Theoretical and practical aspects on benthic quality assessment according to the EU-Water Framework Directive – Examples from Swedish waters

A previously presented objective method to calculate each species sensitivity to disturbance is here slightly modified and implemented in the Benthic Quality Index (BQI) for marine benthic invertebrates. A framework for assessment of water bodies based on multi-site BQI-values is also presented, where a certain variation of BQI-values is allowed to cover the heterogeneity within each water body. The 20th percentile, using bootstrapping, from the available sites’ BQI-values is compared with the status boundaries for quality assessment. The reliability of the assessment depends on the background information available for the boundary setting as well as the number of sampling sites included in the assessment. Agreement between time series of quality assessments in areas with known changes in anthropogenic disturbances is encouraging. Problems associated with water body assessment based on few or no samples, as well as multiple sampling occasions during the 6-yr WFD cycle are discussed.     

Half‐a‐billion‐year‐old microscopic treasures—the Cambrian ‘Orsten’ fossils of Sweden

The creatures that gaze back at us through the binocular microscope are so uniquely well‐preserved and life‐like that had we not known better we would have thought that they were modern. Instead they are half‐a‐billion‐year‐old arthropods extracted from Cambrian rocks of Sweden. The microscopic fossils, colloquially known as the ‘Orsten’ fossils, are now world‐famous and basking in the light of the research catwalk since their discovery in the 1970s. These fossils have provided significant insight into the long lost Cambrian biotas and early animal evolution.     

A flow-foliated ignimbrite related to the Åland rapakivi granite in SW Finland

A flow-foliated felsic ignimbrite constitutes the uppermost lithological unit of the 1.58 Gyr anorogenic magmatic rocks in SW Finland. The ignimbrite is derived from an explosive eruption of hot (≅ 950 °C) phenocryst-bearing A-type (rapakivi-type granite magma.
The ignimbrite is close in composition to subvolcanic rapakivi granites that occur in the margins of the kand rapakivi batholith. The subvolcanic granites crystallized under a pressure of ≅ 1 kbar and at temperatures of about 650–700 °C. However, both major and rare earth elements show that the ignimbrite- forming magma was more fractionated than the magma forming the subvolcanic varieties.
Supported by evidence of mafic-felsic magma mingling, it is suggested that injection of hot mafic magma into a shallow magma chamber produced the high temperature of the ignimbrite-forming magma. This injection increased the magmatic and the volatile pressure that caused the eruption of the dry felsic magma.     

Development of a growth inhibition test with the marine and brackish water red alga Ceramium tenuicorne

The marine red macroalga Ceramium tenuicorne is cosmopolitan and naturally found in both brackish and marine waters. A growth inhibition test with this species can be carried out in salinities from 4 per thousand to 32 per thousand. The species is easily held in culture in the laboratory and the test can be performed in a completely defined medium. The robustness of the method is good with a CV of 14.6% of the controls. The EC calculations can be performed on linear regression on the length data. EC50 values of repetitive tests for zinc (20-33 microg Zn(2+)/l in 7 per thousand and 32-61 microg Zn(2+)/l in 20 per thousand) and copper (1.9-3.8 Cu(2+)/l in 7 per thousand and 7.9-13 Cu(2+)/l in 20 per thousand) show high sensitivity. This test is a good complement to any test battery with the purpose of estimating the hazard of substances to the brackish and marine environment.     

Contaminant exposure and effects in Baltic ringed and grey seals as assessed by biomarkers

The Baltic Sea ecosystem has suffered from a heavy pollutant load for more than three decades. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals have been of most concern due to their persistence and toxic properties. Ringed seals (Phoca hispida baltica) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) living in the Baltic Sea have been suffering from pathological impairments, including reproductive disturbances, which have resulted in a depressed reproductive capacity. We investigated several biochemical parameters as potential biomarkers for exposure to and effects of the contaminant load in the Baltic seals. Seals from less polluted areas were used as reference material in terms of the pollution load. In both Baltic seal populations, the levels of some biochemical parameters diverged from those in the reference seals, and some of these showed a clear correlation with the individual contaminant load. Of the potential bioindicators, we propose cytochrome P4501A activity and vitamin E levels, in blubber or plasma, as exposure biomarkers for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in both species. The arylhydrocarbon receptor-mediated chemical-activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) response reflects the whole PCB and DDT burden in ringed seals. Retinyl palmitate (vitamin A) levels showed a negative correlation with the individual POP load, and is proposed as potential effect biomarkers for the depletion of the vitamin A stores. As the nutritional levels of both vitamin A and E have an impact on the vitamin levels in the seals, more information on the dietary vitamin levels is needed before any conclusions can be drawn. As the relationship between biochemical parameters and contaminants varied between the two species, species-specific characteristics has to be considered when monitoring the health status and possible toxic effects of the contaminant load in ringed and grey seals.     

Natural hazards in Nordic Countries

Compared to many areas of the world, the human losses caused by natural hazards are smaller in Nordic countries. This is mainly due to the low population density in the exposed areas. However, the economic losses are significant and the geohazards picture varies among the countries. The predominant natural hazards in Nordic countries are floods, landslides, and, with the exception of Denmark, snow avalanche. Volcanoes and earthquakes are major geohazards in Iceland, and parts of Norway are susceptible to seismic activity. Slidetriggered tsunamis also represent a threat to parts of the coastal areas of Nordic countries and Greenland.     

Master of puppets: sculpting ancient worlds

Some extraordinary people have dedicated their lives to making art pieces out of long dead organisms. One of them is Esben Horn, founder of model shop 10 Tons Studios on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. A bona fide ‘master of puppets’, he makes jaw‐dropping replicas for museums around the world, with the utmost respect for science and organismal anatomy. Recently, our joint efforts resulted in the exhibition ‘Heavy Metal and Punk Fossils’—a novel, albeit perhaps unconventional, forum for scientific outreach.     

Impact of isostatic land uplift and artificial drainage on oxidation of brackish-water sediments rich in metastable iron sulfide

This study examines the dynamics of sulfur and trace elements (As, Co, Mo, Ni, Ti and Zn) when brackish-water sediments, unusually rich in metastable iron sulfide (probably a mixture of mackinawite and greigite), are brought into the oxidation zone by postglacial isostatic land uplift and farmland drainage. When subaqueous sediments approach the sea level, metastable iron sulfide is oxidized in the upmost layers and pyrite preserved and even accumulated concomitantly trapping Co, Ni and Zn but not As and Mo. When the land uplift has brought the sediments above sea level and natural drainage thus is initiated, the pyrite is oxidized and Co, Ni and Zn are released and transported down the profile. If this setting remained undisturbed, the slightly oxidized sediment (unripe soil) would become covered by peat and thus protected from further oxidation and metal translocation. Often these sediments are, however, artificially drained resulting in extensive oxidation and fast soil-profile development. The soil is an acid sulfate (AS) soil, characterized by low pH (<4), extensive leaching of metals and an abundance of disseminated brownish Fe(III) precipitates. We suggest that the fast soil development is due to initial oxidation of metastable iron sulfide, followed by pyrite oxidation. Drain bottom sediment, which in terms of chemistry and S-isotopes resembled that of the surfacing sea bottom strata, acted during the sampling period as a sink for metals. The abundant preservation of metastable iron sulfide below the groundwater table, even long periods after uplift above the sea level, is a puzzling feature. We suggest that it is the net result of sulfur starvation, an abundance of Fe(II) and strongly reducing conditions.     

A practical ranking system to compare toxicity of anti-fouling paints

The toxicity of a number of new anti-fouling paints, claimed to function by physical means and not by leakage of toxic substances, have been tested on two common organisms in the Baltic Sea, i.e., the red macro alga Ceramium tenuicorne and the copepod Nitocra spinipes. In order to compare the toxicity between the paints a ranking system was developed based on the EC₅₀- and LC₅₀-values. The results showed a wide span in toxicity with the most toxic paints ranked 160 times more toxic than the ones ranked least toxic.

Also, TBT, irgarol and diuron, which have been used as active ingredients in traditional anti-fouling paints, were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the two test organisms. The results showed that the test organisms were equally sensitive to the substances as similar organisms in earlier studies.

In conclusion, the ranking system presented in this study permits ranking and comparison of total toxicity of complex mixtures.