Distribution of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Mercury in Freshwater Ecosystems Under Changing Climate Conditions

2010 ◽  
pp. 180-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan O. Grimalt ◽  
Jordi Catalan ◽  
Pilar Fernandez ◽  
Benjami Piña ◽  
John Munthe
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Changing Climate

scholarly journals Potential impacts to freshwater ecosystems caused by flow regime alteration under changing climate conditions in Taiwan

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 3005-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-P. Suen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Regime Changes ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Extreme Flood ◽  
Precautionary Measures

Abstract. Observed increases in the Earth's surface temperature bring with them associated changes in precipitation and atmospheric moisture that consequentially alter river flow regimes. This paper uses the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration approach to examine climate-induced flow regime changes that can potentially affect freshwater ecosystems. Analyses of the annual extreme water conditions at 23 gauging stations throughout Taiwan reveal large alterations in recent years; extreme flood and drought events were more frequent in the period after 1991 than from 1961–1990, and the frequency and duration of the flood and drought events also show high fluctuation. Climate change forecasts suggest that such flow regime alterations are going to continue into the foreseeable future. Aquatic organisms not only feel the effects of anthropogenic damage to river systems, but they also face on-going threats of thermal and flow regime alterations associated with climate change. This paper calls attention to the issue, so that water resources managers can take precautionary measures that reduce the cumulative effects from anthropogenic influence and changing climate conditions.

Persistent organic pollutants in remote freshwater ecosystems

2005 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-273
Author(s):  
Pilar Fernández ◽  
Guillem Carrera ◽  
Joan O. Grimalt
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems

Persistent organic pollutants in remote freshwater ecosystems

2005 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Fernández ◽  
Guillem Carrera ◽  
Joan O. Grimalt
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems

Evaluating Risk After a Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant Released Persistent Organic Pollutants: Part 3, Aboriginal Health Risk and Impact

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tee L. Guidotti
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Hazardous Waste Treatment ◽  
Waste Treatment Plant ◽  
Health Canada

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the atmosphere, including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and furans. The circumstances of exposure are detailed in Part 1, Background and Policy Issues. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted in two parts with two levels of government as sponsors. The first, called the Swan Hills Study, is described in Part 2. A subsequent evaluation, described here in Part 3, was undertaken by Health Canada and focused exclusively on Aboriginal residents in three communities living near the lake, downwind, and downstream of the SHSWTC of the area. It was designed to isolate effects on members living a more traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. Aboriginal communities place great cultural emphasis on access to traditional lands and derive both cultural and health benefits from “country foods” such as venison (deer meat) and local fish. The suspicion of contamination of traditional lands and the food supply made risk management exceptionally difficult in this situation. The conclusion of both the Swan Hills and Lesser Slave Lake studies was that although POPs had entered the ecosystem, no effect could be demonstrated on human exposure or health outcome attributable to the incident. However, the value of this case study is in the detail of the process, not the ultimate dimensions of risk. The findings of the Lesser Slave Lake Study have not been published previously and are incomplete.

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