Editorial | International audience | The scientific knowledge produced by academic research can be valued in all sectors of human activity, including private sector. The ROVALTAIN Foundation organized a round-table during its scientific day in 2019. It crossed the points of view of academic scientists and industrial partners, addressing five main topics. The first one concerned the validation of a common definition of the academic research/private partners interface. Then, the group discussed the place for academic expertise in the corporate world; the advantages of involving academic researchers in expertise for the private sector; and the limits of this model. To conclude, the need of a third party, like the ROVALTAIN Foundation, as a catalyzer in building the interface between academic research and private partners has been discussed.

Editorial | International audience | The scientific knowledge produced by academic research can be valued in all sectors of human activity, including private sector. The ROVALTAIN Foundation organized a round-table during its scientific day in 2019. It crossed the points of view of academic scientists and industrial partners, addressing five main topics. The first one concerned the validation of a common definition of the academic research/private partners interface. Then, the group discussed the place for academic expertise in the corporate world; the advantages of involving academic researchers in expertise for the private sector; and the limits of this model. To conclude, the need of a third party, like the ROVALTAIN Foundation, as a catalyzer in building the interface between academic research and private partners has been discussed.

Hg is a global concern given its adverse effects on human health, food security and the environment, and it requiring actions to identify major local Hg sources and to evaluate pollution. Our study provides the first assessment of Hg stock trends on the entire Majorca surface, identifying major Hg sources by studying the spatiotemporal soil Hg variation at two successive times (2006 and 2016-17). The Hg soil concentration ranged from 14 to 258 μg kg􀀀 1 (mean 52 μg kg􀀀 1). Higher concentrations (over 100 μg kg􀀀 1) were found in two areas: (i) close to the Alcudia coal-fired power plant; (ii) in the city of La Palma. During the 11-year, the total Hg stock in Majorcan soil increased from 432.96 tons to 493.18 tones (14% increase). Based on a block kriging analysis, soil Hg enrichment due to power plant emissions was clearly detectable on a local scale (i.e. a shorter distance than 18 km from the power plant). Nonetheless, a significant island-wide Hg increase due to diffuse pollution was reported. This result could be extrapolated to other popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean islands where tourism has increased in recent decades In short, more than 60 tons of Hg have accumulated on Majorca island in 11 years.

Air pollution is a major global concern in urban areas and it is considered the greatest environmental risk to health. Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help improve air quality and reduce the urban heat island effect. The impacts of urban vegetation on air quality and ambient temperature depend on many factors, such as vegetation type, location, pollutants, climate conditions and topography. Therefore, the implementation of NBS needs to be tailored for each city. Within the context of the H2020 UNaLab project, the main objective of this work is to assess the potential of NBS to improve air quality across three European cities with different climates: (i) Eindhoven, The Netherlands; (ii) Tampere, Finland; and (iii) Genova, Italy. The WRF-CHEM model was applied for the hottest week in a present climate reference year. The baseline case (without NBS) and two NBS scenarios were simulated for each city. These scenarios (green roofs and green parks) were implemented in the model by modifying the land-use type and the emissions of the model grid cells. According to the model results, the city that least benefited from NBS was Tampere with an average reduction of 5% in surface temperature, and 1% in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) concentrations. Temperature-wise Genova and Eindhoven had similar results, approximately 6% reduction, while Genova showed the largest improvement in NO2 (12%). These results indicate that NBS are more effective in high temperature and high air pollution cities, such as Genova. Moreover, this study reinforces the importance of studying case-specific solutions, considering environmental characteristics and challenges.

The Arctic has been a refuge from anthropogenic underwater noise; however, climate change has caused summer sea ice to diminish, allowing for unprecedented access and the potential for increased underwater noise. Baseline underwater sound levels must be quantified to monitor future changes and manage underwater noise in the Arctic. We analyzed 39 passive acoustic datasets collected throughout the Canadian Arctic from 2014 to 2019 using statistical models to examine spatial and temporal trends in daily mean sound pressure levels (SPL) and quantify environmental and anthropogenic drivers of SPL. SPL (50–1000 Hz) ranged from 70 to 127 dB re 1 μPa (median = 91 dB). SPL increased as wind speed increased, but decreased as both ice concentration and air temperature increased, and SPL increased as the number of ships per day increased. This study provides a baseline for underwater sound levels in the Canadian Arctic and fills many geographic gaps on published underwater sound levels.

Water quality monitoring programs (WQMPs) are crucial for assessment of water quality in river basins where agricultural intensification and development raise concerns in freshwater and marine environments. WQMPs if supported by scientists and local communities, and if based on the knowledge needs of all stakeholders, can provide vital information supporting resource management actions.Our paper focuses on the transdisciplinary development and implementation of a community-led pilot WQMP for the Tully River basin, adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The community-led pilot WQMP was established to fill some knowledge gaps identified during development of the Tully Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) and to provide opportunities for active stakeholder participation in the monitoring. Results indicated some water quality parameters (i.e. nitrates and total phosphorus) had higher than expected values and exceeded state water quality guidelines. Hence, the results provided an evidence base for freshwater quality objective development to conserve, protect and improve water quality conditions in this basin and GBR. Leadership of Indigenous people in the pilot WQMP recognizes their deep desire to improve water resources outcomes and to care for country and people.

Model predictions of oil transport and fate for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Gulf of Mexico) were compared to field observations and absolute and relative concentrations of oil compounds in samples from 900 to 1400 m depth <11 km from the well. Chemical partitioning analyses using quantitative indices support a bimodal droplet size distribution model for oil released during subsea dispersant applications in June with 74% of the mass in >1 mm droplets that surfaced near the spill site within a few hours, and 1–8% as <0.13 mm microdroplets that remained below 900 m. Analyses focused on 900–1400 m depth <11 km from the well indicate there was substantial biodegradation of dissolved components, some biodegradation in microdroplets, recirculation of weathered microdroplets into the wellhead area, and marine oil snow settling from above 900 m carrying more-weathered particulate oil into the deep plume.

During the type approval process of ballast water management systems (BWMS) performance tests need to be conducted according to the BWMS Code (previously Guidelines G8) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The shipboard tests previously included a control experiment with untreated ballast water to evaluate the BWMS performance by comparing test results of treated and untreated water. Biological results and abiotic parameters of 97 control water tests conducted during the last >10 years during ballast water uptakes and corresponding discharges were summarized. In general, a strong decline of organisms in ballast tanks was observed, especially during the first few days of the holding time. The IMO validity criteria for uptake water phytoplankton in shipboard control tests were met in 82.5% of all tests. Phytoplankton numbers below the validity criteria occurred predominantly in winter and/or when the water was taken up offshore. For zooplankton the validity criteria were always met. The TSS and POC content in our ballast water uptake samples was frequently much higher than required during IMO BWMS type approval tests so that the current testing requirements do not represent a challenge to BWMS. With this a risk is taken that type approved BWMS fail in water conditions which occur frequently in the real world.