News

Ten innovative EU projects to build ocean observation systems that provide input for evidence-based management of the ocean and the Blue Economy, have joined forces in the strong cluster ‘Nourishing Blue Economy and Sharing Ocean Knowledge’. Under the lead of the EuroSea project, the group published a joint policy brief listing recommendations for sustainable ocean observation and management.

Persistent, mobile (PM) substances are being recognized as serious threats to the safety of water resources. In many cases, drinking water supplies have to be purified using expensive technologies because of contamination by PM substances. As part of this effort, a new, wide-reaching European Research project with NIVA as one of the partners, Zero Pollution of Persistent, Mobile substances, (ZeroPM) will start in autumn 2021.

We have grown out of our premises in Oslo Science Park and will during August 2021 move to Økernveien 94. The formal change of address will take place on 16. August.

In a time of environmental awareness, spurred on by the possibility that our world is threatened by climate change, it is important to remember that there are other anthropogenic pressures, which are also essential for addressing the protection of the marine and coastal environment. Pollution is a global, complex issue that contributes to biodiversity loss and poor environmental health and comes from the production and release of many of the synthetic chemicals that we use in our daily lives. Chemical contaminants are often underrepresented as a major contributor of environmental deterioration.

Something has happened in the ocean – completely out of view – that destroyed Norway’s kelp forests across an estimated 8400 km2.

In mid-April, the three Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) on Water, Oceans and Antimicrobial Resistance announced the results from the AquaticPollutants Joint Transnational Call. NIVA are happy to be partner in two of the projects funded.

NIVA's ecotox laboratory is the first lab in Norway to be accepted as a formal member of the EU-NETVAL (European Union Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods).

The contaminant concentrations in the marine environment are decreasing along the Norwegian coastline – but there are some exceptions. In many urban areas, long-term trends for mercury in cod fillet are upwards. In the Inner Oslofjord, mercury levels in cod fillet have increased over the past 35 years, but leveled out during the past 10 years.

REV Ocean and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) coordinate actions against plastic pollution, action for blue forests, and collection of ocean data through marine drones and FerryBox ships of opportunity.

A new overview article on produced water describes Norwegian environmental research in the area over the past 30 years. The article looks at, among other things, whether fish and other animals are harmed by produced water discharges, and whether the ecosystems in the Barents Sea may be extra vulnerable to discharges.

The green shift implies that society will rely more on renewable biomass resources for the provision of food, fodder, fibre and fuel. Such a transition will have benefits but also trade-offs. In a special issue from the Nordic Centre of Excellence Biowater, NIVA has contributed with studies on the role of forests and forestry in the context of the green shift. 

OPINION: Near half of the global plastic leakage from land to sea comes from a few countries in Southeast Asia. To overcome the plastic problem, we need to treat the cause and not just the symptoms. We must turn the spotlight on the sources.

While ocean acidification was initially perceived as a threat only to the marine realm, the authors of a new publication argue that it is also an emerging human health issue.

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) have developed a new dosing system for continual treatment of salmon lice directly in cages. The overall impact to the environment is expected to be minimal and the fish are relieved of the stress associated with handling during treatments.

Faced with the increased threats posed by overexploitation of marine resources, pollution and climate change, urgent action is needed to bring Europe’s seas back to good condition. According to the European Environment Agency’s report on Europe’s marine ecosystems, published today, we are running out of time to reverse decades of neglect and misuse.

A variety of ballast water compliance monitoring devices have been developed and several novel approaches are currently being explored. However, rigorous, transparent and standardized verification testing is needed for these devices to be adopted and implemented globally, by multiple administrations to enforce compliance monitoring. To address this need, a new protocol has been developed to serve as a standardized framework for the verification testing of CMDs. The protocol has been peer-reviewed by NIVA.

A vast number of new wastewater treatment plants in developing countries has led to an imbalance between phosphorous and nitrogen in surface waters. The result could be excessive growth of potentially poisonous algae with a preference for nitrogen. A new study calls for better nutrient reduction in order to maintain ecosystem biodiversity.

A new study shows that ocean acidification is a global problem with profoundly negative environmental, social and economic consequences. Researchers call for a coordinated effort to address the problem – and points to Norway as a good example on how to combat ocean acidification.