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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) were assessed in blood plasma and feathers of 19 adult black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) breeding in two colonies (Blomstrandhalvøya and Krykkjefjellet) at the Arctic archipelago, Svalbard. Potential associations with body condition index (BCI) and thyroid hormones were investigated. All compound classes were detected in both blood plasma and feathers, but due to low sample size and volumes, OPEs could only be quantified in four individuals, warranting larger follow-up studies. Kittiwakes breeding at Blomstrandhalvøya had significantly higher concentrations of organic pollutants in blood plasma than kittiwakes breeding at Krykkjefjellet (p < 0.001). Concentrations in blood plasma and feathers did not significantly correlate for any of the investigated compounds, and feather concentrations did not differ significantly between the colonies. This suggests that pollutant levels in adult kittiwake feathers do not reflect local contamination at breeding sites and are as such not useful to monitor local contamination at Svalbard. Significant negative associations between BCI and most pollutants were found in both populations, whereas significant correlations between the BCI, the ratio of total triiodothyronine to free triiodothyronine (TT3:fT3), and several pollutants were only found for kittiwakes from Blomstrandhalvøya (all r ≥ −0.60 and p ≤ 0.05). This indicates that higher levels of circulating pollutants during the breeding period covary with the TT3: fT3 ratio, and may act as an additional stressor during this period.
2018
2018
Concentrations of organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) can show significant temporal and spatial variation in the environment and wildlife. Most of the variation is due to changes in use and production, but environmental and biological factors may also contribute to the variation. Nestlings of top predators are exposed to maternally transferred OHCs in the egg and through their dietary intake after hatching. The present study investigated spatial and temporal variation of OHCs and the role of age and diet on these variations in plasma of Norwegian white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) nestlings. The nestlings were sampled at two locations, Smøla and Steigen, in 2015 and 2016. The age of the nestlings was recorded (range: 44 - 87 days old) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) were applied as dietary proxies for carbon source and trophic position, respectively. In total, 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, range: 0.82 - 59.05 ng/mL), 7 organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs, range: 0.89 - 52.19 ng/mL), 5 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, range: 0.03 - 2.64 ng/mL) and 8 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs, range: 4.58 - 52.94 ng/mL) were quantified in plasma samples from each location and year. The OHC concentrations, age and dietary proxies displayed temporal and spatial variations. The age of the nestlings was indicated as the most important predictor for OHC variation as the models displayed significantly decreasing plasma concentrations of PCBs, OCPs, and PBDEs with increasing age, while concentrations of PFASs were significantly increasing with age. Together with age, the variations in PCB, OCP and PBDE concentrations were also explained by δ13C and indicated decreasing concentrations with a more marine diet. Our findings emphasise age and diet as important factors to consider when investigating variations in plasma OHC concentrations in nestlings.
2018
Coral Reef Socio-Ecological Systems Analysis & Restoration
Restoration strategies for coral reefs are usually focused on the recovery of bio-physical characteristics. They seldom include an evaluation of the recovery of the socio-ecological and ecosystem services features of coral reef systems. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to address both the socio-ecological system features of coral reefs with the implementation of restoration activity for degraded coral reefs. Such a framework can lead to better societal outcomes from restoration activities while restoring bio-physical, social and ecosystem service features of such systems. We first developed a Socio Ecological System Analysis Framework, which combines the Ostrom Framework for analyzing socio-ecological systems and the Kittinger et al. human dimensions framework of coral reefs socio-ecological systems. We then constructed a Restoration of Coral Reef Framework, based on the most used and recent available coral reef restoration literature. These two frameworks were combined to present a Socio-Ecological Systems & Restoration Coral Reef Framework. These three frameworks can be used as a guide for managers, researchers and decision makers to analyze the needs of coral reef restoration in a way that addresses both socio-economic and ecological objectives to analyze, design, implement and monitor reef restoration programs.
2018
During an exceptionally warm September of 2016, the unique, stable weather conditions over Poland allowed for an extensive testing of the new algorithm developed to improve the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval. The development was conducted in the frame of the ESA-ESRIN SAMIRA project. The new AOD algorithm aims at providing the aerosol optical depth maps over the territory of Poland with a high temporal resolution of 15 minutes. It was tested on the data set obtained between 11-16 September 2016, during which a day of relatively clean atmospheric background related to an Arctic airmass inflow was surrounded by a few days with well increased aerosol load of different origin. On the clean reference day, for estimating surface reflectance the AOD forecast available on-line via the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) was used. The obtained AOD maps were validated against AODs available within the Poland-AOD and AERONET networks, and with AOD values obtained from the PollyXT-UW lidar. of the University of Warsaw (UW).
2018
Impacts of the autumn Arctic sea ice on the intraseasonal reversal of the winter Siberian high
During 1979–2015, the intensity of the Siberian high (SH) in November and December–January (DJ) is frequently shown to have an out-of-phase relationship, which is accompanied by opposite surface air temperature and circulation anomalies. Further analyses indicate that the autumn Arctic sea ice is important for the phase reversal of the SH. There is a significantly positive (negative) correlation between the November (DJ) SH and the September sea ice area (SIA) anomalies. It is suggested that the reduction of autumn SIA induces anomalous upward surface turbulent heat flux (SHF), which can persist into November, especially over the Barents Sea. Consequently, the enhanced eddy energy and wave activity flux are transported to mid and high latitudes. This will then benefit the development of the storm track in northeastern Europe. Conversely, when downward SHF anomalies prevail in DJ, the decreased heat flux and suppressed eddy energy hinder the growth of the storm track during DJ over the Barents Sea and Europe. Through the eddy–mean flow interaction, the strengthened (weakened) storm track activities induce decreased (increased) Ural blockings and accelerated (decelerated) westerlies, which makes the cold air from the Arctic inhibited (transported) over the Siberian area. Therefore, a weaker (stronger) SH in November (DJ) occurs downstream. Moreover, anomalously large snowfall may intensify the SH in DJ rather than in November. The ensemble-mean results from the CMIP5 historical simulations further confirm these connections. The different responses to Arctic sea ice anomalies in early and middle winter set this study apart from earlier ones.
2018
2018
The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and bioaccumulation of new flame retardants (nBFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DDC-CO) in the marine environment close to an Arctic community. Passive sampling of air and water and grab sampling of sediment and amphipods was used to obtain samples to study long-range transport versus local contributions for regulated and emerging flame retardants in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. BDE-47 and -99, α- and β-tetrabromoethylcyclohexane (DBE-DBCH), syn- and anti-dechlorane plus (DDC-CO) were detected in all investigated matrices and the DDC-COss at higher concentrations in the air than reported from other remote Arctic areas. Water concentrations of ΣDDC-COSs were low (3 pg/L) and comparable to recent Arctic studies. ΣnBFR was 37 pg/L in the water samples while ΣPBDE was 3 pg/L. In biota, ΣDDC-COSs dominated (218 pg/g ww) followed by ΣnBFR (95 pg/g ww) and ΣPBDEs (45 pg/g ww). When compared with other areas and their relative distribution patterns, contributions from local sources of the analysed compounds cannot be ruled out. This should be taken into account when assessing long-range transport of nBFRs and DDC-COs to the Arctic. High concentrations of PBDEs in the sediment indicate that they might originate from a small, local source, while the results for some of the more volatile compounds such as hexabromobenzene (HBBz) suggest long-range transport to be more important than local sources. We recommend that local sources of flame retardants in remote areas receive more attention in the future.
2018
2018
The 1783–1784 Laki eruption provides a natural experiment to evaluate the performance of chemistry-transport models in predicting the health impact of air particulate pollution. There are few existing daily meteorological observations during the second part of the 18th century. Hence, creating reasonable climatological conditions for such events constitutes a major challenge. We reconstructed meteorological fields for the period 1783–1784 based on a technique of analogues described in the Methods. Using these fields and including detailed chemistry we describe the concentrations of sulphur (SO2/SO4) that prevail over the North Atlantic, the adjoining seas and Western Europe during these 2 years. To evaluate the model, we analyse these results through the prism of two datasets contemporary to the Laki period: • The date of the first appearance of ‘dry fogs’ over Europe, • The excess mortality recorded in French parishes over the period June–September 1783. The sequence of appearances of the dry fogs is reproduced with a very-high degree of agreement to the first dataset. High concentrations of SO2/SO4 are simulated in June 1783 that coincide with a rapid rise of the number of deceased in French parishes records. We show that only a small part of the deceased of the summer of 1783 can be explained by the present-day relationships between PM2.5 and relative risk. The implication of this result is that other external factors such as the particularly warm summer of 1783, and the lack of health care at the time, must have contributed to the sharp increase in mortality over France recorded from June to September 1783.
2018
2018
2018
Maternal-Child Exposures to Persistent Organic Pollutants in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Information about the human burdens of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in low- and middle-income countries is limited. In particular, studies often include only a small subset of POPs. To address this data gap, we aimed to assess maternal-child exposures to POPs in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We quantified 16 organochlorine pesticides, 12 polychlorinated biphenyls, 21 brominated flame retardants, 18 per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, 2 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and short-chain chlorinated paraffins in 18 pooled samples of human cord blood from 90 mother–infant pairs living in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2014–2015). In all pooled samples, we detected high levels of p,p′-DDT (median 81.6 ng/g lipid) and its metabolites p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDD (median 551 and 10.7 ng/g lipid, respectively), where the p,p′-DDE/p,p′-DDT ratio ranged from 2.9 to 9.8 indicating recent dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure. We also detected acenaphthene, decabromodiphenyl ethane, o,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDE, hexachlorobenzene, β-hexachlorocyclohexane, hexabromobenzene, and perfluorooctanoic acid in a subset of samples. For the other 59 target compounds, concentrations were below the limits of detection, despite using ultra-trace analytical methodology. No trends were observed when stratifying the analyses of detected POP concentrations by maternal age, maternal body mass index, or large fish consumption. These findings highlight recent DDT exposure in Dhaka, but the overall POP burden was otherwise low in this sample of pregnant women/newborns. Future monitoring efforts should focus on newly detected POPs for which burdens may be increasing due to ongoing industrialization in Bangladesh.
2018
2018
Is crumb rubber a source for pollutants and harmful effects in the marine environment?
In Norwegian coastal communities, rubber microplastic granules (≤ 5 mm in size) derived from discarded vehicle tires are used in large quantities on outdoor synthetic turf sports pitches. Through transport by waste water effluents and terrestrial runoff, these rubber particles are considered a significant source of MPs to the marine ecosystem. In the here presented interdisciplinary project we study the composition, degradation and environmental impacts of these rubber granules from locations in northern Norway and Svalbard. Their persistence and residence time in the Arctic marine environment is unknown. These rubber particles pose a potential health risk for arctic wild life through direct ingestion, especially at the base of the marine food chain, but may also provide an exposure route for toxic additive chemicals present in tires to marine organisms. Furthermore, the rubber particles may act as a vector for other persistent organic and heavy metal pollutants already present in the marine environment. Arctic marine environments present special abiotic conditions for the degradation of these particles, with cold water temperatures and long periods with unlimited sunlight. During a 12 months period, rubber crumbs were placed out in the ocean in stainless steel containers and sub-sampled continuously for the measurement of persistent organic pollutants, metals and additives. Hydrophobic persistent organic pollutants such as PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, bisphenols, as well as metals were measured to establish the adsorption and leaching kinetics in seawater under in situ conditions. Samples were extracted using ultrasound and nonpolar solvents, followed by GPC and SPE clean up. Chemical analyses using pyroGC/MS, GC/MS/MS and LC/HRMS were done in the laboratories of NILU, Tromsø and SINTEF, Trondheim. Exposure experiments with rubber leachate were also conducted and high mortality rates were found for different marine zooplankton species.
2018
2018
The PLASTOX project investigates the ingestion, food-web transfer, and ecotoxicological impact of microplastics (MPs), together with the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), metals and plastic additive chemicals associated with them, on key European marine species and ecosystems. PLASTOX combines field-based observations, laboratory tests and manipulative field experiments to study the ecological effects of MPs.
As part of a long-term field experiment conducted at marine locations across Europe (Mediterranean to Arctic), a range of different virgin polymer pellets, post-use polymers (LDPE, PP, PS and PET), as well as marine litter-derived microplastic particles, were deployed underwater for up to 12 months in the small boat harbour of Tromsø, Northern Norway. The deployment device consisted of an empty stainless steel SPMD canister, with the various plastic types placed in reusable, empty 'teabags' made of PP, placed separately in nylon netting. Sampling was conducted 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after deployment. Hydrophobic persistent organic pollutants such as PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, PBDEs and pesticides that had become associated with the plastic were measured and their adsorption kinetics in seawater under Arctic conditions established. Samples were extracted using ultrasound and non-polar solvents, followed by GPC and SPE clean up prior to chemical analysis and quantification by GC/MS/MS and GC/qMS. The release kinetics of common plastic additives, including phthalates, organophosphate esters, bisphenols and perfluorinated chemicals, were estimated from four types of post-industrial virgin pellets (LDPE, PS, PVC, PET) according to the same sampling protocol. Chemical analysis was performed using either GC/MS or LC-QTOF.
Results show that HCB and PCBs represented the dominant pollutant classes adsorbing to all of the different polymer types, but at concentrations that are more than 10-times lower than those previously reported. However, equilibrium between pollutants and the polymers was not reached during the deployment period, indicating that Arctic conditions may result in different sorption kinetics than observed in temperate regions.
2018
2018
2018