Quantifying ecological effects of scrubber water discharge in stressed coastal areas (SCRUBBER2) (39456)

Ecological effects of scrubber water discharge in marine environment are poorly understood: although modeling studies suggest that the quick dilution of the discharge water limits the harmful effects, our recent laboratory experiments indicated likely synergistic effects of discharge water constituents on plankton at dilute concentrations of contaminants. The interactions between scrubber water contaminants (V, Ni, Pb and PAH compounds) and biota are however complex, and influenced by the chemical properties of the specific contaminants, ecophysiology of plankton, and physical and chemical properties of the surrounding water. This makes it difficult to predict the threshold concentrations or dose-dependency of different lethal or sub-lethal effects, and thus to evaluate when and where an additional metal loading can have substantial negative effects on the planktonic food web.

Our project addresses these questions by 1) searching to establish which specific contaminants are responsible for the observed negative effects on plankton and 2) how is the effect modified by exposure time and concentration, changing environmental conditions and tolerance of the local plankton community. We will also start a preliminary investigation on 3) how relevant is the scrubber water discharge as a source of the specific compounds compared to other discharge sources.

Partners
DTU Aqua, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (coordinator)
DTU Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering  

Funding
The project is funded by Maritime DTU. 

Research area: Oceanography