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Lack of knowledge on levels and trends of litter and microplastics in the Arctic, is limiting our understanding of the sources, transport, fate, and effects is hampering global activities aimed at reducing litter and microplastics in the environment. To obtain a holistic view to managing litter and microplastics in the Arctic, we considered the current state of knowledge and methods for litter and microplastics monitoring in eleven environmental compartments representing the marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments. Based on available harmonized methods, and existing data in the Arctic, we recommend prioritization of implementing litter and microplastics monitoring in the Arctic in four Priority 1 compartments—water, aquatic sediments, shorelines, and seabirds. One or several of these compartments should be monitored to provide benchmark data for litter and microplastics in the Arctic and, in the future, data on spatial and temporal trends. For the other environmental compartments, methods should be refined for future sources and surveillance monitoring, as well as monitoring of effects. Implementation of the monitoring activities should include community-based local components where possible. While organized as national and regional programs, monitoring of litter and microplastics in the Arctic should be coordinated, with a view to future pan-Arctic assessments.

NIVA har gjennomført en miljøkonsekvensvurdering av mulige utslipp og utlekking av miljøgifter fra vraket av MV Server som sank utenfor Fedje i Hordaland 12. januar 2007, som et grunnlag for å vurdere eventuell fjerning av vraket. Flere miljøbetenkelige stoffer forventes å forekomme i vraket, men vurderingen er for noen stoffer, først og fremst PCB og bromerte flammehemmere (BFH), usikker grunnet for liten informasjon om mengder og kilder. Vurderingen skiller mellom kroniske og akutte utslipp. Influensområdet er i geografisk konflikt med Hellisøy naturreservat, men sjøfugl vil neppe bli eksponert for toksiske nivåer av stoffene. Et influensområde ut til 500 m kommer ikke i konflikt med registrerte akvakulturanlegg, gyte-, beite- eller oppvekstområder for fisk. Mangan, krom, vanadium, wolfram, aluminium og sink gir ikke grunn til miljøbekymring. Risikoen fra bly, kadmium, kvikksølv, organohalogener, ftalater og PFAS vurderes som lav. Risikoen er, med noe mer usikkerhet, også lav for PCB og BFH. Fjerning av eventuelt gjenværende utstyr vil være miljømessig mer kostnadseffektivt enn å fjerne hele vraket. Dette siden miljørisikoen generelt ansees som lav, analyser av sedimenter og organismer med ett unntak viser god til meget god miljøtilstand, og lokal flora og fauna synes å være rik og uten tegn til negativ påvirkning. Avena Shipping Co. Ltd., Dalnave Navigation Inc., og Assuranceforeningen Gard - gjensidig have requested the Norwegian Institute for Water Research NIVA to perform an environmental impact assessment of leakage of contaminants from the ship wreck MV «Server» which sank outside Fedje in Hordaland County on January 12 2007. The stern of the ship lies at shallow depth and has gradually been broken down by rough sea. After bunker oil was removed in and around the wreck the main concern is whether leakage of other contaminants is causing or may cause environmental damage to an extent that justifies removal of the wreck. On basis of assumed local dispersion and dilution conditions we have estimated the leakage rates that should not be exceeded if the zone of impact is to be less than a distance 200 and 500 m from the wreck in the main current direction. It is then assessed if such leakage is likely or not. ... GARD AS

The potential biological effects of the process water (PW) from the Nyhamna gas processing plant on the West coast of Norway was assessed using biological responses in the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Farmed cod were placed in large mesh cages at strategic locations from the Nyhamna PW discharge outlet including: 1)

Non-target screening (NTS) including suspect screening with high resolution mass spectrometry has already shown its feasibility in detecting and identifying emerging contaminants, which subsequently triggered exposure mitigating measures. NTS has a large potential for tasks such as effective evaluation of regulations for safe marketing of substances and products, prioritization of substances for monitoring programmes and assessment of environmental quality. To achieve this, a further development of NTS methodology is required, including: (i) harmonized protocols and quality requirements, (ii) infrastructures for efficient data management, data evaluation and data sharing and (iii) sufficient resources and appropriately trained personnel in the research and regulatory communities in Europe. Recommendations for achieving these three requirements are outlined in the following discussion paper. In particular, in order to facilitate compound identification it is recommended that the relevant information for interpretation of mass spectra, as well as about the compounds usage and production tonnages, should be made accessible to the scientific community (via open-access databases). For many purposes, NTS should be implemented in combination with effect-based methods to focus on toxic chemicals., Environmental Sciences Europe, 31 (1), ISSN:2190-4715, ISSN:2190-4707