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Analytical challenges and possibilities for the quantification of tire-road wear particles
Get PDFAs one of the largest sources of microplastic particle emissions, tire-road wear particle mixtures (TRWPs) pose a potentially high threat to various environmental compartments. Their heterogenous properties, from varying particle size, density, shape, texture, elemental and chemical composition, cause challenging analytical workflows. Current analytical methods for TRWP can be summarized in two main groups: single-particle-based and bulk-based methods. Both groups include a large variation of methods, with different demands for sampling and sample pre-treatment, and different possible outputs. This review provides an overview of the current analytical methods used for TRWP studies and in particularly quantifications, with focus on methods that have been peer-reviewed and tested for environmental samples. The review presents current possibilities and limitations with the different analytical approaches, as well as highlighting gaps in the current TRWP knowledge and information needed to move this research field forward.publishedVersio
Why do regional biogeochemical models produce contrasting future projections of primary production in the Barents Sea?
Get PDFProjected future changes in primary production in the Barents Sea vary among different regional biogeochemical models, with some showing an increase, some a decrease, and some no change. This variability has been attributed to differences in the underlying physics, but little effort has been spent to understand the primary causal processes. In this study, we compare two extreme projections: one model (NORWECOM.E2E) projects a 36% increase and another model (SINMOD) projects a 9% decrease in primary production in a future warmer Barents Sea. Using structural equation modeling, we identify the direct and indirect effects of the major environmental variables on primary production. The results show that the two biogeochemical models agree on the directions of impacts, and that differences in the physical environment, specifically the factors controlling nutrient availability, are the main cause of the disparities. Both models agree that decreasing ice-coverage leads to increased primary production. However, the projection with a decrease in primary production was characterized by a decrease in winter nitrate concentrations and stronger temperature-induced stratification. By contrast, the projection with an increase in primary production was characterized by an increase in winter nitrate concentrations and weaker stratification due to a relatively smaller temperature increase which was offset by increasing wind stress. The results emphasize the need for accurate descriptions of the physical environments and inform discussions about the future of the Barents Sea ecosystem and the potential for Arctic blue growth.publishedVersio
Differences in the Fate of Surface and Subsurface Microplastics: A Case Study in the Central Atlantic
Get PDFPlastic is recognized as a threat to marine ecosystems, and estimating the level of plastic and microplastics (MPs) pollution of the World Ocean is, nowadays, the goal of many studies. However, the use of different methods for the sampling and analysis of MPs leads to the problem of comparing the results obtained. Studies on surface MPs pollution of the surface sea water are based on the application of the manta or neuston nets that collect water from the upper 10–20 cm layer (the “surface” MPs) or submersible pumping systems that collect water from the water layer 3 to 5 m below the sea surface (the “subsurface” MPs). These two techniques allow the collection of particles of different size fractions, i.e., >300 µm for the surface MPs and >100 µm for the subsurface MP. However, it is shown that microplastics found in the surface and subsurface layers differ not only in the size of the items found, but also in morphology, types of polymers, abundance, weight concentration and their spatial distribution. Different hydrodynamic processes affect the fate of the plastic found exactly at the sea surface and several meters deeper. The aim of this work was to study the distribution of surface and subsurface MPs and to reveal an influence of oceanographic conditions on their spatial distribution, using as an example the open ocean waters of the Central Atlantic.publishedVersio
Predicting Environmental Risks of Pharmaceuticals from Wholesale Data: An Example from Norway
Get PDFEnvironmental risk assessment (ERA) of pharmaceuticals relies on available measured environmental concentrations, but often such data are sparse. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs), calculated from sales weights, are an attractive alternative but often cover only prescription sales. We aimed to rank, by environmental risk in Norway, approximately 200 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) over 2016–2019, based on sales PECs. To assess the added value of wholesale and veterinary data, we compared exposure and risk predictions with and without these additional sources. Finally, we aimed to characterize the persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulation of these APIs. We compared our PECs to available Norwegian measurements, then, using public predicted-no-effect concentrations, we calculated risk quotients (RQs) and appended experimental and predicted persistence and bioaccumulation. Our approach overestimated environmental concentrations compared with measurements for 18 of 20 APIs with comparable predictions and measurements. Seventeen APIs had mean RQs >1, indicating potential risk, while the mean RQ was 2.05 and the median 0.001, driven by sex hormones, antibiotics, the antineoplastic abiraterone, and common painkillers. Some high-risk APIs were also potentially persistent or bioaccumulative (e.g., levonorgestrel [RQ = 220] and ciprofloxacin [RQ = 56]), raising the possibility of impacts beyond their RQs. Exposure and risk were also calculated with and without over-the-counter sales, showing that prescriptions explained 70% of PEC magnitude. Likewise, human sales, compared with veterinary, explained 85%. Sales PECs provide an efficient option for ERA, designed to overestimate compared with analytical techniques and potentially held back by limited data availability and an inability to quantify uncertainty but, nevertheless, an ideal initial approach for identification and ranking of risks.publishedVersio
Extreme flooding controlled by stream network organization and flow regime
Get PDFRiver floods are among the most common natural disasters worldwide, with substantial economic and humanitarian costs. Despite enormous efforts, gauging the risk of extreme floods with unprecedented magnitude is an outstanding challenge. Limited observational data from very high-magnitude flood events hinders prediction efforts and the identification of discharge thresholds marking the rise of progressively larger floods, termed flood divides. Combining long hydroclimatic records and a process-based model for flood hazard assessment, here we demonstrate that the spatial organization of stream networks and the river flow regime control the appearance of flood divides and extreme floods. In contrast with their ubiquitous attribution to extreme rainfall and anomalous antecedent conditions, we show that the propensity to generate extreme floods is well predicted by intrinsic properties of river basins. Most importantly, it can be assessed prior to the occurrence of catastrophes through measurable metrics of these properties derived from commonly available discharge data, namely the hydrograph recession exponent and the coefficient of variation of daily flows. These results highlight the propensity of certain rivers for generating extreme floods and demonstrate the importance of using hazard mapping tools that, rather than solely relying on past flood records, identify regions susceptible to the occurrence of extreme floods from ordinary discharge dynamics.publishedVersio
Environmental Analysis of Imidacloprid in Norwegian Marine and Terrestrial Environments
Get PDFProsjektleder: Kine BækNorwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) was contracted by Benchmark Animal Health Norway AS to perform environmental sampling and chemical analysis of Imidacloprid. This associated with medicinal delicing treatments in aquaculture in 2022. The sampling scheme for this investigation was designed to ensure coverage of all 13 Aquaculture Production Zones in Norway. Samples from terrestrial environments (freshwater and sediments) with no link to marine aquaculture were also included. Sample preparation and analysis of Imidacloprid in water and sediment was performed in accordance with a validated method.
Imidacloprid was below limits of quantification in all samples.Benchmark Animal Health ASpublishedVersio
Inequitable distribution of plastic benefits and burdens on economies and public health
Get PDFPlastic heterogeneously affects social systems – notably human health and local and global economies. Here we discuss illustrative examples of the benefits and burdens of each stage of the plastic lifecycle (e.g., macroplastic production, consumption, recycling). We find the benefits to communities and stakeholders are principally economic, whereas burdens fall largely on human health. Furthermore, the economic benefits of plastic are rarely applied to alleviate or mitigate the health burdens it creates, amplifying the disconnect between who benefits and who is burdened. In some instances, social enterprises in low-wealth areas collect and recycle waste, creating a market for upcycled goods. While such endeavors generate local socioeconomic benefits, they perpetuate a status quo in which the burden of responsibility for waste management falls on downstream communities, rather than on producers who have generated far greater economic benefits. While the traditional cost-benefit analyses that inform decision-making disproportionately weigh economic benefits over the indirect, and often unquantifiable, costs of health burdens, we stress the need to include the health burdens of plastic to all impacted stakeholders across all plastic life stages in policy design. We therefore urge the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to consider all available knowledge on the deleterious effects of plastic across the entire plastic lifecycle while drafting the upcoming international global plastic treaty.publishedVersio
Assessment of risk and risk-reducing measures related to the introduction and dispersal of the invasive alien carpet tunicate Didemnum vexillum in Norway
Get PDFDidemnum vexillum is colonial sea squirt, a marine species which originates from the northwest Pacific; it was first recorded in Norway in November 2020. Didemnum vexillum is an alien species, meaning that it is a species that has been transferred from its original region to other regions of the world through human activity, and it had not previously been recorded in Norwegian waters. The species is regarded as having great invasive potential and having strong negative ecological effects on biodiversity. It is also considered to pose a risk to marine industries such as shipping and aquaculture, with possible major negative economic impacts.publishedVersio
Resipientovervåking nedstrøms utslipp fra Byglandsfjord renseanlegg
Get PDFProsjektleder: Øyvind KasteDet er gjennomført et enkelt overvåkingsprogram i utløpsområdet til Byglandsfjorden for å dokumentere eventuelle effekter av utslipp fra Byglandsfjord renseanlegg på vannkvaliteten i Otra. De fysisk-kjemiske støtteparameterne som ble analysert indikerte svært god tilstand med hensyn til total fosfor (Tot-P) og nitrogen (Tot-N), og teoretiske konsentrasjoner av Tot-P og Tot-N beregnet på basis av utslippstall og vannføring viser at utslippet fra Byglandsfjord RA spiller en tilnærmet ubetydelig rolle i forhold til å øke næringsstoffkonsentrasjonen i elva nedstrøms.Bygland kommunepublishedVersio
Sustainability conflicts in the blue economy: planning for offshore aquaculture and offshore wind energy development in Norway
Get PDFBlue economy developments entail an industrialization of the world’s ocean and coastal areas, placing growing pressures on the marine environment and ecosystems. Moreover, the competition for ocean space and resources increases the likelihood for social conflicts. Marine spatial planning has been presented as a tool that can avoid or mitigate conflicts. However, there is a need for a more thorough analysis of the conflicts linked to the blue economy. The objective of this paper is to analyze characteristics of blue economy conflicts and how they are shaped by the institutional context and sustainability discourses. This study also explores perspectives on conflict management and pathways toward sustainable transformations in marine planning. Empirically, we use two case studies of blue growth industries in Norway: (1) offshore wind energy development and (2) offshore aquaculture development. Through these cases, we take a close look at the established principles and procedures which regulate conflicts. Our study shows how current blue economy conflicts are framed and handled through institutionalized practices of conflict management. Our findings are twofold. First, blue economy conflicts are not easily categorized through common conflict typologies (i.e., user-user, user-environment) but increasingly appear to be sustainability conflicts in which all actors use sustainability as a frame of reference for discussing possible and desirable futures. Second, conflicts are not necessarily a negative social process. In fact, conflicts often uncover unsustainable practices and create potential positive pathways for sustainable transformations.A correction to this article has been made. The file here is the updated version. Notes on the correction found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40152-023-00342-0publishedVersio