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Forslag til indeks for vurdering av kongekrabbens påvirkning på bunndyrsamfunn
Get PDFProsjektleder Gunhild BorgersenBestanden av kongekrabbe (Paralithodes camtschaticus) har vokst raskt siden den først ble registrert i Varangerfjorden i 1977, og er nå en etablert art i Norge. Kongekrabben kan ha stor påvirkning på bløtbunnsfauna, men systemet som i dag benyttes til å vurdere miljøpåvirkning og tilstand i norske kystområder synes ikke å fange opp effekter på bunnøkosystemer som forårsakes av kongekrabben. I denne rapporten utredes derfor et spekter av både strukturelle og funksjonelle endringer som kongekrabben kan forårsake i bunnfaunasamfunn, og det foreslås en sammensatt indeks som klassifiserer stasjonene som påvirket eller ikke påvirket. Indeksen er utarbeidet på grunnlag av faunadata fra 56 stasjoner i Troms og Finnmark, fra områder med og uten kongekrabbe. En indeks bestående av tre eller fem komponenter gir tilfredsstillende resultat ved utprøving, men fem er trolig mest robust.publishedVersio
Is Glacial Meltwater a Secondary Source of Legacy Contaminants to Arctic Coastal Food Webs?
Get PDFClimate change-driven increases in air and sea temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic cryosphere with potential for remobilization and accumulation of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in adjacent coastal food webs. Here, we present concentrations of selected POPs in zooplankton (spatially and seasonally), as well as zoobenthos and sculpin (spatially) from Isfjorden, Svalbard. Herbivorous zooplankton contaminant concentrations were highest in May [e.g., ∑polychlorinated biphenyls (8PCB); 4.43, 95% CI: 2.72–6.3 ng/g lipid weight], coinciding with the final stages of the spring phytoplankton bloom, and lowest in August (∑8PCB; 1.6, 95% CI: 1.29–1.92 ng/g lipid weight) when zooplankton lipid content was highest, and the fjord was heavily impacted by sediment-laden terrestrial inputs. Slightly increasing concentrations of α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) in zooplankton from June (1.18, 95% CI: 1.06–1.29 ng/g lipid weight) to August (1.57, 95% CI: 1.44–1.71 ng/g lipid weight), alongside a higher percentage of α-HCH enantiomeric fractions closer to racemic ranges, indicate that glacial meltwater is a secondary source of α-HCH to fjord zooplankton in late summer. Except for α-HCH, terrestrial inputs were generally associated with reduced POP concentrations in zooplankton, suggesting that increased glacial melt is not likely to significantly increase exposure of legacy POPs in coastal fauna.publishedVersio
Eutrofiering av norske innsjøer. Tilstand og trender.
Get PDFProsjektleder/Hovedforfatter Anne Lyche SolheimDatasett for eutrofieringsrelevante parametere er tilgjengelig i Vannmiljø for 366 innsjøer, som har total fosfor i god eller dårligere tilstand og minst én biologisk parameter for minst ett år i perioden 2009-2020. Den økologiske tilstanden er moderat, dårlig eller svært dårlig i ca. halvparten av disse. Oppblomstringer av giftige cyanobakterier eller andre problemalger er vanlige i flere av disse innsjøene. Utviklingstrender er analysert for klorofyll og total fosfor i 125 innsjøer som har minst fire års data etter 2008. De fleste av disse innsjøene viser ingen trender. 24 innsjøer har stigende trend for én eller begge parameterne, det vil si forverring, mens 36 har avtagende trend, det vil si forbedring for én eller begge parameterne. De fleste av innsjøene med forbedring for klorofyll er i Vannområdene Morsa, Haldenvassdraget og Jæren, der avløps- og jordbrukstiltak har vært gjennomført over lang tid. Klimaendringer kan forverre situasjonen og kreve mer omfattende tiltak for å nå miljømålet.publishedVersio
Generating environmental sampling and testing data for micro- and nanoplastics for use in life cycle impact assessment
Get PDFOngoing efforts focus on quantifying plastic pollution and describing and estimating the related magnitude of exposure and impacts on human and environmental health. Data gathered during such work usually follows a receptor perspective. However, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) represents an emitter perspective. This study examines existing data gathering and reporting approaches for field and laboratory studies on micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) exposure and effects relevant to LCA data inputs. The outcomes indicate that receptor perspective approaches do not typically provide suitable or sufficiently harmonised data. Improved design is needed in the sampling, testing and recording of results using harmonised, validated and comparable methods, with more comprehensive reporting of relevant data. We propose a three-level set of requirements for data recording and reporting to increase the potential for LCA studies and models to utilise data gathered in receptor-oriented studies. We show for which purpose such data can be used as inputs to LCA, particularly in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. Implementing these requirements will facilitate proper integration of the potential environmental impacts of plastic losses from human activity (e.g. litter) into LCA. Then, the impacts of plastic emissions can eventually be connected and compared with other environmental issues related to anthropogenic activities.publishedVersio
Comparing total and accessible concentrations of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments and suspended particulate matter in the Danube River
Get PDFContamination of aquatic ecosystems by hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) is often assessed based on their concentrations in riverbed sediment and suspended particulate matter (SPM). However, total HOC concentration (CTOT) in sediment or SPM is of limited value for evaluating the exposure of benthic or pelagic organisms. The accessible HOC concentration (CAS) presents a useful parameter quantifying the overall pool of HOC in sediment or SPM available for fast partitioning to the water phase or biota. We applied a novel approach of ex situ sequential equilibrium partitioning with silicone elastomer sampler at a high sampler/SPM phase ratio to measure CAS of HOC in SPM from the Danube River. We compared CTOT and CAS in SPM and surface layer sediment collected at the same sites to evaluate whether HOC monitoring in the two matrices provides equivalent information on environmental quality. At most sites, there was a good agreement and correlation of organic carbon (OC)-normalised CTOT in SPM and sediment for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the majority of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). In contrast, CTOT of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in SPM were up to a factor 10 lower in SPM than in sediment. Site-specific differences of OC-normalised CAS concentrations in SPM and sediments were observed for PCBs and OCPs, with accessibility mostly lower in SPM than in sediment. The highest accessibility in SPM was observed for PCBs, ranging between 15 and 30%. The accessibility of OCPs varied from 0 to 23%. SPM and riverbed sediment samples provide complementary but not mutually interchangeable information on HOC contamination.acceptedVersio
Using in situ sensor-based monitoring to study impacts of climate change on river water quality and element fluxes
Get PDFProsjektleder: Øyvind KasteThe report contains an analysis of high-frequency sensor data from two rivers included in the Norwegian River Monitoring Programme; Storelva in southern Norway and Målselva in northern Norway. The main aim of the report is to combine in situ sensor-based monitoring data with climate, hydrology and water chemistry data to study impacts of climate change on river water quality and element fluxes. The report also highlights challenges, opportunities and the strong potential for sensor-based monitoring to yield new knowledge related to climate change impacts on river water quality.Norwegian Environment AgencypublishedVersio
Temperature and spatial connectivity drive patterns in freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity across the Arctic
Get PDF1. Warming in the Arctic is predicted to change freshwater biodiversity through loss of unique taxa and northward range expansion of lower latitude taxa. Detecting such changes requires establishing circumpolar baselines for diversity, and understanding the primary drivers of diversity. 2. We examined benthic macroinvertebrate diversity using a circumpolar dataset of >1,500 Arctic lake and river sites. Rarefied α diversity within catchments was assessed along latitude and temperature gradients. Community composition was assessed through region-scale analysis of β diversity and its components (nestedness and turnover), and analysis of biotic–abiotic relationships. 3. Rarefied α diversity of lakes and rivers declined with increasing latitude, although more strongly across mainland regions than islands. Diversity was strongly related to air temperature, with the lowest diversity in the coldest catchments. Regional dissimilarity was highest when mainland regions were compared with islands, suggesting that connectivity limitations led to the strongest dissimilarity. High contributions of nestedness indicated that island regions contained a subset of the taxa found in mainland regions. 4. High Arctic rivers and lakes were predominately occupied by Chironomidae and Oligochaeta, whereas Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa were more abundant at lower latitudes. Community composition was strongly associated with temperature, although geology and precipitation were also important correlates. 5. The strong association with temperature supports the prediction that warming will increase Arctic macroinvertebrate diversity, although low diversity on islands suggests that this increase will be limited by biogeographical constraints. Long-term harmonised monitoring across the circumpolar region is necessary to detect such changes to diversity and inform science-based management. benthic invertebrates, dispersal, diversity, high latitude, lake, riverpublishedVersio
First Documented Uses of Caves along the Coast of Albania by Mediterranean Monk Seals (Monachus monachus, Hermann 1779): Ecological and Conservation Inferences
Get PDFInformation on the habitat use of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) along the coast of Albania (Adriatic and Ionian Sea) has so far been limited to vague and generalised data. A survey conducted in the National Marine Park Karaburun-Sazan in the summer of 2019 identified two marine caves with morphological characteristics best suited for use by such species. The two caves were subsequently equipped with infrared camera traps in 2020. The recovery of a scat in one of the caves during the 2019 survey and the photographic material obtained confirmed the use of the cave. This research provides the first documentation of marine cave habitat use by the Mediterranean monk seal in Albania. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of specimens frequenting the area could not be performed due to the limited data obtained on seal presence along the Albanian coasts. Nevertheless, the retrieved information is relevant for Albania and for the species conservation. The collected scat was analysed for trophic and anthropogenic contamination data. Three species (gilthead sea bream, European sea bass, and garfish), as well as four anthropogenic items (including a piece of nylon net), were identified. The inferences resulting from the analyses of the data presented in this study provided additional information on the ecology of the species and its conservation priorities, which need to be contextualized at the Adriatic–Ionian regional scale.publishedVersio
Screening Programme 2021
Get PDFProsjektleder Bert van BavelThe Screening Programme 2021 was carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and NILU-Norwegian Institute for Air Research. The spotlight was placed on the occurrence and possible environmental problems of 218 chemicals. The selected substances may be included in numerous products and their usage patterns are not easily defined so an array of different locations and sample-types were investigated. The total number of results exceeds 26 000. Results are can be downloaded from the database Vannmiljø.Norwegian Environment AgencypublishedVersio
Proceedings of the 38th meeting of the ICP Waters Programme in Miraflores de la Sierra, Spain, and on-line, May 10-12, 2022
Get PDFProsjektleder Kari AustnesProceedings of the 38th Task Force meeting of the ICP Waters Programme held in Miraflores de la Sierra, Spain, and online, May 10-12, 2022. National contributions from Czech Republic and Spain.Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)publishedVersio