of environmental risk for six high-priority pharmaceuticals across 36 scenarios: current and three future population scenarios, combined with infrastructure scenarios, in three Norwegian counties. We compare the risk, characterized by probability distributions of risk quotients (RQs), across scenarios and pharmaceuticals. Our results suggest that RQs would be greatest in rural counties, due to the lower development of current wastewater treatment facilities, but that these areas consequently have the most potential for risk mitigation. This pattern intensifies under higher population growth scenarios. With this prototype, we developed a hierarchical probabilistic model and demonstrated its potential in forecasting the environmental risk of chemical stressors under plausible demographic and management scenarios, contributing to the further development of BNs for ERA.publishedVersio
Ocean alkalinity enhancement impacts: regrowth of marine microalgae in alkaline mineral concentrations simulating the initial concentrations after ship-based dispersions
Get PDFIncreasing the marine carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption capacity by adding alkaline minerals into the world's oceans is a promising marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approach to increase the ocean's CO2 storage potential and mitigate ocean acidification. Still, the biological impacts of dispersion of alkaline minerals need to be evaluated prior to its field deployment, especially the impacts of the initial discharge causing local and temporary extreme alkalinity/pH changes. In this study, the toxicity effect on marine microalgae of two commonly used alkaline minerals, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), was determined by adding the same equivalent molar concentration of hydroxyl ions. Cultures of marine green microalgae Tetraselmis suecica were exposed to Ca(OH)2 or Mg(OH)2, in concentrations mimicking the initial high concentrations following a dispersion scenario from a ship. A short-term exposure with high-alkaline mineral concentration called “dispersion phase” was followed by a dilution step and a “regrowth” phase over 6 d. There was no detectable effect of Mg(OH)2 treatment on algae growth either after the dispersion phase or during the regrowth phase, compared to control treatments. The Ca(OH)2 treatment resulted in very few living algal cells after the dispersion phase, but a similar growth rate was observed during the regrowth phase as was for the Mg(OH)2 and control treatments. Standardized whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests were carried out with a range of Mg(OH)2 concentrations using a sensitive marine diatom, Skeletonema costatum, which confirmed the relatively low toxicity effect of Mg(OH)2. Similar biological effects were observed on natural microalgae assemblages from a local seawater source when applying the same Mg(OH)2 concentration range and exposure time used in the WET tests. The results suggest that Mg(OH)2 is relatively safe compared to Ca(OH)2 with respect to marine microalgae.publishedVersio
Microplastic aging processes: Environmental relevance and analytical implications
Get PDFThe analysis of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial environments and the evaluation of their environmental risk has gained great attention, owing to the increasing evidence for their widespread presence in soils and freshwater sediments globally. Once in the environment, MPs undergo abiotic and biotic processes which alter their properties and integrity: this process is called “aging” and has implications for the fate of these contaminants, their morphology and surface chemistry. Aging may also affect the analytical assessment of MPs in environmental samples which likely contain aged MPs. In contrast, analytical methods are established using pristine plastics for validation. This can lead to uncertainties in quantification and characterization. This critical review summarizes the current trends in the simulation and characterization of MP aging in laboratory conditions, highlighting limitations and knowledge gaps. It also discusses the challenges in MP analysis induced by aging in environmental samples, providing directions toward possible solutions.publishedVersio
Drone and ground-truth data collection, image annotation and machine learning: A protocol for coastal habitat mapping and classification
Get PDFAerial drone imaging is an efficient tool for mapping and monitoring of coastal habitats at high spatial and temporal resolution. Specifically, drone imaging allows for time- and cost-efficient mapping covering larger areas than traditional mapping and monitoring techniques, while also providing more detailed information than those from airplanes and satellites, enabling for example to differentiate various types of coastal vegetation. Here, we present a systematic method for shallow water habitat classification based on drone imagery. The method includes: • Collection of drone images and creation of orthomosaics. • Gathering ground-truth data in the field to guide the image annotation and to validate the final map product. • Annotation of drone images into – potentially hierarchical – habitat classes and training of machine learning algorithms for habitat classification. As a case study, we present a field campaign that employed these methods to map a coastal site dominated by seagrass, seaweed and kelp, in addition to sediments and rock. Such detailed but efficient mapping and classification can aid to understand and sustainably manage ecologically and valuable marine ecosystems.publishedVersio
Are eco-friendly “green” tires also chemically green? Comparing metals, rubbers and selected organic compounds in green and conventional tires
Get PDFTires are a major source of synthetic and natural rubber particles, metals and organic compounds, in which several compounds are linked to negative environmental impact. Recent advances in material technology, coupled with focus on sustainability, have introduced a new range of tires, sold as “green, sustainable, and eco-friendly”. Although these “green” tires may have lower impact on the environment on a global scale, there is no current knowledge about the chemical composition of “green” tires, and whether they are more eco-friendly when considering the release of tire wear particles or tire-associated chemicals. Here we have investigated the chemical composition of nine “green” vehicle tires, one “green” bike tire and seven “conventional” vehicle tires. No significant difference was found between “green” and “conventional” tires tested in this study. For N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), the average concentration in “green” tires were higher (16 ± 7.8 µg/mg) compared to “conventional” tires (8.7 ± 4.5 µg/mg). The relationship between metals, selected organic compounds and rubbers demonstrated large variation across brands, and lower variability between tires grouped according to their seasonal use. This study indicates that more work is needed to understand how the shift towards sustainable tires might change the chemical composition of tires.publishedVersio
Overvåking av langtransportert forurenset luft og nedbør. Årsrapport – Vannkjemiske effekter 2023
Get PDFProsjektleder: Rolf David VogtRapporten presenterer resultatene fra overvåkingen av vannkjemi i 2023 i forsuringsfølsomme vannforekomster. Overvåkingen omfattet 78 tidstrendsjøer, seks erstatningssjøer for tre tidstrendsjøer påvirket av endret arealbruk, seks små innsjøer på Jarfjordfjellet, seks feltforskningsstasjoner og to elvestasjoner.MiljødirektoratetpublishedVersio
Overvåking av kystvann i vannområde Hardanger 2023
Get PDFProsjektleder: Anders RuusOvervåkingen av kystvann i vannområdet Hardanger i 2023 viste følgende: Mhp. de fysisk-kjemiske kvalitetselementene viste oksygen(minimum-) konsentrasjoner moderat tilstand på stasjonene Sø7/2 og Lind1 og god tilstand på stasjonene S22Sør og S1/4. Siktedypet tilsvarte dårlig tilstand på stasjon Sø7/2 og moderat tilstand på stasjonene Lind1 og S22Sør. Vannregionspesifikke stoffer i vann (metaller; særlig sink) oversteg grenseverdiene på alle stasjoner hvor vann ble analysert (Lind1, Sø7/2, S22Sør og S1/4). Det var maksimalverdi (MAC-EQS; 6 μg/L) som ble oversteget ved flere anledninger og det var vanskelig å klassifisere årsgjennomsnittlig konsentrasjon av sink, grunnet høy kvantifikasjonsgrense i 2023. Ingen analyserte prioriterte stoffer oversteg grenseverdiene (EQS) i overflatevann. Konsentrasjoner av kvikksølv i blåskjell var derimot for høye til å klassifisere kjemisk tilstand som god på samtlige stasjoner hvor blåskjell ble analysert. Kvikksølv i brosme fra ytre Sørfjorden var også for høy til å klassifiseres som god kjemisk tilstand. Konsentrasjoner av fluorid i sjøvann var oftest lavere enn kvantifiseringsgrensen på 0,50 mg/L. gjennomsnittlige konsentrasjoner av fluorid i blåskjell var lave (1,22-3,25 mg/kg våtvekt). Det ble observert lave konsentrasjoner av thallium i prøver av overflatevann, og for det meste konsentrasjoner ≤0,05 μg/L Tl. Tl ble funnet i blåskjell i gjennomsnittskonsentrasjoner på 0,002-0,005 mg/kg våtvekt.Boliden Odda AS, Ineos Tyssedal AS og Fluorsid Noralf ASpublishedVersio
Evaluation of extraction and storage conditions for quantification and characterization of silver nanoparticles in complex samples by single particle-ICP-MS
Get PDFThe extraction of nanoparticles (NPs) from complex matrices and subsequent storage can potentially alter the NPs physicochemical properties and hinder cross-study comparisons. Most NPs extraction methods are designed and tested at high NPs concentrations, although (eco)toxicological and regulatory monitoring programs require methods capable of analyzing NPs at environmentally relevant concentrations (lower ppb range). In this study, we investigated how extraction methods affect the characteristics of PVP coated and citrate-stabilized silver NPs (AgNPs) spiked into soil, sewage sludge, and biological samples at environmentally relevant concentrations using Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry spICP-MS). Further we investigated the impact of storage temperature (-80 °C – 21 °C) and storage duration (1–28 days) on the particle characteristics such as particle size. We found that aqueous AgNPs samples with low ionic strength media retained their original characteristics (like particle size, particle concentration and particle-based Ag mass) when preserved at 4 °C for up to 28 days. AgNPs dispersed in high ionic strength media were however better preserved at −80 °C. Among the extraction agents, tetrasodium pyrophosphate was efficient in extracting AgNPs from soil and sewage sludge matrices, while Proteinase K was most suitable for biological samples from organisms (earthworms or fish). Although our study focused only on AgNPs, it provides crucial information to aid interlaboratory comparisons and data interpretation for (eco)toxicological studies.publishedVersio
Hindringer og mulige løsninger for å ta i bruk vannmiljøtiltak i jordbruksdominerte nedbørfelt
Get PDFJordbruket står overfor en rekke utfordringer knyttet til vannkvalitet og kvantitet, som ero sjon, avrenning av næringsstoffer, flom og tørke. Disse problemene vil øke med klimaendringene. Redusert jordarbeiding, grasdekte vannveier i dråg, grasdekte kantsoner, fangdammer, sedi mentasjonsdammer og gras/ingen jordarbeid ing på arealer utsatt for flom og erosjon er eksempler på tiltak som kan hindre avrenning av jord, vann og næringsstoffer. Til tross for flere forskrifter og virkemidler for vannmiljø tiltak i jordbruket, finnes det hindringer som gjør at tiltak ikke gjennomføres i tilstrekkelig grad. En spørreundersøkelse om mulige hind ringer og løsninger ble gjennomført blant infor manter ved blant andre nasjonale og regionale myndigheter, samt vannforvaltningen tilknyttet vannområdene Morsa og PURA SørøstNorge. Resultatene viser at både administrasjon (skje maer og tidkrevende søknadsprosesser), lav kostnytte for bonden og frivillige tiltak oppfat tes som hindringer for å ta i bruk vannmiljø tiltak i jordbruket. Informantene foreslår blant annet bedre finansieringsordninger, uformell opplæring gjennom praktiske demonstrasjoner og kunnskapsdeling, samt forenklet byråkrati som mulige løsninger.publishedVersio