Integrated assessment of biological responses to pollution in wild mussels (Mytilus edulis) from subarctic and arctic areas in the Norwegian sea.

North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans contain large amount of undiscovered oil and gas reserves. Therefore threat of oil spills and its hazardous ecological consequences are of great importance to the marine environment. Although mussels (Mytilus sp.

Global dissemination of influenza A virus is driven by wild bird migration through arctic and subarctic zones.

Influenza A viruses (IAV) circulate endemically among many wild aquatic bird populations that seasonally migrate between wintering grounds in southern latitudes to breeding ranges along the perimeter of the circumpolar arctic. Arctic and subarctic zones are hypothesized to serve as ecologic drivers of the intercontinental movement and reassortment of IAVs due to high densities of disparate populations of long distance migratory and native bird species present during breeding seasons. Iceland is a staging ground that connects the East Atlantic and North Atlantic American flyways, providing a unique study system for characterizing viral flow between eastern and western hemispheres.

Pollutants from shipping - new environmental challenges in the subarctic and the Arctic Ocean.

Maritime activities in the subarctic and Arctic Ocean are predicted to substantially increase in the future due to climate change and declining sea ice cover. Inevitably, the consequences will be seen in impacts on marine ecosystems in this region at many different levels, such as increased pollution load due to antifouling biocides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and pharmaceuticals. Here we discuss the current situation and evaluate the effect of increased shipping on the environmental status of subarctic and Arctic waters, in relation to elevated loads of both legacy and emerging pollutants in the region.

A call for action: Improve reporting of research studies to increase the scientific basis for regulatory decision-making.

This is a call for action to scientific journals to introduce reporting requirements for toxicity and ecotoxicity studies. Such reporting requirements will support the use of peer-reviewed research studies in regulatory decision-making. Moreover, this could improve the reliability and reproducibility of published studies in general and make better use of the resources spent in research.

Environmentally realistic exposure to weathered North Sea oil: Sublethal effects in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).

With increasing oil and gas activities and transport in the Arctic, there is a need to understand how operational or accidental releases of substances affect marine organisms from a pristine environment. The aim of the current study was to describe and compare the responses of two marine fish species, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), following exposure to three levels (low, medium, high) of the water-soluble fraction of a North Sea crude oil for 16 days. The exposure system simulated environmental exposure by allowing clean seawater to percolate through gravel covered in weathered oil before being introduced to aquaria.

Pristine Arctic: background mapping of PAHs, PAH metabolites and inorganic trace elements in the North-Atlantic Arctic and sub-Arctic coastal environment.

As the ice cap of the Arctic diminishes due to global warming, the polar sailing route will be open larger parts of the year. These changes are likely to increase the pollution load on the pristine Arctic due to large vessel traffic from specific contaminant groups, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A well-documented baseline for PAH concentrations in the biota in the remote regions of the Nordic Seas and the sub-Arctic is currently limited, but will be vital in order to assess future changes in PAH contamination in the region.

Single and combined effects of hypoxia and contaminated sediments on the amphipod Monoporeia affinis in laboratory toxicity bioassays based on multiple biomarkers.

In estuaries, hypoxic conditions and pollution are among the major factors responsible for the declines in habitat quality, yet little is known about their combined effects on estuarine organisms. In this study, to investigate single and combined effects of hypoxia and contaminated sediment, the Baltic amphipod Monoporeia affinis was exposed for 5-9 days to four different combinations of oxygen conditions (moderate hypoxia vs. normoxia) and contamination (polluted vs.

Medetomidine as a candidate antifoulant: sublethal effects on juvenile turbot (Psetta maxima L.).

Medetomidine is proposed as a candidate antifouling compound proven effective against barnacles. It is routinely used as a sedative in veterinary medicine. It is therefore important to also investigate possible adverse effects on non-target organisms.