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Müller-Karulis B, McCrackin ML, Dessirier B, Gustafsson BG, Humborg C. Legacy nutrients in the Baltic Sea drainage basin: How past practices affect eutrophication management. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 370:122478. [PMID: 39303590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Revised: 08/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
We have constructed a nutrient fate model for the Baltic Sea that links anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the catchment to the dynamics of waterborne loads to the Baltic Sea, covering the time-period from 1900 to present. During this period, nutrient inputs to the drainage basin approximately tripled to a peak in the 1980s, after which they declined. Our model accounts for temporary nutrient storage on land and in inland waters, forming active legacy pools that contribute to nutrient export to the Baltic Sea, and for nutrient removal by terrestrial and aquatic sinks. The model indicates that response times to changes in anthropogenic nutrient inputs to the drainage basin are approximately 4 years for riverine nitrogen and 6-18 years for riverine phosphorus loads. Mineral fertilizer use in agriculture dominates nutrient inputs to the drainage basin, whereas the composition of riverine loads also depends on the collection and treatment of domestic sewage. Removal by terrestrial and aquatic nutrient sinks was the dominant fate of both nitrogen and phosphorus in our model. The amount of nutrients currently stored in legacy pools is therefore much smaller than what the difference between cumulative nutrient inputs to the catchment and the export to the sea suggests. Nevertheless, mobilization from these storage pools is the primary contribution to current anthropogenic riverine nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea. For phosphorus, the legacy effects of past reductions in inputs to the catchment can entail a significant, yet unrealized contribution toward the load reductions stipulated by Baltic Sea management plans. Therefore, accounting for nutrient storage, time-lags, and legacy effects could notably reduce the need for additional future mitigation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Benoit Dessirier
- Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bo G Gustafsson
- Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Vigouroux G, Destouni G. Gap identification in coastal eutrophication research - Scoping review for the Baltic system case. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156240. [PMID: 35644392 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Coastal eutrophication is a major issue worldwide, also affecting the Baltic Sea and its coastal waters. Effective management responses to coastal eutrophication require good understanding of the interacting coastal pressures from land, the open sea, and the atmosphere, and associated coastal ecosystem impacts. In this study, we investigate how research on Baltic coastal eutrophication has handled these interactions so far and what key research gaps still remain. We do this through a scoping review, identifying 832 scientific papers with a focus on Baltic coastal eutrophication. These are categorized in terms of study focus, methods, and consideration of coastal system components and land-coast-sea interactions. The coastal component categories include coastal functions (including also socio-economic driver aspects), pressures that are natural (or mediated by a natural process or system) or directly anthropogenic, and management responses. The classification results show that considerably more studies focus on coastal eutrophication pressures (52%) or impacts (39%) than on characterizing the coastal eutrophication itself (20%). Moreover, few studies investigate pressures and impacts together, indicating that feedbacks are understudied. Regarding methods, more studies focus on data collection (62%) than on linking and synthetic methods (44%; e.g., modelling), and very few studies use remote sensing (6%) or participatory (3%) methods. Coastal links with land and open sea are mentioned but much less investigated. Among the coastal functions, studies considering ecological aspects are dominant, but much fewer studies investigate human aspects and the coastal filter function. Among the coastal pressures, studies considering nutrient loads are dominant, but much fewer studies investigate the sources of these loads, especially long-lived legacy sources and possible solutions for their mitigation. Overall, few studies investigate synergies, trade-offs and incentives for various solutions to address cross-scale multi-solution management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Vigouroux
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Georgia Destouni
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Söderqvist T, Nathaniel H, Franzén D, Franzén F, Hasselström L, Gröndahl F, Sinha R, Stadmark J, Strand Å, Ingmansson I, Lingegård S, Thomas JB. Cost-benefit analysis of beach-cast harvest: Closing land-marine nutrient loops in the Baltic Sea region. AMBIO 2022; 51:1302-1313. [PMID: 34787831 PMCID: PMC8931131 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01641-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Harvesting beach-cast can help mitigate marine eutrophication by closing land-marine nutrient loops and provide a blue biomass raw material for the bioeconomy. Cost-benefit analysis was applied to harvest activities during 2009-2018 on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, highlighting benefits such as nutrient removal from the marine system and improved recreational opportunities as well as costs of using inputs necessary for harvest. The results indicate that the activities entailed a net gain to society, lending substance to continued funding for harvests on Gotland and assessments of upscaling of harvest activities to other areas in Sweden and elsewhere. The lessons learnt from the considerable harvest experience on Gotland should be utilized for developing concrete guidelines for carrying out sustainable harvest practice, paying due attention to local conditions but also to what can be generalized to a wider national and international context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tore Söderqvist
- Holmboe & Skarp AB, Norr Källstavägen 9, 148 96 Sorunda, Sweden
| | - Hanna Nathaniel
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel Franzén
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Frida Franzén
- Tyréns AB, Peter Myndes Backe 16, 118 46 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linus Hasselström
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Gröndahl
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rajib Sinha
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johanna Stadmark
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Box 53021, 400 14 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Åsa Strand
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Kristineberg 566, 451 78 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
| | - Ida Ingmansson
- Tyréns AB, Peter Myndes Backe 16, 118 46 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sofia Lingegård
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jean-Baptiste Thomas
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Carolus JF, Bartosova A, Olsen SB, Jomaa S, Veinbergs A, Zīlāns A, Pedersen SM, Schwarz G, Rode M, Tonderski K. Nutrient mitigation under the impact of climate and land-use changes: A hydro-economic approach to participatory catchment management. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 271:110976. [PMID: 32579528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Excessive nutrient loadings into rivers are a well-known ecological problem. Implemented mitigation measures should ideally be cost-effective, but perfectly ranking alternative nutrient mitigation measures according to cost-effectiveness is a difficult methodological challenge. Furthermore, a particularly practical challenge is that cost-effective measures are not necessarily favoured by local stakeholders, and this may impede their successful implementation in practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of mitigation measures using a methodology that includes a participatory process and social learning to ensure their successful implementation. By combining cost data, hydrological modelling and a bottom-up approach for three different European catchment areas (the Latvian Berze, the Swedish Helge and the German Selke rivers), the cost-effectiveness of 16 nutrient mitigation measures were analysed under current conditions as well as under selected scenarios for future climate and land-use changes. Fertiliser reduction, wetlands, contour ploughing and municipal wastewater treatment plants are the measures that remove nutrients with the highest cost-effectiveness in the respective case study context. However, the results suggest that the cost-effectiveness of measures not only depends on their design, specific location and the conditions of the surrounding area, but is also affected by the future changes the area may be exposed to. Climate and land-use changes do not only affect the cost-effectiveness of measures, but also shape the overall nutrient loads and potential target levels in a catchment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Friedrich Carolus
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark; Thuenen Institute of Farm Economics, Bundesallee 63, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Alena Bartosova
- Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), 60176, Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Søren Bøye Olsen
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Seifeddine Jomaa
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Artūrs Veinbergs
- Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, 19 Akademijas Street, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia
| | - Andis Zīlāns
- Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas iela 1, Rīga, LV-1004, Latvia
| | - Søren Marcus Pedersen
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Gerald Schwarz
- Thuenen Institute of Farm Economics, Bundesallee 63, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michael Rode
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Karin Tonderski
- IFM Biology, Linköping University, SE 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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Fei M, Jin Y, Jin L, Su J, Ruan Y, Wang F, Liu C, Sun C. Adaptation of Rice to the Nordic Climate Yields Potential for Rice Cultivation at Most Northerly Site and the Organic Production of Low-Arsenic and High-Protein Rice. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:329. [PMID: 32425956 PMCID: PMC7212348 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
There is an urgent demand for low-arsenic rice in the global market, particularly for consumption by small children. Soils in Uppsala, Sweden, contain low concentrations of arsenic (As). We hypothesize that if certain japonica paddy rice varieties can adapt to the cold climate and long day length in Uppsala and produce normal grains, such a variety could be used for organic production of low-arsenic rice for safe rice consumption. A japonica paddy rice variety, "Heijing 5," can be cultivated in Uppsala, Sweden, after several years' adaptation, provided that the rice plants are kept under a simple plastic cover when the temperature is below 10°C. Uppsala-adapted "Heijing 5" has a low concentration of 0.1 mg per kg and high protein content of 12.6% per dry weight in brown rice grain, meaning that it thus complies with all dietary requirements determined by the EU and other countries for small children. The high protein content is particularly good for small children in terms of nutrition. Theoretically, Uppsala-adapted "Heijing 5" can produce a yield of around 5100 kg per ha, and it has a potential for organic production. In addition, we speculate that cultivation of paddy rice can remove nitrogen and phosphorus from Swedish river water and reduce nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea and associated algae blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingliang Fei
- Key Laboratory of Crop Epigenetic Regulation and Development in Hunan Province, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Key Laboratory of Education, Department of Hunan Province on Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Yunkai Jin
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Crop Epigenetic Regulation and Development in Hunan Province, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Key Laboratory of Education, Department of Hunan Province on Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Jun Su
- Institute of Biotechnology, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ying Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Crop Epigenetic Regulation and Development in Hunan Province, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Education, Department of Hunan Province on Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Institute of Biotechnology, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chunlin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Education, Department of Hunan Province on Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Chuanxin Sun
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Pietrzak S, Pazikowska-Sapota G, Dembska G, Dzierzbicka-Glowacka LA, Juszkowska D, Majewska Z, Urbaniak M, Ostrowska D, Cichowska A, Galer-Tatarowicz K. Risk of phosphorus losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Baltic Commune of Puck in the light of assessment performed on the basis of DPS indicator. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8396. [PMID: 31938583 PMCID: PMC6953330 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In order to counteract the eutrophication of waterways and reservoirs, a basic risk assessment of phosphorus (P) losses in the surface runoff from agricultural land should be included in water management plans. A new method has been developed to assess the risk of P losses by estimating the degree of P saturation (DPS) based on the P concentration of the water extract water-soluble P. METHODS The risk of P losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Puck Commune on the Baltic Sea Coast was assessed with the DPS method. The results were compared to an agronomic interpretation of the soil test P concentration (STP). Research was conducted on mineral and organic soils from 50 and 11 separate agricultural plots with a total area of 133.82 and 37.23 ha, respectively. Phosphorus was extracted from the collected samples using distilled water on all soil samples, acid ammonium lactate on mineral soils, and an extract of 0.5 mol HCl·dm-3 on organic soils. The organic matter content and pH values were also determined. The results of the P content in the water extracted from the soils were converted into DPS values, which were then classified by appropriate limit intervals. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION There was a high risk of P losses from the soil via surface runoff in 96.7% of the agricultural parcels tested (96% of plots with mineral soils and 100% of plots with organic soils). Simultaneously, a large deficiency of plant-available P was found in soils from 62% of agricultural plots. These data indicate that the assessment of P concentration in soils made on the basis of an environmental soil P test conflicts with the assessment made based on STP and create a cognitive dissonance. The risk level of P losses through surface runoff from the analyzed plots as determined by the DPS indicator is uncertain. This uncertainty is increased as the DPS index is not correlated with other significant factors in P runoff losses, such as the type of crop and area inclination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Pietrzak
- Department of Water Quality, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Raszyn, Poland
| | | | - Grażyna Dembska
- Department of Environmental Protection, Maritime Institute, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Lidia Anita Dzierzbicka-Glowacka
- Physical Oceanography Department, Eco-hydrodynamics Laboratory, Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
| | - Dominika Juszkowska
- Department of Water Quality, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Raszyn, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Majewska
- Department of Water Quality, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Raszyn, Poland
| | - Marek Urbaniak
- Department of Water Quality, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Raszyn, Poland
| | - Dominika Ostrowska
- Department of Environmental Protection, Maritime Institute, Gdańsk, Poland
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Almén AK, Glippa O, Pettersson H, Alenius P, Engström-Öst J. Changes in wintertime pH and hydrography of the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) with focus on depth layers. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2017; 189:147. [PMID: 28275983 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-017-5840-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We studied changes in sea water pH, temperature and salinity with focus on two depth layers, along the Gulf of Finland (the Baltic Sea) using long-term monitoring data from 1979 to 2015. Data from the most frequently sampled monitoring stations between western and eastern Gulf of Finland were used. The main result of the study reveals that pH has decreased both in surface and deep-water in the western Gulf of Finland with values ranging between -0.005 and -0.008 units year-1. We also demonstrate a rise in temperature (~2 °C) and decrease in salinity (~-0.7 g kg-1) at several stations over the last 36 years. In general, the changes are shown to be more pronounced in the western part of the gulf. This paper also stresses the importance of improving the sampling frequency and quality of monitoring measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Karin Almén
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Artillerigatan 6, FI-20500, Åbo, Finland.
- Novia University of Applied Sciences, Raseborgsvägen 9, FI-10600, Ekenäs, Finland.
| | - Olivier Glippa
- Novia University of Applied Sciences, Raseborgsvägen 9, FI-10600, Ekenäs, Finland
| | - Heidi Pettersson
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, FI-00101, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pekka Alenius
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, FI-00101, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonna Engström-Öst
- Novia University of Applied Sciences, Raseborgsvägen 9, FI-10600, Ekenäs, Finland
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Rossberg AG, Uusitalo L, Berg T, Zaiko A, Chenuil A, Uyarra MC, Borja A, Lynam CP. Quantitative criteria for choosing targets and indicators for sustainable use of ecosystems. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2017; 72:215-224. [PMID: 28149199 PMCID: PMC5268354 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Wide-ranging, indicator-based assessments of large, complex ecosystems are playing an increasing role in guiding environmental policy and management. An example is the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which requires Member States to take measures to reach "good environmental status" (GES) in European marine waters. However, formulation of indicator targets consistent with the Directive's high-level policy goal of sustainable use has proven challenging. We develop a specific, quantitative interpretation of the concepts of GES and sustainable use in terms of indicators and associated targets, by sharply distinguishing between current uses to satisfy current societal needs and preferences, and unknown future uses. We argue that consistent targets to safeguard future uses derive from a requirement that any environmental state indicator should recover within a defined time (e.g. 30 years) to its pressure-free range of variation when all pressures are hypothetically removed. Within these constraints, specific targets for current uses should be set. Routes to implementation of this proposal for indicators of fish-community size structure, population size of selected species, eutrophication, impacts of non-indigenous species, and genetic diversity are discussed. Important policy implications are that (a) indicator target ranges, which may be wider than natural ranges, systematically and rationally derive from our proposal; (b) because relevant state indicators tend to respond slowly, corresponding pressures should also be monitored and assessed;
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel G. Rossberg
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK and School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Rd, London E1, UK
| | - Laura Uusitalo
- Marine Research Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Mechelininkatu 34a, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Torsten Berg
- MariLim Aquatic Research GmbH, Heinrich-Wöhlk-Straße 14, 24232 Schönkirchen, Germany
| | - Anastasija Zaiko
- Marine Science and Technology Center, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT 92294, Klaipeda, Lithuania
| | - Anne Chenuil
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
| | - María C. Uyarra
- AZTI-Tecnalia, Herrera Kaia, Portualdea s/n, 20100 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Angel Borja
- AZTI-Tecnalia, Herrera Kaia, Portualdea s/n, 20100 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Christopher P. Lynam
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK
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Thureborn P, Franzetti A, Lundin D, Sjöling S. Reconstructing ecosystem functions of the active microbial community of the Baltic Sea oxygen depleted sediments. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1593. [PMID: 26823996 PMCID: PMC4730985 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Baltic Sea deep water and sediments hold one of the largest anthropogenically induced hypoxic areas in the world. High nutrient input and low water exchange result in eutrophication and oxygen depletion below the halocline. As a consequence at Landsort Deep, the deepest point of the Baltic Sea, anoxia in the sediments has been a persistent condition over the past decades. Given that microbial communities are drivers of essential ecosystem functions we investigated the microbial community metabolisms and functions of oxygen depleted Landsort Deep sediments by metatranscriptomics. Results show substantial expression of genes involved in protein metabolism demonstrating that the Landsort Deep sediment microbial community is active. Identified expressed gene suites of metabolic pathways with importance for carbon transformation including fermentation, dissimilatory sulphate reduction and methanogenesis were identified. The presence of transcripts for these metabolic processes suggests a potential for heterotrophic-autotrophic community synergism and indicates active mineralisation of the organic matter deposited at the sediment as a consequence of the eutrophication process. Furthermore, cyanobacteria, probably deposited from the water column, are transcriptionally active in the anoxic sediment at this depth. Results also reveal high abundance of transcripts encoding integron integrases. These results provide insight into the activity of the microbial community of the anoxic sediment at the deepest point of the Baltic Sea and its possible role in ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petter Thureborn
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University , Huddinge , Sweden
| | - Andrea Franzetti
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Daniel Lundin
- BILS, Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences, Science for Life Laboratories, Solna, Sweden; Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems-EEMiS, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Sara Sjöling
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University , Huddinge , Sweden
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