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We simulate the combined natural and pollutant-induced survival of early life stages of NEA cod and haddock, and the impact on the adult populations in response to the time of a major oil spill in a single year. Our simulations reveal how dynamic ocean processes, controlling both oil transport and fate and the frequency of interactions of oil with drifting fish eggs and larvae, mediate the magnitude of population losses due to an oil spill. The largest impacts on fish early life stages occurred for spills initiated in Feb–Mar, concomitant with the initial rise in marine productivity and the earliest phase of the spawning season. The reproductive health of the adult fish populations was maintained in all scenarios. The study demonstrates the application of a simulation system that provides managers with information for the planning of development activities and for the protection of fisheries resources from potential impacts. | publishedVersion

Abandoned gillnets in the marine environment represent a global environmental risk due to the ghost fishing caused by the nets. Degradation of conventional nylon gillnets was compared to that of nets made of poly- butylene succinate co-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBSAT) that are designed to degrade more readily in the envi- ronment. Gillnet filaments were incubated in microcosms of natural seawater (SW) and marine sediments at 20 ◦C over a period of 36 months. Tensile strength tests and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed weakening and degradation of the PBSAT filaments over time, while nylon filaments remained unchanged. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed potential PBSAT degradation products associated with the filament surfaces, while nylon degradation products were not detected by these analyses. Microbial communities differed significantly between the biofilms on the nylon and PBSAT filaments. The slow deterio- ration of the PBSAT gillnet filaments shown here may be beneficial and reduce the ghost fishing periods of these gillnets. | publishedVersion

Submarine tailing disposal (STD) in fjords from land-based mines is common practice in Norway and takes place in other regions worldwide. We synthesize the results of a multidisciplinary programme on environmental impacts of STDs in Norwegian fjords, providing new knowledge that can be applied to assess and mitigate impact of tailing disposal globally, both for submarine and deep-sea activities. Detailed geological seafloor mapping provided data on natural sedimentation to monitor depositional processes on the seafloor. Modelling and analytical techniques were used to assess the behaviour of tailing particles and process-chemicals in the environment, providing novel tools for monitoring. Toxicity tests showed biological impacts on test species due to particulate and chemical exposure. Hypersedimentation mesocosm and field experiments showed a varying response on the benthos, allowing to determine the transition zone in the STD impact area. Recolonisation studies indicate that full community recovery and normalisation of metal leakage rates may take several decades due to bioturbation and slow burial of sulfidic tailings. The results are synthesised to provide guidelines for the development of best available techniques for STDs. | publishedVersion

Embargo until November 18, 2023 | Sewage sludge used as agricultural fertilizer has been identified as an important source of microplastics (MPs) to the environment. However, the fate of MPs added to agricultural soils is largely unknown. This study investigated the fate of MPs in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge and the role of surface water runoff as a mechanism driving their transfer to aquatic ecosystems. This was assessed using three experimental plots located in a semi-arid area of Central Spain, which were planted with barley. The experimental plots received the following treatments: (1) control or no sludge application; (2) historical sludge application, five years prior to the experiment; and (3) sludge application at the beginning of the experiment. MPs were analyzed in surface water runoff and in different soil layers to investigate transport and infiltration for one year. The sewage sludge used in our experiment contained 5972–7771 MPs/kg dw. Based on this, we estimated that about 16,000 MPs were added to the agricultural plot amended with sludge. As expected, the sludge application significantly increased the MP concentration in soils. The control plot contained low MP concentrations (31–120 MPs kg−1 dw), potentially originating from atmospheric deposition. The plot treated five years prior to the experiment contained 226–412 and 177–235 MPs kg−1 dw at the start and end of the experiment, respectively; while the recently treated plot contained 182–231 and 138–288 MPs kg−1 dw. Our study shows that MP concentrations remain relatively constant in agricultural soils and that the MP infiltration capacity is very low. Surface water runoff had a negligible influence on the export of MPs from agricultural soils, mobilizing only 0.2–0.4% of the MPs added with sludge. We conclude that, in semi-arid regions, agricultural soils can be considered as long-term accumulators of MPs. | publishedVersion

This study compares the role of salinity regime and chemical pollution in the biodiversity patterns of estuarine benthic communities. A specific field survey allowed us to explain the response of organisms to mixtures of chemicals and the effects of salinity regime and extreme events on the richness and composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages. The patterns obtained provide further evidence that both stress sources are key factors in macroinvertebrate communities' organization, but the type and magnitude of the changes differ. The abundance of opportunistic species increased according to the pollution gradient, while this indicator was less sensitive to salinity descriptors. In contrast, biotic indices responded to the salinity regime but did not show a consistent pattern in response to pollutants. Multivariate analyses reflected both environmental stress gradients. Overall, the results suggested that diversity increased in the habitats where the frequency and duration of extreme drought and flood events were low. | This research was part of the PREVEMAR project (BIA2015-67298-R) and ECOTOPO project (RTI2018-096409-B-I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the National Plan for Scientific Research. The authors want to specially thank the Port Authority of Santander for the information provided.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in diet are a health concern and their monitoring in food has been introduced in the European Union. In developing countries, EDC dietary exposure data are scarce, especially from areas perceived as pollution hotspots, including industrialized countries like India. Several persistent organic pollutants (POPs) act as EDCs and pose a pressure to human health mainly through dietary exposure. In the present study a range of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dioxins and furans were measured in several food items collected in an Indian urban (Delhi) and a rural area (Dehradun). Food basket contamination data were used to estimate dietary exposure and compare it with that of the average European population estimated from available monitoring data. All targeted contaminants were found in most food items, especially in dairies and meat products. OCPs were the main contributors. Food supplied to Delhi's markets had higher contamination than that supplied to the peri-urban market in Dehradun. Despite looser control and restrictions, Indian dietary exposure of OCPs and PBDEs were comparable with that of Europe and were lower for PCBs and dioxins. Higher meat consumption in Europe only partly explained this pattern which was driven also by the higher residues in some European food items. A substantial part of endocrine disrupting potential in the diet derives from food and animal feeds internationally traded between developed and developing countries. With increasingly globalized food systems, internationally harmonized policies on EDC in food can lead to better protection of health in both these contexts. | publishedVersion

Mercury (Hg) pollution in the ocean is an issue of global concern, however bioaccumulation regimes of this ubiquitous pollutant in marine apex predators have important knowledge gaps. Our fish length and stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) normalized data of Greenland halibut (GH) (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) showed that Hg bioaccumulation in fillet tissue decreased by ~35–50 %, over a ten-year period from 2006 to 2015 (n = 7 individual sampling years). Hg was predominantly in the methylmercury form (>77 %). Results from a Bayesian information theoretic model showed that GH Hg concentrations decreased with time and its associated declines in Hg air emissions, estimated trophic position, and a potentially lower degree of demersal prey use as indicated by temporal trend shifts in nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable isotope values. GH trophic shifts accounted for about one third of the observed temporal reduction in Hg. Our study demonstrates the importance of simultaneously considering Hg emissions, food web dynamics and trophic shifts as important drivers of Hg bioaccumulation in a marine, deep water fish species and highlights the effectiveness of Hg regulations on ocean apex predator Hg concentrations and overall seafood safety. | publishedVersion

Areas in central Norway were heavily contaminated with fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986. In this study, we assess 137Cs in surface sediments and sediment cores collected in the Vefsnfjord in Nordland county. Concentrations of 137Cs in surface sediments ranged from 159 to 191 Bq kg−1 dry weight (d.w.). Sub-surface peaks of 137Cs were observed in all cores, with a maximum concentration of 432 Bq kg−1 d.w. Given that little is known about the distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides in Norwegian fjords and coastal areas, a better understanding of the total burden of radioactivity is important for the Norwegian fishing and aquaculture industries. Therefore, analyses of the natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb were included in the study. Analyses of total sulphur (TS), total carbon (TC), total organic carbon (TOC) and grain size distribution have been performed to provide a sedimentologic context for interpreting the radionuclide results. | publishedVersion

One of the ambitions of the UN Decade of Ocean Science is stakeholder interaction to co-produce new ideas and solutions for policy action plans to ensure that environmental challenges are mitigated in a timely manner. Regulations around the release of microfibres are largely lacking, and we are at an excellent point of departure to test integrative methods of such co-production. We co-designed conceptual maps and Bayesian Belief Networks with probabilistic future scenarios within both inter- and intra-sectoral workshops with industry and scientific stakeholders to gain comparable results of policy action scenarios for curbing the challenge of microfibre pollution within this context. We found that when scientists worked on this alone, their focus was different than when working together with industry directly. Scientists focused on methods for avoiding release into the environment from a technical vantage point, whereas industry emphasized regulatory requirements needed to avoid ambiguity within the sector. | publishedVersion