Pollution

In the BEDREVANN project, we will study the impact of cyanotoxin-contaminated irrigation water in agriculture and the risk to food producers and end users with Akersvannet in Vestfold as a pilot area. Akersvannet is a highly nutrient-rich lake with annual blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria. Water from the lake is used to irrigate surrounding agricultural areas where vegetables are largely grown, and this can pose a risk to safe food production.

NIVA is leading this comprehensive EU project that will examine the interaction between all European regulations that affect the marine and coastal environment.

We need to improve our understanding of the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in surface waters, particularly downstream of urban waste water treatment plants. However, at present there is no European overview of the presence of AMR in surface waters. This project will develop a basic approach and methodology for a European scale AMR monitoring of surface waters.

Together with NIBIO, we carry out operational monitoring of rivers and lakes in the Morsa water area (Vansjø-Hobølvassdraget).

MULTISOURCE is an EU-funded project that will facilitate the systematic, city-wide planning of nature-based solutions for urban water treatment, storage, and reuse. Through seven technical pilots across Europe and USA, a wide range of urban waters will be treated throughout the project, while decision support tools will be co-designed together with local, national, and international stakeholders. NIVA and the City of Oslo together with 18 other partners are working on the treatment and reuse of urban stormwater using nature-based treatment solutions. The Norwegian pilot treats road runoff from Tåsenveien.

PAIRWISE aims to advance knowledge of antimicrobial resistance as a pollution in aquatic environments, wildlife, and livestock. PAIRWISE focuses on dispersal and dynamics of antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotics in aquatic environments affected by wastewater treatment plants.

Plastic pollution in freshwater environments is a pressing global concern due to its ability to accumulate in the environment. The long-term impacts of this pollution on freshwater ecosystems are still to understand. In PATTERN project, we aim to understand how plastics can influence nutrient composition and the natural exchanges in biological information, with a focus on the biofilms colonizing plastic’s surface. We aim to rate the environmental relevance of these processes and to assess the threshold at which plastic pollution disrupts freshwater ecosystem functioning.

SINOPLAST II shall contribute to reduced plastic waste and marine litter originating from China. The project partners shall achieve this through establishing a whole life-cycle framework for plastics for policy makers, improving the capacity for integrated land-ocean management of plastics, and through improving the knowledge of plastics from a global perspective. The project will thus support the implementation of the new global plastics treaty.

The section for catchment biogeochemistry works to understand how various pollutants are spread in the environment and how they affect the water quality in rivers, lakes, and fjords. Our studies lay the foundation for and support political guidelines and improvements to reduce unwanted environmental impacts. 

The section conducts research on topics that contribute to sustainable development of cities and towns, and infrastructure. We study the problems, processes and solutions for handling drinking water, wastewater, and storm water in urban areas, in a changing climate.