Implications of Trophic Variability for Modeling Biomagnification of POPs in Marine Food Webs in the Svalbard Archipelago

Abstract

The occurrence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic has been of constant concern, as these chemicals cause reproductive effects and mortality in organisms. The Arctic acts as a chemical sink, which makes this system an interesting case for bioaccumulation studies. However, as conducting empirical studies for all Arctic species and POPs individually is unfeasible, in silico methods have been developed. Existing bioaccumulation models are predominately validated for temperate food chains, and do not account for a large variation in trophic levels. This study applies Monte Carlo simulations to account for variability in trophic ecology on Svalbard when predicting bioaccumulation of POPs using the optimal modeling for ecotoxicological applications (OMEGA) bioaccumulation model. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) were calculated accordingly. Comparing our model results with monitored POP residues in biota revealed that, on average, all predictions fell within a factor 6 of the monitored POP residues in biota. Trophic variability did not affect model performance tremendously, with up to a 25% variability in performance metrics. To our knowledge, we were the first to include trophic variability in predicting biomagnification in Arctic ecosystems using a mechanistic biomagnification model. However, considerable amounts of data are required to quantify the implications of trophic variability on biomagnification of POPs in Arctic food webs.

Modelling PCB-153 in northern ecosystems across time, space, and species using the nested exposure model

“…34 This study was followed up by two broader studies using the OMEGA model for a range of POPs and marine species in the Svalbard area that estimated 61% and 87% of concentrations within a factor of 5 of measured concentrations, respectively. 35,37 Also here, concentrations in water that had been measured, or derived from measured concentrations in air or biota, were used as input. The main strength of NEM compared to these models, is that NEM enables simulation of the complete link from global emissions to biotic exposure, including temporal and spatial variation in both emissions and environmental factors.…”

“…Multimedia physical fate and bioaccumulation models have been developed to further increase our understanding of the environmental fate and bioaccumulation behavior of organic contaminants. 33 Objectives of earlier modeling studies on contaminants in sh and biota in Norwegian marine areas included increasing the understanding of bioaccumulation in Arctic marine species and food webs 32,34,35 and how this may be impacted by climate change. 36 Models have also been used to identify chemicals of concern, 37 and to elucidate the role of plastic in organic contaminant bioaccumulation 38 in this region.…”

“…40,41 Furthermore, none of the earlier studies modeling bioaccumulation in Norwegian marine areas included a simulation of chemical fate and transport in the physical environment. They instead relied either on aqueous concentrations as input, taken from measurements in water 32,35,38 or derived from measured concentrations in biota, 32,35,37 or on hypothetical scenarios. 34,36 This approach does not facilitate an understanding of the whole link between chemical emissions to the environment and biotic exposure, which is crucial for enabling scientically-sound management strategies.…”

Occurrence and Trophic Transfer of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) in the Arctic and Antarctic Benthic Marine Food Webs

“…The Arctic and Antarctica are recognized as pristine polar regions surrounded by frozen continents and oceans. Distant from intensive anthropogenic interference, the polar regions are considered ideal isolated ecosystems for screening global background levels of contaminants, as well as their congener composition, migration, and transformation mechanisms . Indeed, PCNs have existed in polar environments due to the global spread of atmospheric winds and ocean currents, , inclusive of air, snow, soil, and biota. − However, reports on the environmental behavior of PCNs in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are still limited, especially in terms of their bioaccumulation and biomagnification potential.…”

High levels of halogenated natural products in large pelagic fish from the Western Indian Ocean

“…Anthropogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been frequently detected in marine environmental and biological samples (Wenning and Martello 2014;Qiu et al 2020). High trophic level marine species in particular, such as mammals and predatory fish, may be burdened with high levels of POPs due to bioaccumulation through the food chain (Hoondert et al 2020;Hop et al 2002). Chronic exposure to POPs can pose serious health risks to these organisms (Sonne et al 2020).…”