Environmental monitoring of Arctic coastal ecosystems: Sensitivity to petroleum pollution (Arctic EcoSens)

Coastal habitats provide important ecosystem services for Norway and Russia, but growing economic activities, including petroleum exploration, production, and shipping, present a higher risk of both chronic and acute pollution. An effective and ecologically relevant 'early-warning' system for monitoring and identifying threats to coastal ecosystems is needed to ensure timely response to pollution events. Six Norwegian and Russian institutions with a strong history of collaboration will conduct multi-disciplinary studies to inform diverse stakeholders about the sensitivity of key coastal habitats, species, and processes to petroleum pollution. Broad-scale habitat sensitivity modeling will identify where pollution may have the greatest impact. On smaller scales, we will identify which elements of biological communities should be used in monitoring of a variety of nearshore habitats. Our investigations will range from salt marsh plants to intertidal snails to microbes. During the project we have carried out five multi-disciplinary field campaigns, one in the Tromsø area (2019), one on both sides of the Norwegian-Russian border (Varanger-Murmansk) and 3 in Karelia Province. These studies included investigations of petroleum geochemistry, snail population biology and molecular physiology, saltmarsh plant community structure, parasitology, and foraminiferal communities, producing a wealth of samples that are being processed. Preliminary results indicate strong impacts on a variety of biotic endpoints along gradients of increasing hydrocarbon pollution. Presentations at international meetings have already been given on these results and articles are being published. Strong petroleum pollution effects are observed in foraminiferan, snail, and salt marsh plant populations and communities. In 2019 we conducted a large experimental study of petroleum impacts on capelin early life-history stages in Tromsø. A PhD student, MS student, and bachelor student have assisted with this study, gaining valuable training experience. Fertilized eggs were exposed to a range of oil concentrations and consequences were monitored for 25 days. We monitored developmental, physiological, and behavioral endpoints, and took samples for transcriptomics studies to be conducted in Russia. Preliminary results indicate that the early life stages of capelin are more robust to crude oil exposure than similar life stages of other fish species Studies of the soft-sediment seafloor communities of north Norwegian fjords indicate that community structure varies based on depth, sediment grain size, and carbon content. These results have been integrated, along with geomorphological data, oil drift models, and other ecological data into coastal sensitivity models to assess vulnerability and possible spill response priorities. Taxonomic studies have resulted in considerable new knowledge about the polychaete worm fauna of northern Europe, with a focus on north Norway and northwest Russia. In a series of papers, at least 9 new species have been described and a checklist of polychaetes from the Pechora Sea has been produced. The first project meeting took place in October 2018 in St. Petersburg where updates on activities were presented. In addition, plans for the training and policy-outreach components received considerable attention. The project meeting scheduled for 2020 was postponed until 20-21 April 2021. There were 18 presentations and discussion during this virtual meeting We have already published 13 scientific articles (plus 2 submitted and several in preparation), a book chapter, and a MS thesis, along with numerous presentations at international meetings. Five MS students and one PhD student have been strongly affiliated with Arctic EcoSens. Four students and one professor from SPbSU participated in the UNIS Arctic Benthic Ecology course in August/September 2019. The Corona crisis and several other issues has hindered our outreach to the Joint Russian-Norwegian Environmental Commission as planned in the proposal. We have, therefore, applied for and received funding for a workshop associated with the 2022 Arctic Frontiers conference to which representatives of the Commission as well as other local, regional, and national management bodies will be invited. While this falls outside the project period of Arctic EcoSens, it addresses the goals of the project and will feature presentations by the project partners.

Arctic EcoSens has baseline understanding of fjord benthos in northern Norway. We have also developed sensitivity maps for the Barents coast to identify sensitive areas. This is a critical first step in developing readiness and response plans for potential oil spills. In addition, a variety of ecological and biochemical endpoints, from -omics results to salt marsh plant communities, to foraminifera to intertidal snails, have been assessed to identify future monitoring targets/indicators. An extensive lab experiment found that capelin eggs/larvae are robust to moderate levels of oil pollution as assessed through a variety of biochemical and developmental endpoints. Through our taxonomic work we described 9 new species, including one of the most abundant species in northern European waters. Students and senior scientists have taught and participated in courses at UNIS and in the White Sea. In addition, 5 MS and one PhD student include EcoSens research in their respective theses.

Coastal ecosystems provide considerable ecosystem services for Norway and Russia, but enhanced economic activities, including petroleum exploration, potential production, and shipping, present a growing risk of both chronic and acute pollution. There has been little research to identify relevant monitoring strategies and target values in these unique high-latitude systems, however. We propose a multidisciplinary approach combining expertise from Norwegian and Russian researchers to inform diverse stakeholders about the sensitivity of key coastal habitats, species, and processes to petroleum pollution. Habitat sensitivity modeling will identify where pollution may have the greatest impact. On smaller scales, we will identify metrics of community structure and function for use in monitoring in a variety of nearshore habitats, including marsh vegetation, foraminiferal protozoans, and intertidal snail-parasite relationships. Experimental studies will investigate oil impacts on early life-stages of coastal-spawning capelin. We will employ state-of-the-art tools in petroleum geochemistry to link effects with hydrocarbon sources, and investigate physiological responses using modern 'omics' technologies. Taxonomic studies will unite Russian and Norwegian knowledge to produce modern keys for local and regional faunas. We will also expand on our established collaborations to train young researchers in ecological and petroleum-relevant courses on both sides of the border with 2-way exchange of both teachers and students. Finally, results will be communicated to end-users on regional, national, and bilateral levels to assure the most efficient transfer of new knowledge into policy and management.