Transport via ocean currents of human pharmaceutical products and their impact on marine biota in the European Arctic
University of Gdańsk ·Poland
About this project
<p>The remarkably cross-Europe increased use of pharmaceuticals and their large disposal volumes raised concern about the ubiquitous occurrence and impacts of these compounds in natural marine ecosystems. The PHARMARINE project will contribute to EU policy by providing new experimental knowledge on unknown yet transport vectors and fate of human drugs via ocean currents from the continental Europe to polar regions in the European Arctic. Potential aqueous biopathways of pharmaceuticals (dissolved phase in water and forms bound to phytoplankton and dominant zooplankton species) will be investigated at several locations along a northward transect going from the South (the Baltic Sea and the North Sea catchment areas) through the Norwegian Coastal Current and warm North Atlantic Current to the Spitsbergen fjords (Hornsund and Kongsfjorden) in the North. In addition, potential of pharmaceuticals to accumulate in the benthic macroinvertebrates will be unravelled in order to assess contamination status of the Arctic fauna. The PHARMARINE will use the available field and laboratory facilities and expertise of Polish-Norwegian research teams of complementary competence, to study important and environmentally relevant issues. The proposed project will produce new data and conceptual understanding of: 1) potential transport pathways of pharmaceuticals with water masses from mid-latitude more contaminated areas to the European Arctic; 2) bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes of drugs in the Arctic; 3) biological impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants on sedentary benthic species. The resulting biological indicators of stress induced by the presence of drugs in the ambient environment can also provide a useful tool to forecast and assess environmental risk assessment in the European Arctic.</p>
Bilateral cooperation results
There were five partner institutions (including Project Promoter) at the beginning of the project. The enhanced cooperation between beneficiary and donor country entities has been satisfactory (despite the fact that one of the Norwegian partners, the University Centre in Svalbard, decided to withdraw from the program during its course). The project enabled partners to exchange experience and to transfer know-how across different marine disciplines (e.g. chemistry and environmental analytics, oceanography, biology, ecology, physiology, ecotoxicology) as well as to get access to unique research infrastructure (research ship, laboratories, equipment) and sampling sites. In addition, the project was as a useful platform to undertake joint research and educational activities such as new projects, common MSc, PhD and Post-docs, to facilitate scientific networks and to enhance future funding opportunities. The PHARMARINE provided thus exceptional opportunities for the Polish and Norwegian research and educational institutions to form and further develop long-term large-scale research partnerships between the two countries with ultimate aim to build cooperation for future activities (like joint applications to the EU Horizon Europe). Sharing knowledge and experiences within multilateral links are essential for academic and scientific accomplishment and contributed inevitably to development of all project partners. This collaboration has resulted in several joint applications for further funding, including two successful applications under the Arctic Field Grant.
Project partners
- SINTEF Ocean AS Donor project partner· Norway
- University Centre in Svalbard Donor project partner· Norway
- Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences Project partner· Poland
- Medical University of Gdansk Project partner· Poland