Julia Giebichenstein

Of Endings and New Beginnings

Arctic Island Isoltation

Nansen Legacy at Forskningstorget 2019

• Borgå, Katrine; McKinney, Melissa A.; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Fernie, Kim J.; Giebichenstein, Julia & Hallanger, Ingeborg G. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). The influence of global climate change on accumulation and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in Arctic food webs. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. ISSN 2050-7887. 24(10), p. 1544–1576. doi: 10.1039/d1em00469g. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This review summarizes current understanding of how climate change-driven physical and ecological processes influence the levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and contaminants of emerging Arctic concern (CEACs) in Arctic biota and food webs. The review also highlights how climate change may interact with other stressors to impact contaminant toxicity, and the utility of modeling and newer research tools in closing knowledge gaps on climate change-contaminant interactions. Permafrost thaw is influencing the concentrations of POPs in freshwater ecosystems. Physical climate parameters, including climate oscillation indices, precipitation, water salinity, sea ice age, and sea ice quality show statistical associations with POPs concentrations in multiple Arctic biota. Northward range-shifting species can act as biovectors for POPs and CEACs into Arctic marine food webs. Shifts in trophic position can alter POPs concentrations in populations of Arctic species. Reductions in body condition are associated with increases in levels of POPs in some biota. Although collectively understudied, multiple stressors, including contaminants and climate change, may act to cumulatively impact some populations of Arctic biota. Models are useful for predicting the net result of various contrasting climate-driven processes on POP and CEAC exposures; however, for some parameters, especially food web changes, insufficient data exists with which to populate such models. In addition to the impact of global regulations on POP levels in Arctic biota, this review demonstrates that there are various direct and indirect mechanisms by which climate change can influence contaminant exposure, accumulation, and effects; therefore, it is important to attribute POP variations to the actual contributing factors to inform future regulations and policies. To do so, a broad range of habitats, species, and processes must be considered for a thorough understanding and interpretation of the consequences to the distribution, accumulation, and effects of environmental contaminants. Given the complex interactions between climate change, contaminants, and ecosystems, it is important to plan for long-term, integrated pan-Arctic monitoring of key biota and ecosystems, and to collect ancillary data, including information on climate-related parameters, local meteorology, ecology, and physiology, and when possible, behavior, when carrying out research on POPs and CEACs in biota and food webs of the Arctic.

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• Giebichenstein, Julia; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Harju, Mikael; Varpe, Øystein & Andersen, Tom [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Emerging contaminant accumulation in an Arctic marine food web.
• Giebichenstein, Julia; Harju, Mikael; Varpe, Øystein; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing; Andersen, Tom & Borgå, Katrine (2023). Across the Seasons: Persistent Organic Pollutants in an Arctic Pelagic Food Web.
• Ziegler, Amanda; Jørgensen, Lis Lindal; Bluhm, Bodil Annikki Ulla Barbro; Giebichenstein, Julia; Borgå, Katrine & Ricardo de Freitas, Thaise (2023). The effect of ice-free summer conditions on benthic food web structure in the Barents Sea. Show summary

  Reduced Arctic sea-ice cover has been shown to alter phytoplankton community composition and reduce the magnitude of vertical flux, thereby reducing the strength of pelagic-benthic coupling. It is predicted that Arctic shelf ecosystems, like the Barents Sea, will transition into sub-polar-like ecosystems under future climatic conditions. However, few studies have provided a benthic perspective to the question of how ice-free conditions in the Arctic will affect food web structure. In this study, we aim to test whether ice-free summer conditions in the Barents Sea and adjacent Nansen Basin alter benthic food web structure and the strength of pelagic benthic coupling. To do so, we used bulk stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen measured in food sources and benthic consumers, demersal fish, and zooplankton collected during summers with contrasting sea-ice conditions: August 2018 – low sea-ice extent and August 2019 – high sea-ice extent. We compared benthic food web structure across three oceanographically distinct regions from the sea-ice free central Barents Sea shelf and the seasonally ice-free northern Barents Sea shelf to the slope extending into the Nansen Basin. The results of this work will not only improve our understanding of the impact that Arctic sea-ice loss has on benthic communities but provide additional insight to the resiliency of Arctic benthic food webs.

• Borgå, Katrine; McKinney, Melissa A.; Giebichenstein, Julia; Dinh, van Khuong; Bårnås Gravelle, Amalie Marie & Heuschele, Jan David [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). The influence of climate change on accumulation and toxicity of pollutants in Arctic marine food webs.
• Giebichenstein, Julia; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Varpe, Øystein; Gabrielsen, Geir W.; Andersen, Tom & Borgå, Katrine (2022). Chlorinated paraffins in Polar cod and capelin from the Barents Sea during the Arctic spring bloom.
• Borgå, Katrine; McKinney, Melissa A.; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Fernie, Kim J.; Giebichenstein, Julia & Hallanger, Ingeborg G. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). The influence of global climate change on accumulation and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in Arctic food webs.
• Borgå, Katrine; McKinney, Melissa A.; Routti, Heli Anna Irmeli; Fernie, Kim J.; Giebichenstein, Julia & Hallanger, Ingeborg G. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). The influence of global climate change on accumulation and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in Arctic food webs.
• Giebichenstein, Julia; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Varpe, Øystein; Andersen, Tom; Gabrielsen, Geir W. & Borgå, Katrine (2022). Chlorinated paraffins in polar cod and capelin from the Barents Sea.
• Reigstad, Marit; Gabrielsen, Tove M.; Amargant-Arumi, Marti; Amundsen, Rita; Bluhm, Bodil & Bodur, Yasemin V. [Show all 37 contributors for this article] (2022). Seasonal Cruise Q3: Cruise Report . Septentrio Academic Publishing. ISSN 2703-7525. Show summary

  The Nansen Legacy Q3 cruise, 5-27 August 2019, initiated the seasonal investigations of the Nansen Legacy transect. The transect represent an environmental gradient going through the northern Barents Sea, and included 7 process stations (P1-P7) lasting 6-53 hrs. CTD stations were taken to increase the hydrographic resolution on the transect. The program included measurements and sampling from the atmosphere, sea ice, ocean and sea floor. Data collected ranged from physical observations, chemical, biological and geological data collection, and the aim was to link observations and measurements to improve our understanding of the systems involving both climate, human impacts and the ecosystems. Deployment of moorings and gliders extended the observational capacity in time and space, outside the cruise period.

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