Echoes from the Past: A Healthy Baltic Sea Requires More Effort

Integrated sediment multiproxy studies and modeling were used to reconstruct past changes in the Baltic Sea ecosystem. Results of natural changes over the past 6000 years in the Baltic Sea ecosystem suggest that forecasted climate warming might enhance environmental problems of the Baltic Sea. Integrated modeling and sediment proxy studies reveal increased sea surface temperatures and expanded seafloor anoxia (in deep basins) during earlier natural warm climate phases, such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Under future IPCC scenarios of global warming, there is likely no improvement of bottom water conditions in the Baltic Sea. Thus, the measures already designed to produce a healthier Baltic Sea are insufficient in the long term. The interactions between climate change and anthropogenic impacts on the Baltic Sea should be considered in management, implementation of policy strategies in the Baltic Sea environmental issues, and adaptation to future climate change.     

Simulated sea surface temperature and heat fluxes in different climates of the Baltic Sea

The physical state of the Baltic Sea in possible future climates is approached by numerical model experiments with a regional coupled ocean-atmosphere model driven by different global simulations. Scenarios and recent climate simulations are compared to estimate changes. The sea surface is clearly warmer by 2.9 degrees C in the ensemble mean. The horizontal pattern of average annual mean warming can largely be explained in terms of ice-cover reduction. The transfer of heat from the atmosphere to the Baltic Sea shows a changed seasonal cycle: a reduced heat loss in fall, increased heat uptake in spring, and reduced heat uptake in summer. The interannual variability of surface temperature is generally increased. This is associated with a smoothed frequency distribution in northern basins. The overall heat budget shows increased solar radiation to the sea surface, which is balanced by changes of the other heat flux components.     

Climate Warming and Pikeperch Year-Class Catches in the Baltic Sea

Climate change scenarios concerning the Baltic Sea predict increase in surface water temperatures. Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca (L.)) inhabits the coastal areas of the northern Baltic Sea and is an important fish species for the Finnish fisheries. The year-class strength of pikeperch varies strongly between years and significantly depends on water temperature. We aimed to study the effects of changing temperature conditions on pikeperch fisheries and distribution based on commercial catch data from the period 1980–2008 in the Finnish coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. The results indicated that warmer summers will produce stronger pikeperch year-classes that consequently contribute significantly to the future catches. The average temperature in June–July explained 40% of the variation in the year-class catches in the Gulf of Finland and 73% in July–August in the Archipelago Sea. During the study period, the distribution of pikeperch catches expanded toward north along the coasts of the Bothnian Sea.     

水中柴油污染物的微生物降解及其动力学

以混合柴油为靶污染物,通过对比实验研究了油污染物在模拟水环境中的降解效果。研究表明,模拟自然条件下混合柴油污染物总体降解较慢,油质去除率低;生物强化降解条件下,向混合柴油污染水样中添加驯化培养的微生物混合菌群,生物降解速率明显提高,油质去除率达到98%以上。研究还发现,各污染水样中油的降解速率与降解效果随柴油的配比而不同,混合柴油样本中生物柴油的比例越高,样本的降解率越高,表明生物柴油作为碳源有效改善了水中有机营养配比,促进了柴油的去除效果。进一步分析表明,混合柴油在水中的降解过程符合一级反应动力学,生物强化降解条件下,生物柴油比例越高,混合柴油降解速率越快,除油微生物以菌胶团、球菌和丝状菌为主。     

International river basin management under the EU water framework directive: an assessment of cooperation and water quality in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin

We address issues connected with international river basin management and the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). By creating a register of River Basin Districts established under the WFD, we show that the number and area of international River Basin Districts are significant. Further, we present an assessment of international cooperation and water quality in 14 international river basins in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin. Our results indicate that the WFD is a push forward for international river basin management in the region. However the WFD in general, and the principle of river basin management in particular, may be hard to implement in river basins shared between EU Member States and countries outside the EU. According to the study, Vistula, Pregola, and Nemunas appear to be the international basins within the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin in greatest need of intensified cooperation with regard to the state of the water quality.     

Speciation of heavy metals in marine sediments vs their bioaccumulation by mussels.

Total contents and speciation of selected heavy metals, including Al, Fe, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, were measured in sediment samples and mussels Mya arenaria and Astarte borealis collected in the Horsund Fjord off Spitsbergen (Norwegian Sea) and the Bay of Gdansk (Baltic Sea). The investigation aimed at revealing differences in the accumulation pattern of heavy metals in mussels inhabiting sediments characterized by varying metal bioavailability. The contents of metals adsorbed to sediments and associated with iron and manganese hydroxides, which were obtained by sequential extraction, were utilized as a measure of metal bioavailability. The contents of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr in mussels collected off Spitsbergen were generally lower than those in mussels from the Baltic Sea. In sediments collected off Spitsbergen the bioavailable fraction represented a small proportion (0-3.7% adsorbed metals and 0-11% associated with metals hydroxides) of total heavy metal contents. In sediments from the Baltic Sea the percentages of metals adsorbed and bound to hydroxides were 1-46% and 1-13%, respectively. The differences in bioavailable metal contents measured in sediments were utilized to explain the different contents of metals in mussels collected in the corresponding sites.     

鼠李糖脂对不同菌株降解柴油污染物的影响

通过一系列实验分析了鼠李糖脂对柴油污染物生物降解的影响。单菌株柴油降解实验结果表明,在添加生物表面活性剂鼠李糖脂后,各菌株细胞表面疏水性均发生不同程度的增加,并且对柴油的降解率均有所提高。在混合菌的柴油污染物降解实验中,发现当向土壤中添加了200 mg/L鼠李糖脂时,对柴油的降解才有较大的提高;而当添加100 mg/L的鼠李糖脂到水体中时,对柴油的降解就有较大的提高,而当鼠李糖脂浓度提高为200 mg/L时,柴油的降解率却没有进一步明显的提高。这说明鼠李糖脂对柴油降解的影响程度不仅与环境介质有关,还与添加的鼠李糖脂浓度有关。进一步分析表明,添加适当浓度的鼠李糖脂不仅可以提高对柴油的降解率,而且可加速其降解速度,缩短生物修复所需时间。     

A Multivariate Baltic Sea Environmental Index

Since 2001/2002, the correlation between North Atlantic Oscillation index and biological variables in the North Sea and Baltic Sea fails, which might be addressed to a global climate regime shift. To understand inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in environmental variables, a new multivariate index for the Baltic Sea is developed and presented here. The multivariate Baltic Sea Environmental (BSE) index is defined as the 1st principal component score of four z-transformed time series: the Arctic Oscillation index, the salinity between 120 and 200 m in the Gotland Sea, the integrated river runoff of all rivers draining into the Baltic Sea, and the relative vorticity of geostrophic wind over the Baltic Sea area. A statistical downscaling technique has been applied to project different climate indices to the sea surface temperature in the Gotland, to the Landsort gauge, and the sea ice extent. The new BSE index shows a better performance than all other climate indices and is equivalent to the Chen index for physical properties. An application of the new index to zooplankton time series from the central Baltic Sea (Latvian EEZ) shows an excellent skill in potential predictability of environmental time series.     

Vertical distribution of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in mussels from the Amposta offshore oil production platform (Western Mediterranean)

The qualitative distributions of aliphatic hydrocarbons in mussels adhered to the legs of an oil production platform (Amposta, Western Mediterranean) have evidenced local (diesel oil) and chronic inputs (middle East crude oils) as the main pollutant sources in the area. Quantitative data have shown that aromatic hydrocarbons are selectively accumulated with the age of mussels and are more evenly distributed through the water column. Background concentrations of petrogenic aliphatic hydrocarbons in mussels living in the vicinity of oil platforms have been established in the range of 25–40 ug/g dry weight.     

Hypoxia in the Baltic Sea: Biogeochemical Cycles, Benthic Fauna, and Management

Hypoxia has occurred intermittently over the Holocene in the Baltic Sea, but the recent expansion from less than 10 000 km² before 1950 to >60 000 km² since 2000 is mainly caused by enhanced nutrient inputs from land and atmosphere. With worsening hypoxia, the role of sediments changes from nitrogen removal to nitrogen release as ammonium. At present, denitrification in the water column and sediments is equally important. Phosphorus is currently buried in sediments mainly in organic form, with an additional contribution of reduced Fe-phosphate minerals in the deep anoxic basins. Upon the transition to oxic conditions, a significant proportion of the organic phosphorus will be remineralized, with the phosphorus then being bound to iron oxides. This iron-oxide bound phosphorus is readily released to the water column upon the onset of hypoxia again. Important ecosystems services carried out by the benthic fauna, including biogeochemical feedback-loops and biomass production, are also lost with hypoxia. The results provide quantitative knowledge of nutrient release and recycling processes under various environmental conditions in support of decision support tools underlying the Baltic Sea Action Plan.     

Seasonal variations of hydroxylated and methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers in blue mussels from the Baltic Sea

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) found at high levels in the Baltic biota are mainly natural products, but can also be formed through metabolism or abiotic oxidation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The formation of OH-PBDEs is of concern since there is growing evidence of phenolic toxicity. This study investigates seasonal variations in levels of OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs, focusing on an exposed species, the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), sampled in the Baltic Sea in May, June, August and October of 2008. Both the OH-PBDE and MeO-PBDE levels in the mussels showed seasonal variations from May to October, the highest concentration of each congener appearing in June. The seasonal variation was more marked for OH-PBDEs than in MeO-PBDEs, but all congeners showed the same trends, except 6-MeO-BDE47 and 2′-MeO-BDE68, which did not significantly decline in concentrations after June. Biotic or abiotic debromination is suggested as a possible reason for the rapid decrease in methoxylated penta- and hexa-BDE concentrations observed in blue mussels from June to August, while the tetraBDE concentrations were stable. In addition, 1,3,7/1,3,8-tribrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins showed the same seasonal variation. The seasonal variations indicates natural formation and are unlikely to be due to transformation of anthropogenic precursors. The levels of PBDEs were fairly constant over time and considerably lower than those of the OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs. The timing of the peaks in concentrations suggests that filamentous macro-algae may be important sources of these compounds found in the blue mussels from this Baltic Sea location.     

Searching efficient protection strategies for the eutrophied Gulf of Finland: the combined use of 1D and 3D modeling in assessing long-term state scenarios with high spatial resolution

An experiment combining the use of two ecosystem models was conducted to search for effective protection strategies for the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Reference and scenario simulations were first run with a one-dimensional (1D) model for seven main basins of the entire Baltic Sea until steady state was achieved. The obtained basinwise distributions of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), as well as sediment labile P, were then used to initiate 5-y simulations with a three-dimensional (3D) ecosystem model. The results suggest that relatively small local load reductions (the "Finland" scenario) would improve only the state of adjacent coastal waters significantly. This would be the case, even for runs covering several decades, which clearly exceed the residence times of nutrients in the Gulf of Finland. A significant decrease from a substantial loading source to the Gulf (the "St. Petersburg" scenario) would decrease cyanobacterial biomasses in the entire Gulf of Finland and also immediately outside it. A reduction in the current Polish nutrient loads would improve the situation in the whole Baltic Proper and cause an extensive decline in cyanobacterial biomasses in the Gulf of Finland, as well. However, it would take several decades until the improvement caused by reducing loads in the "Poland" scenario is seen, while in the "St. Petersburg" scenario the corresponding time lag would only be a few years. Our results suggest that the common water protection policy in the Baltic Sea region should have the largest nutrient sources as its primary target, regardless of their location and country.     

Lipid-soluble conjugates of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in blue mussels from the Baltic Sea

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) of proposed natural origin have been detected throughout the food web of the Baltic Sea. Some OH-PBDEs have been shown to disrupt oxidative phosphorylation and the thyroid hormone system in exposed organisms. This paper describes an investigation into the fate of OH-PBDEs in the Baltic Sea’s predominant specie, the blue mussel. The main focus was on the conjugation of OH-PBDEs with lipophilic moieties (e.g., fatty acids) and the potential role this transformation mechanism may have in heavily exposed mussels in nature. Analytical methods were developed to accurately determine the concentrations of these conjugates in blue mussels collected on different occasions during the summer in a coastal area of the Baltic proper. The measured concentrations of conjugated OH-PBDEs were compared to those of the unconjugated parent compounds, and it was found that in some cases, the levels of the conjugated derivatives can be equal or even higher than the levels of the unconjugated OH-PBDEs. This is, to our knowledge, the first study on lipid-soluble OH-PBDE conjugates, and the first study to investigate the occurrence of such conjugates of halogenated phenolic compounds in environmentally exposed mussels. The mussels were also found to contain hydrolysable water-soluble derivatives of OH-PBDEs (such as e.g., glucuronic acid and/or sulfate conjugates etc.). These were tentatively determined to be of lower concentration (by up to an order of magnitude) than that of the OH-PBDEs which were conjugated with lipophilic moieties.     

Poland’s environment - past,present and future state of the environment in the vistula and odra river basins

In the middle of the last century in the case of many river basins, it became obvious that the targets of the Helsinki-Commission (HELCOM) concerning a 50% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the Baltic Sea had not been reached. Such conclusions could be derived from the observed loads. But the measurements regarding the analysis were not sufficient to determine what the reasons for this report were, what has to be done to fulfil this agreement and to evaluate the time at which the targets can be reached. This contribution presents the current state of Polish surface water quality as well as results of modelling nutrient and heavy metal emissions into the two biggest Polish river basins: Vistula and Odra, which both cover approximately 90% of Poland's territory.     

Laboratory and field evaluation of a pretreatment system for removing organics from produced water

Co-produced water from the oil and gas industry accounts for a significant waste stream in the United States. This "produced water" is characterized by saline water containing a variety of pollutants, including water soluble and immiscible organics and many inorganic species. To reuse produced water, removal of both the inorganic dissolved solids and organic compounds is necessary. In this research, the effectiveness of a pretreatment system consisting of surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) adsorption followed by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was evaluated for simultaneous removal of carboxylates and hazardous substances, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) from saline-produced water. A laboratory-scale MBR, operated at a 9.6-hour hydraulic residence time, degraded 92% of the carboxylates present in synthetic produced water. When BTEX was introduced simultaneously to the MBR system with the carboxylates, the system achieved 80 to 95% removal of BTEX via biodegradation. These results suggest that simultaneous biodegradation of both BTEX and carboxylate constituents found in produced water is possible. A field test conducted at a produced water disposal facility in Farmington, New Mexico confirmed the laboratory-scale results for the MBR and demonstrated enhanced removal of BTEX using a treatment train consisting of SMZ columns followed by the MBR. While most of the BTEX constituents of the produced water adsorbed onto the SMZ adsorption system, approximately 95% of the BTEX that penetrated the SMZ and entered the MBR was biodegraded in the MBR. Removal rates of acetate (influent concentrations of 120 to 170 mg/L) ranged from 91 to 100%, and total organic carbon (influent concentrations as high as 580 mg/L) ranged from 74 to 92%, respectively. Organic removal in the MBR was accomplished at a low biomass concentration of 1 g/L throughout the field trial. While the transmembrane pressure during the laboratory-scale tests was well-controlled, it rose substantially during the field test, where no pH control was implemented. The results suggest that pretreatment with an SMZ/MBR system can provide substantial removal of organic compounds present in produced water, a necessary first step for many water-reuse applications.     

Transformation of dissolved organic matter in a novel groundwater recharge system with reclaimed water

A novel process, enhanced direct injection-well recharge system (EnDir), can overcome the technical difficulties during the application of conventional surface spreading and has been developed to recharge groundwater with reclaimed water. In this study, removal and transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the system were investigated in laboratory-scale experiments. Results demonstrated that dissolved organic carbon and trihalomethane formation potential values could be reduced from 6.54 +/- 1.30 mg/L and 267.9 +/- 24.3 microg/L to 1.59 +/- 0.64 mg/L and 104.5 +/- 10.2 microg/L, respectively, as a result of DOM biodegradation in the aerobic short-term vadose soil treatment. Fluorescence spectra showed that aromatic protein-like substances and soluble microbial byproducts could be removed, to a great extent, in the soil system. Despite different removal efficiencies of DOM in different molecular weight fractions, the residual DOM was composed mainly of fulvic acid-like and humic acid-like substances, with molecular weights of 500 Da to 1 kDa.     

表面活性剂清洗处理重度石油污染土壤

为了优化表面活性剂清洗处理重度石油污染土壤的方法和具体洗脱条件参数,采集山东省东营市胜利油田污染土壤,研究了阴离子-非离子混合表面活性剂对该土壤中石油类污染物的去除效果。应用化学热洗原理,主要考查了表面活性剂配比、投加量、清洗温度及清洗助剂对去除效果的影响。实验得到的清洗处理最佳条件为：使用LAS与TX-100质量比为8∶2的组合表面活性剂,总表面活性剂浓度为3 g/L,助剂硅酸钠浓度为5 g/L,75℃条件下搅拌1 h。清洗后土壤含油量从20%下降到4.6%,去除率达到76.9%。废水回用实验表明,清洗处理的废水对土壤中石油烃类物质仍有一定的去除效果。废水回用比从30%到100%时,对土壤中石油烃的去除率都可达到55%以上。对废水进行二次回用时仍能去除18.8%的污染物。     

Microbial metagenomics in the Baltic Sea: Recent advancements and prospects for environmental monitoring

Metagenomics refers to the analysis of DNA from a whole community. Metagenomic sequencing of environmental DNA has greatly improved our knowledge of the identity and function of microorganisms in aquatic, terrestrial, and human biomes. Although open oceans have been the primary focus of studies on aquatic microbes, coastal and brackish ecosystems are now being surveyed. Here, we review so far published studies on microbes in the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s largest brackish water bodies, using high throughput sequencing of environmental DNA and RNA. Collectively the data illustrate that Baltic Sea microbes are unique and highly diverse, and well adapted to this brackish-water ecosystem, findings that represent a novel base-line knowledge necessary for monitoring purposes and a sustainable management. More specifically, the data relate to environmental drivers for microbial community composition and function, assessments of the microbial biodiversity, adaptations and role of microbes in the nitrogen cycle, and microbial genome assembly from metagenomic sequences. With these discoveries as background, prospects of using metagenomics for Baltic Sea environmental monitoring are discussed.     

Brominated phenols,anisoles, and dioxins present in blue mussels from the Swedish coastline

Introduction  

Naturally occurring hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs), their methoxylated counterparts (MeO-PBDEs), and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs), together with their potential precursors polybrominated phenols (PBPs) and polybrominated anisoles (PBAs), were analyzed in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) gathered along the east coast (bordering the Baltic Sea) and west coast of Sweden (bordering the North Sea). Brown algae (Dictyosiphon foenicolaceus) and cyanobacteria (Nodularia spumigena) from the Baltic Sea, considered to be among the primary producers of these compounds, were also analyzed for comparison.     

Electrolytic treatment of an industrial wastewater from a hosiery plant.

Textile plant wastewater being treated in a facultative pond system had too high of a solids concentration to be reused in the dying and rinsing processes. Electrocoagulation was evaluated to further treat the pond effluent to remove turbidity, which was caused by dyes and microorganisms. A range of amperages were tested for removal of turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Electrocoagulation lowered the turbidity from 1400 NTU to below 50 NTU; and COD was lowered from 550 mg/L to approximately 250 mg/L, which was acceptable for reuse. In addition, a laboratory-scale sedimentation study was conducted on the electrocoagulated pond effluent, which indicated that a settling time of 35 minutes would provide for 80% removal of suspended solids, which was acceptable for reuse of the water in plant processes.