Found 10463 publications. Showing page 395 of 419:
Screening Program 2024. Substances in electronic waste facilities and wastewater treatment
The 2024 Screening Programme investigated emerging and legacy contaminants in e-waste facilities and wastewater treatment. LCD substances, flame retardants, plasticizers, and their metabolites were found in air, dust, and water near e-waste sites. Bisphenol-related compounds and follow-up substances were detected in wastewater, particularly in sludge and particles. The findings highlight environmental dispersion, treatment efficiency, and the need for continued monitoring.
NILU
2025
2025
Rest of World News: Ocean carbon removal, touted as a climate solution, faces significant hurdles. A new EU report cautions that these unproven technologies lack evidence
2025
The report provides the annual update of the European air quality concentration maps and population and vegetation exposure estimates for human health related indicators of pollutants PM10 (annual average, 90.4 percentile of daily means), PM2.5 (annual average), ozone (93.2 percentile of maximum daily 8-hour means, peak season average of maximum daily 8-hour means, SOMO35, SOMO10), NO2 (annual average) and benzo(a)pyrene (annual average), and vegetation related ozone indicators (AOT40 for vegetation and for forests) for the year 2023. The report contains also maps of Phytotoxic ozone dose (PODY) for selected crops (wheat, potato and tomato) and trees (spruce and beech) and NOx annual average map for the same year 2023. The trends in exposure estimates in the period 2005-2023 are summarized. The analysis for 2023 is based on the interpolation of the annual statistics of the 2023 observational data reported by the EEA member and cooperating countries and other voluntary reporting countries and stored in the Air Quality e-reporting database, complemented, when needed, with measurements from additional sources. The mapping method is the Regression – Interpolation – Merging Mapping (RIMM). It combines monitoring data, chemical transport model results and other supplementary data using linear regression model followed by kriging of its residuals (residual kriging). The report presents the mapping results and gives an uncertainty analysis of the interpolated maps. It also presents concentration change in 2023 in comparison to the 5-year average 2018-2022 using the difference maps and exposure estimates.
European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE)
2025
Evaluating the Combined Effect of Land and Marine CDR
With the global annual mean temperature in 2024 exceeding 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, the world faces increasing risks from climate impacts. Achieving the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement will require not only deep emission reductions but likely also large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, major uncertainties remain regarding the Earth system’s response to CDR, its efficacy under overshoot conditions, and the potential of CDR to reverse warming beyond net-zero emissions.
Here, we use emission-driven simulations with activity-driven implementation of CDR in the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM2-LM) to assess the carbon sequestration efficacy and climate response of two CDR methods, Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), deployed individually and in combination. Our scenarios follow a high-overshoot trajectory (SSP5-3.4-OS) combined with ramped-up deployment of CDR. Additional CDR amounted to 5.2 million km² of bioenergy feedstock for BECCS in addition to the BECCS already present in the SSP5-3.4-OS and a CaO deployment rate of 2.7 Gt/year for OAE, derived from life cycle analysis. OAE is applied across the exclusive economic zones of Europe, the United States, and China. BECCS alone accounts for a 16 ppm reduction using 5.2 million km² of bioenergy crops, while OAE contributes 7 ppm reduction with a cumulative addition of 82.3 Gt of CaO, yielding a CDR effectiveness of 0.08 ppm per Gt of CaO. During the overshoot phase (2050–2060), the combined simulation shows a gross atmospheric CO₂ reduction of 2-4 ppm, increasing to a reduction of 23 ppm by 2100, indicating nearly additive contributions from the two methods.
Despite the substantial CO₂ drawdown and a net reduction of anthropogenic emissions by 5.4 GtCO₂/year by 2100 through additional CDR, the global temperature response remains modest and indistinguishable from internal variability. This highlights the importance of designing robust, scalable CDR portfolios along with ambitious emission cuts. Our results also call for better integration of CDR pathways into IAMs scenarios so that we can have them in ESMs to fully capture biogeophysical feedback and Earth system constraints in overshoot scenarios.
2025
2025
2025
CompSafeNano project: NanoInformatics approaches for safe-by-design nanomaterials
The CompSafeNano project, a Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) project funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 program, aims to advance the safety and innovation potential of nanomaterials (NMs) by integrating cutting-edge nanoinformatics, computational modelling, and predictive toxicology to enable design of safer NMs at the earliest stage of materials development. The project leverages Safe-by-Design (SbD) principles to ensure the development of inherently safer NMs, enhancing both regulatory compliance and international collaboration. By building on established nanoinformatics frameworks, such as those developed in the H2020-funded projects NanoSolveIT and NanoCommons, CompSafeNano addresses critical challenges in nanosafety through development and integration of innovative methodologies, including advanced in vitro models, in silico approaches including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven predictive models and 1st-principles computational modelling of NMs properties, interactions and effects on living systems. Significant progress has been made in generating atomistic and quantum-mechanical descriptors for various NMs, evaluating their interactions with biological systems (from small molecules or metabolites, to proteins, cells, organisms, animals, humans and ecosystems), and in developing predictive models for NMs risk assessment. The CompSafeNano project has also focused on implementing and further standardising data reporting templates and enhancing data management practices, ensuring adherence to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. Despite challenges, such as limited regulatory acceptance of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) currently, which has implications for predictive nanosafety assessment, CompSafeNano has successfully developed tools and models that are integral to the safety evaluation of NMs, and that enable the extensive datasets on NMs safety to be utilised for the re-design of NMs that are inherently safer, including through prediction of the acquired biomolecule coronas which provide the biological or environmental identities to NMs, promoting their sustainable use in diverse applications. Future efforts will concentrate on further refining these models, expanding the NanoPharos Database, and working with regulatory stakeholders thereby fostering the widespread adoption of SbD practices across the nanotechnology sector. CompSafeNano's integrative approach, multidisciplinary collaboration and extensive stakeholder engagement, position the project as a critical driver of innovation in NMs SbD methodologies and in the development and implementation of computational nanosafety.
2025
The complex and dynamic nature of airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has hindered understanding of its chemical composition, sources, and toxic effects. In the first steps of a larger study, here, we aimed to elucidate relationships between source regions, ambient conditions, and the chemical composition in water extracts of PM2.5 samples (n = 85) collected over 16 months at an observatory in the Yellow Sea. In each extract, we quantified elements and major ions and profiled the complex mixtures of organic compounds by nontarget mass spectrometry. More than 50,000 nontarget features were detected, and by consensus of in silico tools, we assigned a molecular formula to 13,907 features. Oxygenated compounds were most prominent, followed by mixed nitrogenated/oxygenated compounds, organic sulfates, and sulfonates. Spectral matching enabled identification or structural annotation of 43 substances, and a workflow involving SIRIUS and MS-DIAL software enabled annotation of 74 unknown per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with primary source regions in China and the Korean Peninsula. Multivariate modeling revealed seasonal variations in chemistry, attributable to the combination of warmer temperatures and maritime source regions in summer and to cooler temperatures and source regions of China in winter.
2025
2025
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are critical in safeguarding network infrastructures against malicious attacks. Traditional IDSs often struggle with knowledge representation, real-time detection, and accuracy, especially when dealing with high-throughput data. This paper proposes a novel IDS framework that leverages machine learning models, streaming data, and semantic knowledge representation to enhance intrusion detection accuracy and scalability. Additionally, the study incorporates the concept of Digital Sovereignty, ensuring that data control, security, and privacy are maintained according to national and regional regulations. The proposed system integrates Apache Kafka for real-time data processing, an automatic machine learning pipeline (e.g., Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool (TPOT)) for classifying network traffic, and OWL-based semantic reasoning for advanced threat detection. The proposed system, evaluated on NSL-KDD and CIC-IDS-2017 datasets, demonstrated qualitative outcomes such as local compliance, reduced data storage needs due to real-time processing, and improved adaptability to local data laws. Experimental results reveal significant improvements in detection accuracy, processing efficiency, and Sovereignty alignment.
2025
Skogens helsetilstand i Norge. Resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i 2023
Skogens helsetilstand påvirkes i stor grad av klima og værforhold, enten direkte ved tørke, frost og vind, eller indirekte ved at klimaet påvirker omfanget av soppsykdommer og insektangrep. Klimaendringene og den forventede økningen i klimarelaterte skogskader gir store utfordringer for forvaltningen av framtidas skogressurser. Det samme gjør invaderende skadegjørere, både allerede etablerte arter og nye som kan komme til Norge i nær framtid. I denne rapporten presenteres resultater fra skogskadeovervåkingen i Norge i 2023 og trender over tid for følgende temaer:
(i) Landsrepresentativ skogovervåking;
(ii) Intensiv skogovervåking;
(iii) Overvåking av bjørkemålere i Troms og Finnmark;
(iv) Barkbilleovervåkingen 2023: økende fangster – særlig i stormrammede områder;
(v) Søk etter Ips-arter utenfor det nordvestlige hjørnet av granas utbredelse i Europa;
(vi) Askeskuddsyke;
(vii) Andre spesielle skogskader i 2023.
NIBIO
2025
2025
2025
Anthropogenic compounds in the northernmost Atlantic puffin population
Contamination by organic pollutants, even in remote regions, poses a growing threat to wildlife, including seabirds. However, for many seabirds breeding at high latitudes, both the extent and nature of contaminant exposure remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in the Svalbard Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica at the northern limit of its range. We also compare contaminant concentrations with those found in other species breeding on Svalbard and in puffin colonies further south. The Svalbard puffins were found to be contaminated by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). No significant sex difference was found. OCPs, PCBs and/or PFASs concentrations in Svalbard puffins were comparable to those of Brünnich's guillemots Uria lomvia, black guillemots Cepphus grylle, and/or little auks Alle alle, but lower than in glaucous gulls Larus hyperboreus. PFAS concentrations were also lower than in black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. OCP and PCB concentrations were lower on Svalbard than in puffin colonies further south. This study is the first to document PFAS concentrations in puffins, therefore it remains unknown whether PFAS levels were also lower on Svalbard than further south. These comparisons should be interpreted with caution, as data for different species or colonies were collected in different years, and contaminant levels vary over time. The current contaminant concentrations indicate that Svalbard puffins are still at low risk for biological effects, but continued monitoring is needed to assess potential future changes.
2025
Environmental Contaminants in an Urban Fjord, 2024 – Emphasis on Alna River
This report presents data from the fourth year of a 5-year period of the Urban Fjord
programme. The programme started in 2013 and has since been altered/advanced.
In 2024 the programme covers sampling and analyses of water, water moss,
invertebrates, and trout from Alna River, as well as stormwater from Eastern Oslo
City. A sampling campaign was also conducted for source tracing of chlorhexidine,
dichloromethane and trichloromethane previously found in Alna River. A total of
240 single compounds/isomers were analyzed, and frequent detection was found
of specifc PFAS compounds in aqueous phases, other specifc PFAS compounds in
trout liver, UV-compounds and certain QACs in the particulate fraction of
stormwater, certain benzothiazoles in stormwater (dissolved and/or particulate
fraction) , chlorinated paraffns (MCCP and LCCP) in biota, certain siloxanes in
nearly all matrices, metals in all matrices, and PCBs in biota. Biomagnifcation was
only observed for a couple of the PCB congeners. However, as expected,
biomagnifcation was observed for mercury and PFOS. Biomagnifcation of silver
was observed when trout was represented by liver samples, but not muscle samples.
The source tracing showed the presence of the compounds at several stations
Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA)
2025
Denne rapporten beskriver en studie utført av NILU for Nordre Follo kommune, med støtte fra Folkehelseinstituttet. Målet var å prøve uhildet kartlegging som metode for å undersøke hvilke organisk-kjemiske forbindelser som finnes i nedbørfeltet til drikkevannskilden Gjersjøen. Som del av dette ønsket vi også å identifisere forbindelser som forårsaker feilaktige, store utslag i nitratsensorer. Ved bruk av høyoppløselig massespektrometri og miljøforensiske metoder ble 163 markører identifisert, inkludert aspirin, kreatin og kreatinin, knyttet til kloakkforurensning under kraftig nedbør. Funnene gir innsikt i kjemisk interferens og kan forbedre overvåkingssystemer og vannforvaltning.
NILU
2025
2025
2025