Anna Sobek, Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University
Anna Sobek, Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University

How would you describe your project in a few sentences?

The Baltic Sea is polluted. 50 years ago industry along the Baltic Sea coastlines was an important source of pollutants to the Baltic Sea. Today, slow leakage from many diffuse sources of thousands of largely unknown pollutants is an important pathway to the Baltic Sea. In this project we will study how toxic the many (unknown) pollutants in the Baltic Sea are in comparison to well-known pollutants that were emitted decades ago.

What are your most important results, and for whom are they particularly useful?

We have sampled sediment and water from three different locations with different sources of pollutants; a) heavy industry; b) large city; c) no known major sources. These samples will be  treated so that their toxicity on organisms living in the Baltic Sea can be tested. The results will be useful to administrators at EPAs and other authorities around the Baltic Sea, but also to decision makers. Today it is mainly the well-known pollutants that were emitted decades ago that are regulated. These pollutants are still relevant, but with this project we hope to understand the importance of the many other pollutants that also are emitted to the Baltic Sea.

How can it assist an ecosystem-based management of the marine environment?

In order to actually succeed in managing pollution in the Baltic Sea, we need to define and focus on a) the greatest problems, and b) problems that can still be acted upon (e.g. not pollutants emitted decades ago). This project is about understanding whether the old pollutants emitted decades ago are more toxic to marine organisms than the many pollutants that are emitted today.