Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland; The University of Iceland's Research Centre in Suðurnes, Garðvegi 1, 245 Suðurnesjabær, Iceland.
The University of Iceland's Research Centre in Suðurnes, Garðvegi 1, 245 Suðurnesjabær, Iceland.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Mar;164:112004. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112004. Epub 2021 Feb 2.
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. It is of high importance to evaluate the current levels of selected pollutants, which will most likely rise in near future. Furthermore, it is important to improve our understanding of the effects of these pollutants on marine organisms at high latitudes, as the pollutants may behave differently in cold environments compared to organisms at lower latitudes, due to dissimilar physiological responses and adaptations of the cold-water organisms. Integrative studies are needed to better understand the impact of pollutants on the marine fauna while monitoring programmes and research should be continued, with an increased capacity for emerging pollutants of concern.
由于气候变化和海冰覆盖减少，预计未来亚北极和北极海洋的海上活动将大幅增加。不可避免的是，这将对该地区海洋生态系统在许多不同层面产生影响，例如由于防污杀生剂、多环芳烃、金属和药物而增加的污染负荷。在这里，我们讨论了当前的情况，并评估了增加航运对亚北极和北极水域环境状况的影响，以及该地区遗留和新出现污染物负荷的增加。评估当前选定污染物的水平非常重要，因为这些污染物很可能在不久的将来增加。此外，了解这些污染物对高纬度海洋生物的影响也很重要，因为与低纬度的生物相比，由于冷水生物的生理反应和适应不同，污染物在寒冷环境中的行为可能不同。需要进行综合研究，以更好地了解污染物对海洋动物群的影响，同时还应继续监测计划和研究，以提高对关注的新兴污染物的能力。
