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DOC fractionation: dynamic of POPs and trace metals, emerging contaminants and cryopelagic community (ArcticDoc)
Call year: 2016
Status: active
IADC_id: 53
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Recent climate changes are much faster than previous long-term ones, causing stress on polar marine ecosystems resulting therefore in changes in atmosphere/ocean exchanges, ocean properties, sea ice cover and thickness. These phenomena, associated with anthropogenic emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases, are triggering shifts in global biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystem (Guldberg, 2010). Consequently, ecosystems are rapidly changing. The Arctic may turn free of summer sea ice by 2050 (Wang & Overland 2009) with extinction of many species. The Antarctic Peninsula is also warming very fast: since the '50s, ocean temperatures increased by ca. 2°C, and sea ice declined (Meredith & King 2005, Stammerjohn et al 2008). Arctic sea ice is a key habitat for many arctic marine species, and declines in its extent and thickness, later freeze up and earlier break-up, in addition to warmer temperatures, less snow and altered nutrient availability, have all led to major disturbances in arctic marine ecosystems. (Kovacs et al., 2011; Post et al., 2013). Moreover, the list of chemicals found in arctic ecosystems continuous to grow, and increasing temporal trends have been reported for some current-use chemicals (NCP, 2013).rnTo date, it remains difficult to describe the extent of such changes and to link it with the shifts in ocean physical-chemical characteristics, triggered by the continuous release of new and emerging chemical compounds into the environment (Schofield, 2010, Van der Brink, 2011). The fate of contaminants in water and the functional and structural responses of the microbial community are closely interconnected and depend on environmental conditions influenced, in turn, by climate change (eg: presence/absence of sea ice). The repercussions of the above mentioned dynamics are poorly understood and require a multidisciplinary approach for integrated research of scientific importance.rnThe study of the composition of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), occurrence of organic and inorganic contaminants together with the capability of biodegradation by natural microbial communities, is of strategic importance to describe the circulation of resources and the impact of allochtonous sources on the marine ecosystem and to assess relationships with change in climatic conditions. Anthropogenic impacts can change the quality of the natural DOC, with repercussions on the spread, persistence and bioavailability of allochtonous organic matter, including the fate and the toxic effects exerted by some persistent organic pollutants. It is important to define the features of dissolved organic matter (DOM) governing contaminant mobility in water column by influencing the degree of adsorption/accumulation and their transfer through the trophic web in the case of organic micropollutants and by determining the fate of trace metals through complexation/adsorption. The distribution of chemicals and microorganisms associated with different organic matter dimensional fractions will be assessed by ultrafiltration. Moreover, structural dynamics of cryopelagic community will be investigate by biomass evaluation using flow cytometry and microscopy. These studies are crucial for understanding the contaminant environmental fate and their distribution between abiotic/biotic compartments of polar ecosystems.rnOn the basis of complementary competences (chemical and biological) of the RU and international collaborations and of their multi-annual experience in studying polar environments (Arctic and Antarctica), we propose an interdisciplinary study whit the following objectives:rn1) To quantify contaminants in water column (emergent persistent organic pollutants=POPs including those listed by the Stockholm Convention; current-use pesticides=CUPs, nanoparticles=NPs, trace metals=TMs, pharmaceutical personal-care products=PPCPs) rn2) To estimate biomass diversity in cryopelagic community (prey to predators) by flow cytometry; rn3) To characterize dissolved organic matter in water column by ultrafiltration separation and fluorescence spectroscopy identification.rn4) To correlate the presence of contaminants to DOC fractions and biomass diversity in order to link ecological changes and contaminant environmental fate in arctic marine ecosystems in a climatic change scenario.
National/International Cooperation:
University of Siena,Dept. of Environmental SciencesrnUiT - THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAYrnUniversity of Tromsø (UiT) rnFaculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) rnDepartment of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB) rnrn
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