Back to search

MARINFORSKHAV-Marine ressurser og miljø - havmiljø

In silico and experimental screening platform for characterizing environmental impact of industry development in the Arctic (EXPECT)

Alternative title: In silico og eksperimentell screening plattform for å karakterisere miljøpåvirkning av industriutvikling i Arktis (EXPECT)

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

Project Number:

315969

Application Type:

Project Period:

2021 - 2025

Location:

Partner countries:

Increased opportunities for anthropogenic activities like tourism, shipping, oil & gas exploration, and aquaculture in the Arctic is anticipated due to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice, increasing sea-temperatures and technological developments. There is therefore an urgent need for methods and approaches that can be used to perform knowledge-based risk assessments and environmental management to ensure an environmentally sustainable industrial development in the Arctic. EXPECT aims to develop such methods and approaches. Specifically, EXPECT aims to develop computational and experimental approaches to assess impact on organism and populations from different activities in the Arctic. This will be achieved by pioneering the development of the "Source to Outcome Pathway (STOP)" to characterize the causal source-exposure-effect-impact relationships for pollutants and their mixtures. The primary objective of EXPECT is to characterize the most relevant Arctic STOPs and work has to date characterized the most relevant exposure scenarios in the Arctic, developed a set of effect methods for Arctic-relevant species and are in the process of developing cumulative risk models for the Arctic. The work of the project, which is led by NIVA in close collaboration with national (Akvaplan-NIVA, SINTEF Ocean) and international partners (University of Newcastle (UK) and Clemson University (USA)), has been presented at international conferences and in peer-review journals. Outcomes from EXPECT can be used to support knowledge-based environmental management, including optimal coastal zone planning and sustainable industrial development.

Increased anthropogenic activities, like tourism, shipping and oil & gas exploration, is anticipated due to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice and technological developments that offer new opportunities for industrial developments. In addition, increasing sea-temperatures expands the areas that are optimal for different aquaculture and suitable for industrial activities in the Arctic. In order to perform knowledge-based risk assessments and ecosystem-based management there is an urgent need for methods and approaches that takes into consideration cumulative exposure from different sources, and efficient tools that can generate ecotoxicological data on Arctic species. EXPECT aims to develop computational and experimental approaches to assess organism and population impact from key (Arctic) industries (aquaculture and oil and gas production), with special focus on establishing a causal relationship between pollutant emissions and adverse effects at the organism and population level. This will be achieved by pioneering the development of a Source To Outcome Pathway (STOP) to characterize the causal source-exposure-effect-impact relationships for pollutants and their mixtures. This will include definition of industrial sources, characterization of pollutant pressures, identification of pollutants of concern, experimental and computational assessments of stressor hazards and prediction of potential health impact on relevant (Arctic) organisms exposed to single pollutants and their mixtures. The primary objective of EXPECT is to characterize the most relevant Arctic STOPs, thorough assessment of multi-media and multi-level data assessments and use these to perform cumulative risk assessment to support sustainable management of existing and future industrial and anthropogenic activity in the Arctic. Outcomes from EXPECT can be used to support sound knowledge-based environmental management, including optimal coastal zone planning and sustainable industrial development.

Publications from Cristin

No publications found

No publications found

No publications found

Funding scheme:

MARINFORSKHAV-Marine ressurser og miljø - havmiljø