I urval från Stockholms universitets publikationsdatabas

• Major lead exposure from hunting ammunition in eagles from Sweden

  2021. Björn Helander (et al.). Science of the Total Environment 795

  Artikel

  Exposure to lead (Pb) from ammunition in scavenging and raptorial birds has achieved worldwide recognition based on incidences of lethal poisoning, but exposure implies also sublethal levels with potential harmful effects. Background and elevated Pb levels in liver from 116 golden eagles (GE, Aquila chrysaetos) and 200 white-tailed sea eagles (WTSE, Haliaeetus albicilla) from Sweden 2003–2011 are here examined, with supporting data from a previous WTSE report and eagle owl (EO, Bubu bubo) report. GE and WTSE display seasonal patterns, with no Pb level exceeding a generally accepted threshold for subclinical effects during summer but strongly elevated levels from October. Fledged juveniles show significantly lower levels than all other age classes, but reach levels found in older birds in autumn after the start of hunting seasons. Pb levels in EO (non-scavenger) show no seasonal changes and indicate no influence from ammunition, and are close to levels observed in juvenile eagles before October. In all, 15% WTSE and 7% GE were lethally poisoned. In areas with high-exposure to hunting ammunition, 24% of WTSE showed lethal Pb levels, compared to 7% in both eagle species from low-exposure areas. Lethal poisoning of WTSE remained as frequent after (15%) as before (13%) a partial ban on use of Pb-based shotgun ammunition over shallow waters (2002). Pb levels increased significantly in WTSE 1981–2011, in contrast to other biota from the same period. A significant decrease of Pb in WTSE liver occurred below a threshold at 0.25 μg/g (dry weight), exceeded by 81% of the birds. Trend patterns in Pb isotope ratios lend further support to this estimated cut-off level for environmental background concentrations. Pb from spent ammunition affects a range of scavenging and predatory species. A shift to Pb-free ammunition to save wildlife from unnecessary harm is an important environmental and ethical issue.

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• Bioconcentration of Several Series of Cationic Surfactants in Rainbow Trout

  2021. Amelie Kierkegaard (et al.). Environmental Science and Technology 55 (13), 8888-8897

  Artikel

  Cationic surfactants have a strong affinity to sorb to phospholipid membranes and thus possess an inherent potential to bioaccumulate, but there are few measurements of bioconcentration in fish. We measured the bioconcentration of 10 alkylamines plus two quaternary ammonium compounds in juvenile rainbow trout at pH 7.6, and repeated the measurements at pH 6.2 for 6 of these surfactants. The BCF of the amines with chain lengths <= C-14 was positively correlated with chain length, increasing similar to 0.5 log units per carbon. Their BCF was also pH dependent and approximately proportional to the neutral fraction of the amine in the water. The BCFs of the quaternary ammonium compounds showed no pH dependence and were >2 orders of magnitude less than for amines of the same chain length at pH 7.6. This indicates that systemic uptake of permanently charged cationic surfactants is limited. The behavior of the quaternary ammonium compounds and the two C-16 amines studied was consistent with previous observations that these surfactants accumulate primarily to the gills and external surfaces of the fish. At pH 7.6 the BCF exceeded 2000 L kg(-1) for 4 amines with chains >= C-13, showing that bioconcentration can be considerable for some longer chained cationic surfactants.

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• Temporal Changes in Concentrations of Lead and Other Trace Metals in Free-Ranging Eurasian Eagle Owls Bubo bubo in Sweden

  2019. Björn Helander (et al.). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 77 (3), 377-389

  Artikel

  Patterns of lead and other trace metals were examined in 122 Eurasian eagle owls Bubo bubo found dead in Sweden in the period 1978-2013. Environmental lead (Pb) has decreased over recent decades from reduced anthropogenic emissions but mortality by Pb poisoning is still frequently reported for avian raptors and scavengers exposed to Pb ammunition. One objective here was to determine if Pb concentrations in a nocturnal non-scavenging raptor follow the general decline observed in other biota. Pb concentration in owl liver was significantly correlated with body weight, sex, latitude, longitude and season. Pb showed a significant decreasing trend towards north and west. Starved birds had significantly higher concentrations. Total Pb concentrations in liver averaged 0.179 mu g g(-1) dry weight (median 0.103) and decreased by 5.6% per year 1978-2013, or 5.3% after adjustment for confounding factors, similar to trends in other species. Among 14 other trace elements only antimony and arsenic showed decreasing trends. Lead isotope ratios Pb-206/Pb-207 and Pb-208/Pb-207 increased from 1.138 and 2.408 in 1978-1985 to 1.170 and 2.435 in 2010-2013, respectively, demonstrating that the decreasing Pb concentration in eagle owl is related to the phase-out of leaded gasoline in Europe, where Pb additives had much lower isotope ratios than natural lead in Swedish soils. Only one incidence of suspected Pb poisoning (40.7 mu g g(-1) in liver) was observed indicating that poisoning from ingestion of metallic lead is rare (< 1%) in eagle owl in Sweden, in contrast to what has been reported for eagles.

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• Long-term trends of water chemistry in mountain streams in Sweden - slow recovery from acidification

  2014. Hans Borg, Marcus Sundbom. Biogeosciences 11 (1), 173-184

  Artikel

  The water chemistry of streams and precipitation in the province of Jamtland, northern Sweden has been monitored since the 1980s to study long-term trends, occurrence of acid episodes, and effects of liming. The acidity in precipitation increased in the 1970s, followed by a loss of acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) and low pH in the streams. Sulfur deposition began to decrease in the 1980s, until approximately 2000, after which the decrease levelled out. Stream water sulfate concentration followed the precipitation trend but decreased more slowly and since the late 1990s a subtle increase was observed. Sulfate concentrations in the snow typically have been higher than or equal to the stream sulfate levels. However, during the period of rapid deposition decrease and also since 2005 stream sulfate has sometimes exceeded snow sulfate, indicating desorption of stored soil sulfate, possibly because of climate-related changes in runoff routes through the soil profiles, following shorter periods of frost. From 1982 to 2000, total organic carbon (TOC) increased by approximately 0.1 mg L-1 yr(-1). The mean trends in sulfate and TOC from approximately 1990 until today were generally opposite. Acidic episodes with pH 4.0 at flow peaks occurred frequently in the unlimed streams, despite relatively well-buffered waters at baseflow. To evaluate the main causes for the loss of ANC during episodes, the changes in major ion concentrations during high flow episodes were evaluated. The most important factors contributing to ANC loss were dilution of base cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+), enrichment of organic anions and enrichment of sulfate. Wetland liming started in 1985 after which the earlier observed extreme peak values of iron, manganese and aluminium, did not reoccur. The studied area is remote from emission sources in Europe, but the critical load of acidity is still exceeded. The long-term recovery observed in the unlimed streams is thus slow, and severe acidic episodes still occur.

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• Half a century of changing mercury levels in Swedish freshwater fish

  2014. Staffan Åkerblom (et al.). Ambio 43, 91-103

  Artikel

  The variability of mercury (Hg) levels in Swedish freshwater fish during almost 50 years was assessed based on a compilation of 44 927 observations from 2881 waters. To obtain comparable values, individual Hg concentrations of fish from any species and of any size were normalized to correspond to a standard 1-kg pike [median: 0.69 mg kg(-1) wet weight (ww), mean +/- SD: 0.84 +/- 0.67 mg kg(-1) ww]. The EU Environmental Quality Standard of 0.02 mg kg(-1) was exceeded in all waters, while the guideline set by FAO/WHO for Hg levels in fish used for human consumption (0.5-1.0 mg kg(-1)) was exceeded in 52.5 % of Swedish waters after 2000. Different trend analysis approaches indicated an overall long-term decline of at least 20 % during 1965-2012 but trends did not follow any consistent regional pattern. During the latest decade (2003-2012), however, a spatial gradient has emerged with decreasing trends predominating in southwestern Sweden.

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• Sea-air exchange patterns along the central and outer East Siberian Arctic Shelf as inferred from continuous CO2, stable isotope, and bulk chemistry measurements

  2017. Christoph Humborg (et al.). Global Biogeochemical Cycles 31 (7), 1173-1191

  Artikel

  This large-scale quasi-synoptic study gives a comprehensive picture of sea-air CO2 fluxes during the melt season in the central and outer Laptev Sea (LS) and East Siberian Sea (ESS). During a 7 week cruise we compiled a continuous record of both surface water and air CO2 concentrations, in total 76,892 measurements. Overall, the central and outer parts of the ESAS constituted a sink for CO2, and we estimate a median uptake of 9.4 g C m(-2) yr(-1) or 6.6 Tg C yr(-1). Our results suggest that while the ESS and shelf break waters adjacent to the LS and ESS are net autotrophic systems, the LS is a net heterotrophic system. CO2 sea-air fluxes for the LS were 4.7 g C m(-2) yr(-1), and for the ESS we estimate an uptake of 7.2 g C m(-2) yr(-1). Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (delta C-13(DIC) and delta C-13(CO2)) in the water column indicates that the LS is depleted in delta C-13(DIC) compared to the Arctic Ocean (ArcO) and ESS with an offset of 0.5% which can be explained by mixing of delta C-13(DIC)-depleted riverine waters and 4.0 Tg yr(-1) respiration of OCter; only a minor part (0.72 Tg yr(-1)) of this respired OCter is exchanged with the atmosphere. Property-mixing diagrams of total organic carbon and isotope ratio (delta C-13(SPE-DOC)) versus dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration diagram indicate conservative and nonconservative mixing in the LS and ESS, respectively. We suggest land-derived particulate organic carbon from coastal erosion as an additional significant source for the depleted delta C-13(DIC).

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