• Energy Research

Marine sediments are part of the hydrological cycle and the ultimate storage compartment of land-derived organic matter, including pollutants. Since relevant microbially-driven processes occurring at benthic level may affect the quality of the overall aquatic system, the necessity for incorporating information about microbial communities functioning for ecosystem modelling is arising. The aim of this field study was to explore the links occurring between sediment contamination patterns by three selected class of organic pollutants (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs, Nonylphenols, NPs, Bisphenol A, BPA) and major microbial properties (Prokaryotic Biomass, PB; total living biomass, C-ATP; Prokaryotic C Production rate, PCP; Community Respiration rate, CR) across a gradient of anthropogenic pollution. Sediments were sampled from 34 sites selected along 700 km of the western coastline of the Adriatic Sea. Organic contamination was moderate (PAHs <830 ng g-1; NPs <350 ng g-1; BPA <38 ng g-1) and decreased southward. The amount of PAHs-associated carbon (C-PAHs) increased significantly with sediment organic carbon (OC), along with microbial functional rates. The negative relation between PCP/CR ratio and OC indicated the shift toward oxidative processes in response to organic pollution and potential toxicity, estimated as Toxic Equivalents (TEQs). Our outcomes showed that sediment organic contamination and benthic microbial processes can be intimately linked, with potential repercussions on CO2 emission rates and C-cycling within the detritus-based trophic web.

The CASSANDRA project (granted by the Italian Arctic Research Program, PRA) aims at contributing to the Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) effort by studying a historical transect to 75° N (CASSANDRA I: 29 August - 14 September 2021) crossing the Greenland Sea Gyre, and the work plan has been designed to contribute to answer this question. Preliminary results of the CASSANDRA I oceanographic cruise will be presented concerning the hydrography of the 75° N transect, ecosystem functioning and productivity, carbon uptake and ocean acidification.

This work aimed to investigate the contamination pattern in Kongsfjorden marine environment (Svalbard, 79°N 12°E) and to disentangle primary and secondary emissions. Surface seawater, sampled in two seasons, was analysed by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS to detect polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nonylphenols (NPs), bisphenol A (BPA) and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). In summer, average ΣPAHs, BPA, ΣNPs, ΣPFASs and ΣPCBs concentrations were 17.3 ± 11.1 ng/L, 0.9 ± 0.3 ng/L, 10.0 ± 6.9 ng/L, 0.4 ± 0.7 ng/L and 1.8 ± 1.3 pg/L, respectively; while in winter, they were 13.6 ± 10.1 ng/L, 0.5 ± 0.2 ng/L, 6.8 ± 3.3 ng/L,

Abstract The present study investigated the occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phenolic endocrine-disrupting compounds (PEDCs), including bisphenol A (BPA), 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), and its monoethoxylate (NP1EO) and diethoxylate precursors in marine sediments in an Arctic fjord (Svalbard, Norway). The contribution of different local sources of contamination was also evaluated, together with a risk assessment for the marine environment. Samples were collected during two consecutive summer seasons (2018 and 2019), and target contaminants were analyzed with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography–MS/MS. The results showed no statistical differences between total PAH concentrations measured in 2018 (mean value 53.7 ± 54.3 ng/g) and 2019 (mean value 58.1 ± 63.6 ng/g). Low-ring (three or four rings) PAHs were the most abundant congeners, and single PAH ratios indicated a predominance of petrogenic sources (i.e., coal and liquid fossil fuel combustion). Nonylphenols and BPA showed a significant decrease in 2019 compared to 2018; 4-NP and NP1EO prevailed in both years, particularly in sediments close to the Ny-Ålesund research village. Overall, the results indicate that local anthropic activities are the major source of contamination in the Kongsfjorden ecosystem, but also melting waters from glaciers in the summer season can play an important role as a secondary source of pollutants previously trapped in ice. Comparison between our data and empirical and mechanistic indices derived from sediment quality guidelines suggests that the occurrence of PAHs and PEDCs in sediments does not currently pose a risk for this Arctic ecosystem, but further investigation is needed on the spread of hazardous contaminants and their effects on these fragile environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:953–965. SETAC

To investigate how particulate materials and the toxicity of a polluted river can affect biomass production of a particle feeding organism, monthly water samples of the River Lambro were collected upstream and downstream from major pollution sources. These samples were characterized for physical and chemical endpoints, and tested for acute and chronic toxicity (7-day) using Ceriodaphnia dubia. Comparing the effects of unfiltered and filtered water samples, we showed that: (a) despite the higher contamination of the downstream reach, unfiltered (whole) downstream samples often supported a higher biomass production of C. dubia than upstream samples; (b) filtering downstream water samples and thereby removing suspended particulate matter (SPM) controlled this compensatory effect and resulted in a clear inhibition of daphnid biomass production; (c) despite the compensatory and likely nutritional role of particulate materials, an inverse relationship was found between daphnid biomass production and the content of organic carbon of SPM, as well as between the SPM organic content and the temperature of the river. These results show that SPM of the downstream reach can simultaneously exert trophic and toxic effects, and their interaction determines the final result but under the control of major system factors such as water temperature.

Recent climate changes associated with anthropogenic emissions of pollutants are triggering shifts in global biogeochemical cycles and polar marine ecosystem. The decrease of sea ice and the mechanism of ice formation/melting, may considerably have an impact on the mobility of contaminants and on the loss of biodiversity. In this work, we report the occurrence and bioaccumulation of selected endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in muscle and liver of the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus, an arctic species of interest for biogeography, migration, physiology, long- and short-term contaminant storage. the EDCs selected for this study were 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), its mono- (NP1EO) and di-ethoxylate (NP2EO) precursors and bisphenol A (BPA). There are currently very few scientific papers on the distribution and transport of these EDC s in the arctic marine food web and no such studies have been performed on the Greenland shark. Totally, muscles and liver samples were analyzed from 23 Greenland sharks (TL range 149-442 cm) sampled in W, SW, SE, and NE Greenland. Extraction of analytes from biological matrices were performed by ASE (Accelerated Solvent Extraction), followed by HPLC-Fluorescence (FLD) detection. Results showed higher contamination levels in muscle than in liver in the sharks from SE and NE Greenland, while in specimens from W and SW Greenland the liver was the tissue more contaminated. In fact, the 4-NP, NP1-2EO and BPA mean content in liver of SW Greenland specimens was 43.5 ng/g, 288.5 ng/g and 8.2 ng/g wet wt respectively, while in muscle mean concentrations was 20.3 ng/g for 4-NP, 171.1 ng/g wet wt for NP1-2EO and 7.9 ng/g for BPA. Results confirm the presence of selected EDCs in this species, suggesting the transfer of contamination in the Euro-Arctic marine trophic web.

Under climate-change conditions, temporary rivers will be the dominant surface-water bodies of the Mediterranean region. In order to manage this kind of water body appropriately, it is necessary to understand the chemical and ecological processes that involve hazardous substances in these environments. The processes during the dry phase have an important influence on the mobility and the availability of hazardous substances. This critical review presents the state of knowledge on the fate and the monitoring of hazardous substances in temporary rivers and highlights future trends in research in this field