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Bradalsmyra testsenter. Overvåkning av metallkonsentrasjoner i bekker og grunnvannsig i perioden 2004-2022.
Get PDFProsjektleder: Asle ØkelsrudBradalsmyra er Nammo Raufoss AS sitt testsenter for utprøving av ny ammunisjon, etablerte serieprodukter, rakettmotorer og andre fremdriftssystemer. Området avvannes av Veltmannåa, og to mindre bekker. Vi fortsetter her rapportering av overvåkingen av metaller, som har pågått siden 1991. Prøvetaking foregår månedlig i den isfrie perioden. I 2022 ble det ikke observert noen overskridelser av hverken de prioriterte eller vannregionspesifikke stoffene i de tre utgående bekkene. Disse er derfor i «god økologisk tilstand» og i «god kjemisk tilstand». Påvirkning av kjemisk tilstand nedstrøms feltet vurderes derfor som liten. Fra 2022 er det også målt konsentrasjoner av klorid og aluminium ved alle stasjoner, for å undersøke mulig påvirkning av brenning av eksplosivavfall. Resultatet fra 2022 viser at det er liten påvirkning på de lokale stasjonene målt som klorid og aluminium, som kan knyttes opp mot denne aktiviteten. Det er liten sannsynlighet for toksiske effekter av aluminium i bekker og vannansamlinger inne på, eller nedstrøms testsentret. Den månedlige overvåkningen har den fordelen at eventuelle økte utslipp kan stanses på et tidlig tidspunkt, og hindre negative effekter på biota nedstrøms testsenteret.Nammo Raufoss ASpublishedVersio
Landscape features control river's confluences water quality and tributary fish composition
Get PDFRivers networks represent hierarchical dendritic habitats within terrestrial landscapes and differences in connectivity and land use influence dispersal, and consequently biodiversity patterns. We, therefore, measured variation in water chemistry and fish abundance and related these to a number of landscape characteristics (e.g., wetland, urban, wooded, and agricultural) in the River Klarälven and its 30 permanently flowing tributaries. We hypothesized that these environmental attributes would differ between tributary and main stem habitat and that these differences would be driven by landscape attributes including land use. We found considerable intertributary variation in temperature and nutrient levels, and between the tributaries and the main stem. Generally, water temperature was lower in the tributaries, whereas nutrient levels were higher in the tributaries. The lower water temperature has implications for coldwater fishes, and we found two fishes, burbot and lamprey, associated with coldwater tributaries. We also found an inverse relationship between water quality and anthropogenic land use. Protecting tributaries with low anthropogenic impact will likely become increasingly important with ongoing global warming as they can function as thermal refugia for coldwater fishes. Hence, this study underscores the need to evaluate water courses at regional scales to identify spatial refuges and ensure connectivity.publishedVersio
Comparing in situ turbidity sensor measurements as a proxy for suspended sediments in North-Western European streams
Get PDFClimate change in combination with land use alterations may lead to significant changes in soil erosion and sediment fluxes in streams. Optical turbidity sensors can monitor with high frequency and can be used as a proxy for suspended sediment concentration (SSC) provided there is an acceptable calibration curve for turbidity measured by sensors and SSC from water samples. This study used such calibration data from 31 streams in 11 different research projects or monitoring programmes in six Northern European countries. The aim was to find patterns in the turbidity-SSC correlations based on stream characteristics such as mean and maximum turbidity and SSC, catchment area, land use, hydrology, soil type, topography, and the number and representativeness of the data that are used for the calibration. There were large variations, but the best correlations between turbidity and SSC were found in streams with a mean and maximum SSC of >30–200 mg/l, and a mean and maximum turbidity above 60–200 NTU/FNU, respectively. Streams draining agricultural areas with fine-grained soils had better correlations than forested streams draining more coarse-grained soils. However, the study also revealed considerable differences in methodological approaches, including analytical methods to determine SSC, water sampling strategies, quality control procedures, and the use of sensors based on different measuring principles. Relatively few national monitoring programmes in the six countries involved in the study included optical turbidity sensors, which may partly explain this lack of methodological harmonisation. Given the risk of future changes in soil erosion and sediment fluxes, increased harmonisation is highly recommended, so that turbidity data from optical sensors can be better evaluated and intercalibrated across streams in comparable geographical regions.publishedVersio
High sensitivity to dietary imidacloprid exposure in early life stages of Folsomia quadrioculata (Collembola) populations from contrasting climates
Get PDFSurvival of early life stages is critical for population growth. Understanding the vulnerability of these sensitive stages can therefore improve ecological risk predictions. The globally-used neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid does not degrade easily in soil and occurs at concentrations potentially toxic to non-target soil organisms, such as Collembola. Here, we studied the effects of dietary exposure to imidacloprid on the survival of juveniles in an arctic and a temperate population of Folsomia quadrioculata (Collembola), a commonly-occurring litter-dwelling species in the Northern Hemisphere. The exposure lasted from <24 h to 30 days since hatching at 15 °C. We assessed whether (1) the arctic population of the test species with faster development rates could be more vulnerable than the temperate population, (2) cumulative mortality could increase substantially with exposure time, and (3) the mortality risk experienced during the juvenile stage could be greater than that experienced by the adults. We found a strong concentration-dependent decline in survival in both populations, with small but significantly different LC50s, despite large differences in multiple life-history traits. Applying a General Unified Threshold model for Survival (GUTS) showed a low threshold for effects, slow damage dynamics, a 6–11-fold decrease in LC50 from 14 to 30 days of exposure, and saturation of damage at the three highest concentrations. In addition, exposure starting soon after hatching caused much more mortality than that starting in the adult stages. Our findings suggest that toxicity tests not emphasizing the neonate stages or not lasting long enough can underestimate the implications for populations of naturally abundant non-target organisms.publishedVersio
Long-term rise in riverine dissolved organic carbon concentration is predicted by electrolyte solubility theory
Get PDFThe riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux is of similar magnitude to the terrestrial sink for atmospheric CO2, but the factors controlling it remain poorly determined and are largely absent from Earth system models (ESMs). Here, we show, for a range of European headwater catchments, that electrolyte solubility theory explains how declining precipitation ionic strength (IS) has increased the dissolution of thermally moderated pools of soluble soil organic matter (OM), while hydrological conditions govern the proportion of this OM entering the aquatic system. Solubility will continue to rise exponentially with declining IS until pollutant ion deposition fully flattens out under clean air policies. Future DOC export will increasingly depend on rates of warming and any directional changes to the intensity and seasonality of precipitation and marine ion deposition. Our findings provide a firm foundation for incorporating the processes dominating change in this component of the global carbon cycle in ESMs.publishedVersio
The global EPTO database: Worldwide occurrences of aquatic insects
Get PDFMotivation
Aquatic insects comprise 64% of freshwater animal diversity and are widely used as bioindicators to assess water quality impairment and freshwater ecosystem health, as well as to test ecological hypotheses. Despite their importance, a comprehensive, global database of aquatic insect occurrences for mapping freshwater biodiversity in macroecological studies and applied freshwater research is missing. We aim to fill this gap and present the Global EPTO Database, which includes worldwide geo-referenced aquatic insect occurrence records for four major taxa groups: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata (EPTO).
Main type of variables contained
A total of 8,368,467 occurrence records globally, of which 8,319,689 (99%) are publicly available. The records are attributed to the corresponding drainage basin and sub-catchment based on the Hydrography90m dataset and are accompanied by the elevation value, the freshwater ecoregion and the protection status of their location.
Spatial location and grain
The database covers the global extent, with 86% of the observation records having coordinates with at least four decimal digits (11.1 m precision at the equator) in the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) coordinate reference system.
Time period and grain
Sampling years span from 1951 to 2021. Ninety-nine percent of the records have information on the year of the observation, 95% on the year and month, while 94% have a complete date. In the case of seven sub-datasets, exact dates can be retrieved upon communication with the data contributors.
Major taxa and level of measurement
Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata, standardized at the genus taxonomic level. We provide species names for 7,727,980 (93%) records without further taxonomic verification.
Software format
The entire tab-separated value (.csv) database can be downloaded and visualized at https://glowabio.org/project/epto_database/. Fifty individual datasets are also available at https://fred.igb-berlin.de, while six datasets have restricted access. For the latter, we share metadata and the contact details of the authors.publishedVersio
Development and testing of a prototype indicator-based tool for identification of potential problem areas for marine litter in Europe's seas
Get PDFWe demonstrate a prototype multi-metric indicator-based assessment tool (i.e. Marine Litter Assessment Tool - MALT) for mapping and identification of ‘problem areas’ and ‘non-problem areas’ regarding the occurrence of marine litter in Europe's seas. The study is based on a European-wide data set consisting of three marine litter indicators: (1) litter at the seafloor, (2) beach litter and (3) floating micro-litter. This publicly available data allowed litter status to be determined in 1,957,081 km2 (19.1 %) of the total area of Europe's seas (10,243,474 km2). Of the area assessed, 25.8 % (505,030 km2) was found to be ‘non-problem areas’ whilst ‘problem areas’ accounted for 74.2 % (1,452,051 km2). This indicates that marine litter is a large-scale problem in Europe's seas.publishedVersio
A recipe for plastic: expert insights on plastic additives in the marine environment
Get PDFThe production and consumption of plastic products had been steadily increasing over the years, leading to more plastic waste entering the environment. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and comes in many types and forms. To enhance or modify their properties, chemical additives are added to plastic items during manufacturing. The presence and leakage of these additives, from managed and mismanaged plastic waste, into the environment are of growing concern. In this study, we gauged, via an online questionnaire, expert knowledge on the use, characteristics, monitoring and risks of plastic additives to the marine environment. We analysed the survey results against actual data to identify and prioritise risks and gaps. Participants also highlighted key factors for future consideration, including gaining a deeper understanding of the use and types of plastic additives, how they leach throughout the entire lifecycle, their toxicity, and the safety of alternative options. More extensive chemical regulation and an evaluation of the essentiality of their use should also be considered.publishedVersio
Age and Synchronization of Daphnia magna Affect Sensitivity to Teflubenzuron in Acute Standardized Toxicity Tests
Get PDFThe standard Daphnia sp. acute toxicity test for assessing the adverse effects of chemicals on aquatic invertebrates stipulates the use of neonates that are ≤24 h old (hours post release [hpr]) at the start of the exposure. However, when one is assessing acute effects of chemicals interfering with endocrine relevant-processes such as molting, both age synchronization and absolute age can influence the test outcome, because the occurrence of molting and associated mortality is highly time specific. Hence, a 24-h age synchronization window may mask the real effects of these compounds. To explore the influence of age synchronization and absolute age in standard acute toxicity tests, we exposed D. magna from different synchronization windows and absolute ages (≤4, 4–8, 8–12, ≤12, and ≤24 hpr at the beginning of the exposure) to 0.5–12 µg/L of the chitin synthesis inhibitor (CSI) teflubenzuron (TEF) using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development test guideline 202 (Daphnia sp. 48 h immobilization test). Our results show significant differences in 48-h median lethal concentrations between animals with a synchronization window of ≤4 hpr (2.9 µg/L) and longer synchronization windows such as ≤12 hpr (5.1 µg/L) and ≤24 hpr (16.8 µg/L). A concurrent decreasing trend in molting median effect concentrations was observed for the same synchronization windows: ≤4 hpr (4.0 µg/L), ≤12 hpr (5.9 µg/L), and ≤24 hpr (30.0 µg/L). Together, our results show that both synchronization and absolute age are determinant factors for the sensitivity of D. magna to TEF. A narrow synchronization window (e.g., ≤4 hpr) may provide a more conservative estimate of TEF toxicity and should be considered when one is performing standardized toxicity tests for molting-disrupting compounds such as TEF.publishedVersio
Cleaning Up without Messing Up: Maximizing the Benefits of Plastic Clean-Up Technologies through New Regulatory Approaches
Get PDFAs the global plastics crisis grows, numerous technologies have been invented and implemented to recover plastic pollution from the environment. Although laudable, unregulated clean-up technologies may be inefficient and have unintended negative consequences on ecosystems, for example, through bycatch or removal of organic matter important for ecosystem functions. Despite these concerns, plastic clean-up technologies can play an important role in reducing litter in the environment. As the United Nations Environment Assembly is moving toward an international, legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution by 2024, the implementation of plastic clean-up technologies should be regulated to secure their net benefits and avoid unintended damages. Regulation can require environmental impact assessments and life cycle analysis to be conducted predeployment on a case-by-case basis to determine their effectiveness and impact and secure environmentally sound management. During operations catch-efficiency and bycatch of nonlitter items, as well as waste management of recovered litter, should be documented. Data collection for monitoring, research, and outreach to mitigate plastic pollution is recommended as added value of implementation of clean-up technologies.publishedVersio