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Screening Program 2024. Substances in electronic waste facilities and wastewater treatment
The 2024 Screening Programme investigated emerging and legacy contaminants in e-waste facilities and wastewater treatment. LCD substances, flame retardants, plasticizers, and their metabolites were found in air, dust, and water near e-waste sites. Bisphenol-related compounds and follow-up substances were detected in wastewater, particularly in sludge and particles. The findings highlight environmental dispersion, treatment efficiency, and the need for continued monitoring.
NILU
2025
2025
2025
Towards an integrated data-driven infrastructure (InfraNor)
The Arctic is warming almost four times faster compared to the rest of the world (Rantanen et al. 2022). Svalbard and its surroundings have warmed faster than most of the Arctic (Cai et al. 2021; Isaksen et al. 2022). The Svalbard archipelago also shows large temperature variations from south to north and east to west (Østby et al. 2017). Svalbard has good infrastructure, logistics and communications (airport, port, laboratories), and excellent possibilities for data transfer. This makes Svalbard and its surroundings an attractive living natural laboratory for long-term and campaign-based Arctic studies.
2025
VKM has assessed the positive and negative effects on biodiversity were sterile salmon to be used in Norwegian aquaculture. Triploidisation is assessed as the most effective method for sterilising fish, but it can affect the welfare and health of the fish.
Several other techniques for producing sterile salmon are being tested, but it is too early to determine whether they can be used in large-scale farming.
This is the key message in a knowledge summary VKM has prepared for the Norwegian Environment Agency.
Background
Escaped farmed salmon poses a major threat to wild salmon in Norway. hey can interbreed with wild salmon, genetically alter them, and make the populations less adaptable and more vulnerable to disease and environmental changes. A possible solution to the problem may be to use sterile salmon in farming.
To date, only triploidisation has been tested. Newly fertilised eggs are given a hydrostatic pressure shock, thereby retaining an extra set of chromosomes which render the fish sterile. This method is currently the only one tested on a large scale. Triploidisation is effective but can also pose health and welfare challenges to fish.
Methods
VKM has reviewed available scientific literature regarding methods that can be used to produce sterile salmon. VKM has assessed whether these methods work as well, or better, than triploidy and whether they are likely to have fewer negative effects on fish welfare. Assessments have also been made of whether farmed fish treated with other sterilisation methods pose a greater or lesser threat to wild salmon than traditional farmed salmon.
VKM has looked at the possibilities for further development of the triploidisation technique and has also assessed various methods currently being tested for producing sterile fish. Some of these are still at the laboratory-testing stage, while others are approaching trials with release into sea-pens. VKM has grouped the different methods based on whether they cause permanent changes in the genome (so-called "knock-out" of important genes) or whether the changes only result in temporary blocking or downregulation of gene expression (so-called "knock-down").
Results
VKM concludes that triploidisation remains the most effective method and that there are possibilities to further develop this methodology through targeted breeding and adjustments in how the fish are kept. These measures can potentially solve the challenges for fish health and welfare. Using pure triploid female lines can also reduce some of the other challenges by preventing spawning interactions in rivers and reducing disease transmission to wild salmon.
Alternative sterilisation methods, such as gene editing, vaccination, and temporary downregulation of proteins for gonad development using antisense oligomers and egg immersion, are promising but still under development.
VKM assesses that methods causing permanent changes in the genome of diploid fish have a higher inherent risk than methods that only affect gene expression.
Hope in egg-bathing
Perhaps the most promising technique for safe production of sterile salmon is to add synthetic oligonucleotides to the eggs at an early stage, thereby preventing germ cell development without causing any inheritable changes. Such oligonucleotides can be injected into the eggs or absorbed by the eggs through bathing (immersion) in a special solution.
"Especially the method involving targeted 'tools,' such as oligonucleotides that prevent germ cell development and can be added to the eggs in a water bath, seems promising," says Johanna Bodin, member of the Panel for Genetically Modified organisms and spokesperson for the report.
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2025
From streets to seas: New greener ways to analyse urban snow pollution
Arctic cities experience long winters with heavy snowfalls. Every year, tonnes of urban snow contaminated with microplastics from tire wear and other traffic-related environmental pollutants are dumped into the sea.
2025
Australia has significant sources of atmospheric methane (CH₄), driven by extensive coal and natural gas production, livestock, and large-scale fires. Accurate quantification and characterization of CH₄ emissions are critical for effective climate mitigation strategies in Australia. In this study, we employed an inverse analysis of atmospheric CH₄ observations from the GOSAT satellite and surface measurements from 2016 to 2021 to assess CH₄ emissions in Australia. The inversion process integrates anthropogenic and natural emissions as prior estimates, optimizing them with the NIES-TM-FLEXPART-variational model (NTFVAR) at a resolution of up to 0.1° × 0.1°. We validated the performance of our inverse model using data obtained from the United Nations Environment Program Methane Science (UNEP), Airborne Research Australia 2018 aircraft-based atmospheric CH₄ measurement campaigns. Compared to prior emission estimates, optimized emissions dramatically enhanced the accuracy of modeled concentrations, aligning them much better with observations. Our results indicate that the estimated inland CH4 emissions in Australia amount to 6.84 ± 0.51 Tg CH4 yr−1 and anthropogenic emissions amount to 4.20 ± 0.08 Tg CH4 yr−1, both slightly lower than the values reported in existing inventories. Moreover, our results unveil noteworthy spatiotemporal characteristics, such as upward corrections during the warm season, particularly in Southeastern Australia. During the three most severe months of the 2019–2020 bushfire season, emissions from biomass burning surged by 0.68 Tg, constituting over 71% of the total emission increase. These results highlight the importance of continuous observation and analysis of sectoral emissions, particularly near major sources, to guide targeted emission reduction strategies. The spatiotemporal characteristics identified in this study underscore the need for adaptive and region-specific approaches to CH₄ emission management in Australia.
2025
Anthropogenic compounds in the northernmost Atlantic puffin population
Contamination by organic pollutants, even in remote regions, poses a growing threat to wildlife, including seabirds. However, for many seabirds breeding at high latitudes, both the extent and nature of contaminant exposure remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in the Svalbard Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica at the northern limit of its range. We also compare contaminant concentrations with those found in other species breeding on Svalbard and in puffin colonies further south. The Svalbard puffins were found to be contaminated by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). No significant sex difference was found. OCPs, PCBs and/or PFASs concentrations in Svalbard puffins were comparable to those of Brünnich's guillemots Uria lomvia, black guillemots Cepphus grylle, and/or little auks Alle alle, but lower than in glaucous gulls Larus hyperboreus. PFAS concentrations were also lower than in black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. OCP and PCB concentrations were lower on Svalbard than in puffin colonies further south. This study is the first to document PFAS concentrations in puffins, therefore it remains unknown whether PFAS levels were also lower on Svalbard than further south. These comparisons should be interpreted with caution, as data for different species or colonies were collected in different years, and contaminant levels vary over time. The current contaminant concentrations indicate that Svalbard puffins are still at low risk for biological effects, but continued monitoring is needed to assess potential future changes.
2025
Environmental Contaminants in an Urban Fjord, 2024 – Emphasis on Alna River
This report presents data from the fourth year of a 5-year period of the Urban Fjord
programme. The programme started in 2013 and has since been altered/advanced.
In 2024 the programme covers sampling and analyses of water, water moss,
invertebrates, and trout from Alna River, as well as stormwater from Eastern Oslo
City. A sampling campaign was also conducted for source tracing of chlorhexidine,
dichloromethane and trichloromethane previously found in Alna River. A total of
240 single compounds/isomers were analyzed, and frequent detection was found
of specifc PFAS compounds in aqueous phases, other specifc PFAS compounds in
trout liver, UV-compounds and certain QACs in the particulate fraction of
stormwater, certain benzothiazoles in stormwater (dissolved and/or particulate
fraction) , chlorinated paraffns (MCCP and LCCP) in biota, certain siloxanes in
nearly all matrices, metals in all matrices, and PCBs in biota. Biomagnifcation was
only observed for a couple of the PCB congeners. However, as expected,
biomagnifcation was observed for mercury and PFOS. Biomagnifcation of silver
was observed when trout was represented by liver samples, but not muscle samples.
The source tracing showed the presence of the compounds at several stations
Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA)
2025
Denne rapporten beskriver en studie utført av NILU for Nordre Follo kommune, med støtte fra Folkehelseinstituttet. Målet var å prøve uhildet kartlegging som metode for å undersøke hvilke organisk-kjemiske forbindelser som finnes i nedbørfeltet til drikkevannskilden Gjersjøen. Som del av dette ønsket vi også å identifisere forbindelser som forårsaker feilaktige, store utslag i nitratsensorer. Ved bruk av høyoppløselig massespektrometri og miljøforensiske metoder ble 163 markører identifisert, inkludert aspirin, kreatin og kreatinin, knyttet til kloakkforurensning under kraftig nedbør. Funnene gir innsikt i kjemisk interferens og kan forbedre overvåkingssystemer og vannforvaltning.
NILU
2025
2025
Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) is a key transboundary air pollutant that contributes to the impacts of nitrogen and acidity on terrestrial ecosystems. Ammonia also contributes to the atmospheric aerosol that affects air quality. Emission inventories indicate that NH3 was predominantly emitted by agriculture over the 19th and 20th centuries but, up to now, these estimates have not been compared to long-term observations. To document past atmospheric NH3 pollution in south-eastern Europe, ammonium (NH) was analysed along an ice core extracted from Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, Russia. The NH ice-core record indicates a 3.5-fold increase in concentrations between 1750 and 1990 CE. Remaining moderate prior to 1950 CE, the increase then accelerated to reach a maximum in 1989 CE. Comparison between ice-core trends and estimated past emissions using state-of-the-art atmospheric transport modelling of submicron-scale aerosols (FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion) model) indicates good agreement with the course of estimated NH3 emissions from south-eastern Europe since ∼ 1750 CE, with the main contributions from south European Russia, Türkiye, Georgia, and Ukraine. Examination of ice deposited prior to 1850 CE, when agricultural activities remained limited, suggests an NH ice concentration related to natural soil emissions representing ∼ 20 % of the 1980–2009 CE NH level, a level mainly related to current agricultural emissions that almost completely outweigh biogenic emissions from natural soil. These findings on historical NH3 emission trends represent a significant contribution to the understanding of ammonia emissions in Europe over the last 250 years.
2025
Metaller, PCB, PAH og dioksiner i mose i Sør-Varanger. Moseundersøkelser 2008, 2015 og 2020
I 2008 samlet Svanhovd Miljøsenter inn mose ved 11 lokaliteter i grenseområdene mot Russland som NILU analyserte for 11 metaller, PCB, PAH og dioksiner. Formålet var å undersøke om det var andre kilder til forurensning i grenseområdene enn gruvedrift og smelteverksindustri. Prøvetaking og analyse ble gjentatt av NILU i 2015 og 2020, men kun for 60 (2015) og 56 (2020) metaller. For spormetallene Ni, Cu, Co og As er det et klart mønster med forhøyede konsentrasjoner nedstrøms Nikel og Zapolyarnyj. Organiske miljøgifter viser lave konsentrasjoner.
NILU
2025
Climatic feedbacks and ecosystem impacts related to dust in the Arctic include direct radiative forcing (absorption and scattering), indirect radiative forcing (via clouds and cryosphere), semi-direct effects of dust on meteorological parameters, effects on atmospheric chemistry, as well as impacts on terrestrial, marine, freshwater, and cryospheric ecosystems. This review discusses our recent understanding on dust emissions and their long-range transport routes, deposition, and ecosystem effects in the Arctic. Furthermore, it demonstrates feedback mechanisms and interactions between climate change, atmospheric dust, and Arctic ecosystems.
2025
2025
Seminar focused on health inequality arranged by the project Healthy Choices and the Social gradient.
2025
2025