Recording the baseline before the change: First steps towards an integrated chemical and biological pollution and effects assessment off Dronning Maud Land

随着全球地表温度的上升，南半球低纬度地区排放的越来越多的半挥发性污染物将蒸发，并在大气中进行长距离迁移。因此，更多的持久性有机污染物（POP）最终将存款在南部冷阱--南极洲。与此同时，海洋变暖将加速冰封污染物重新释放到南大洋。因此，对南极洲及其生物区系而言，可预见的前景是生物可利用的人为污染增加。然而，在德龙宁毛德地区，由于缺乏对污染物及其影响的全面基线调查，这种污染压力的加剧及其生物影响将在某种程度上被忽视。因此，在本项目中，我们将根据对阿特卡湾海冰进行的为期三个月的取样活动，对德龙宁莫德岛及其生物群进行综合污染和风险评估。我们将利用创新的被动采样技术，调查从海冰到（死亡的）企鹅组织等不同环境基质中持久性有机污染物污染的现状。从融化季节开始并延伸到南方夏季，我们将跟踪从冰释放到海水中的污染物，以及它们被假定吸收到冰藻中，并进一步进入以它们为食的杀死动物。通过确定污染物的身体负担，我们将评估污染物在南极关键物种中的生物累积和进一步的生物放大作用。此外，在通过定期采样进行评估时，我们将了解持久性有机污染物污染的季节性。作为化学分析的重要对应方，我们将以生物影响评估补充持久性有机污染物的筛查。为此，我们将研究磷虾的生物标志物反应，采用细胞和亚细胞生物标志物的解毒，氧化应激和再生。同样，季节性的、固定的采样方法将增强我们对这些生理和潜在病理反应的可变性的了解。这将有助于解释未来的采样活动和预测生物标志物的行为。我们让其他研究站参与制定这一概念，目的是扩大目前污染研究的范围，并为今后在南极洲建立全面和协调的污染和影响评估作出贡献。

With rising global surface temperatures, an increasing number of semi-volatile pollutants emitted in lower latitudes of the southern hemisphere will evaporate and undergo an, in turn, prolonged atmospheric long-range transport. Thus, more persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will eventually deposit in the southern cold-trap - the Antarctic. At the same time, a warming ocean will accelerate the re-release of ice-sealed contaminants into the Southern ocean. Consequently, an increase in bioavailable anthropogenic pollution is a foreseeable perspective for Antarctica and its biota. However, in Dronning Maud land, this intensification of pollution stress and its biological implications will proceed somewhat unnoticed due to a lack of holistic, baseline investigations of pollutants and their impact. Therefore, in this project, we will perform an integrated pollution and risk assessment for Dronning Maud land and its biota, based on a three-month sampling campaign of the sea-ice of Atka Bay. Using innovative passive sampling techniques, we will investigate the current status of POP pollution in different environmental matrixes ranging from sea ice to (deceased) penguin tissue. Starting at the onset of the melt season and extending into austral summer, we will follow up on the release of pollutants from the ice into the seawater and their putative uptake into ice alga and further into kill feeding on them. By determining pollutant body burdens, we will assess pollutants bioaccumulation and further biomagnification in Antarctic key species. Furthermore, in evaluating this in a recurring sample collection, we will learn about the seasonality of POP pollution. As a significant counterpart to chemical analytics, we will complement the screening for POPs with a biological impact assessment. For this, we will investigate the biomarker response in krill to employing cellular and subcellular biomarkers of detoxification, oxidative stress, and regeneration. Again, the seasonal, stationary, sampling approach will enhance our knowledge of the variability of these physiological and potentially pathological responses. This will facilitate the interpretation of future sampling campaigns and forecast biomarker behavior. Involving other research stations in developing this concept, we aim to expand the current boundaries of pollution research and contribute to establishing future comprehensive and coordinated pollution and effect assessments in Antarctica.