Ecotracer: analyzing concentration of contaminants and radioisotopes in an aquatic spatial-dynamic food web model

We developed numerical simulations of potential future ecological states of the Baltic Sea ecosystem at the end of century under five scenarios. We used a spatial food web (Ecospace) model, forced by a physical–biogeochemical model. The scenarios are built on consistent storylines that describe plausible developments of climatic and socioeconomic factors in the Baltic Sea region. Modelled species diversity and fish catches are driven by climate- and nutrient load-related changes in habitat quality and by fisheries management strategies. Our results suggest that a scenario including low greenhouse gas concentrations and nutrient pollution and ecologically focused fisheries management results in high biodiversity and catch value. On the other hand, scenarios envisioning increasing societal inequality or economic growth based on fossil fuels, high greenhouse gas emissions and high nutrient loads result in decreased habitat quality and diminished biodiversity. Under the latter scenarios catches are high but they predominantly consist of lower-valued fish.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-019-01229-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food web and fisheries in the future Baltic Sea

Bauer

Gustafsson

Hyytiäinen

et al. 2019

“…Some of these pressures assessed include fishing, climate change, nutrients, noise, shipping, pollutants, physical modifications and non-native species (Corrales et al, 2017 ; Andersen et al, 2020 ; Chagaris et al, 2020 ). Within the EwE suite is “Ecotracer”; a tool that traces the transfer of pollutants through the food web, based on the trophic interactions described in EwE (Walters and Christensen, 2018 ). Ecotracer can handle a wide range of environmental contaminants, such as organic chemicals, metals, microplastics and radionuclides, and due to the detailed description and dynamic simulation of the food web provided within EwE, it enables an ecosystem-level assessment of bioaccumulation and biomagnification (Walters and Christensen, 2018 ).…”

Section: Tools To Assess Risks and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollution in the Arctic Ocean: An overview of multiple pressures and implications for ecosystem services

Townhill

Reppas-Chrysovitsinos

Sühring

et al. 2021

The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented change. Observations and models demonstrate significant perturbations to the physical and biological systems. Arctic species and ecosystems, particularly in the marine environment, are subject to a wide range of pressures from human activities, including exposure to a complex mixture of pollutants, climate change and fishing activity. These pressures affect the ecosystem services that the Arctic provides. Current international policies are attempting to support sustainable exploitation of Arctic resources with a view to balancing human wellbeing and environmental protection. However, assessments of the potential combined impacts of human activities are limited by data, particularly related to pollutants, a limited understanding of physical and biological processes, and single policies that are limited to ecosystem-level actions. This manuscript considers how, when combined, a suite of existing tools can be used to assess the impacts of pollutants in combination with other anthropogenic pressures on Arctic ecosystems, and on the services that these ecosystems provide. Recommendations are made for the advancement of targeted Arctic research to inform environmental practices and regulatory decisions.

“…While all the existing models already include some of the key pressures on the Baltic Sea, most often fisheries and eutrophication, impacts of hazardous substances and non-indigenous species were missing in many models. The EwE and Atlantis models can be developed to include these pressures and evaluate their management (Fulton et al 2011 ; Pinnegar et al 2014 ; Piroddi et al 2015 ; Walters and Christensen 2018 ).…”

Section: How Can Models Help In Food Web Status Assessments?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food web assessments in the Baltic Sea: Models bridging the gap between indicators and policy needs

Korpinen

Uusitalo

Nordström

et al. 2022

Ecosystem-based management requires understanding of food webs. Consequently, assessment of food web status is mandatory according to the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for EU Member States. However, how to best monitor and assess food webs in practise has proven a challenging question. Here, we review and assess the current status of food web indicators and food web models, and discuss whether the models can help addressing current shortcomings of indicator-based food web assessments, using the Baltic Sea as an example region. We show that although the MSFD food web assessment was designed to use food web indicators alone, they are currently poorly fit for the purpose, because they lack interconnectivity of trophic guilds. We then argue that the multiple food web models published for this region have a high potential to provide additional coherence to the definition of good environmental status, the evaluation of uncertainties, and estimates for unsampled indicator values, but we also identify current limitations that stand in the way of more formal implementation of this approach. We close with a discussion of which current models have the best capacity for this purpose in the Baltic Sea, and of the way forward towards the combination of measurable indicators and modelling approaches in food web assessments.