Juan Pardo

• Leasi, Francesca; Álvaro, Nuno V.; Andrade, Luiz F.; Araújo, Thiago Q.; Aramayo, Víctor & Artois, Tom [Show all 41 contributors for this article] (2025). High meiofaunal diversity in the Azores revealed through DNA metabarcoding. Marine Biodiversity. ISSN 1867-1616. 56. doi: 10.1007/s12526-025-01615-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To advance understanding of meiofauna, key components of marine benthic ecosystems, an international team conducted a morphology-based taxonomic survey and workshop around São Miguel, the largest Azorean island, in 2019. The survey yielded critical baseline data on meiofaunal diversity and, despite taxonomic challenges that limited identification of certain taxa, laid a solid foundation for further research. To expand these findings, additional samples were analyzed using DNA metabarcoding, a powerful tool that assesses multiple facets of biodiversity, including richness, community composition, and phylogenetic diversity. Metabarcoding identified 480 meiofaunal amplicon sequence variants across 14 phyla, more than doubling the 180 taxa recorded through morphology alone. Of these, 298 (approximately 62%) belonged to phyla targeted during the morphology-based workshop. A comparison between the two approaches, focusing on clades addressed during the workshop, revealed overlapping but expanded patterns of diversity relative to morphology-based taxonomy. This consistency supports the metabarcoding’s ability to uncover meiofaunal diversity and underscores the importance of integrating both methods to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity and ecological patterns. As the first metabarcoding study in the Azores, this work establishes a biodiversity baseline for a remote and understudied region, indicating greater benthic diversity than previously recognized. By revealing the complexity of these understudied ecosystems, this research contributes to document and support conservation of biodiversity in the Azores and emphasizes the need for further exploration of meiofaunal communities in isolated oceanic environments.

• Ferreira, Ana Paula; Machado, Glauco Barreto de Oliveira; Pardo, Juan; Augusto, Alessandra; Costa, Tânia Marcia & Leite, Fosca Pedini Pereira (2025). The effects of ocean warming and elevated CO2 on the feeding behavior and physiology of two sympatric mesograzers. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A. ISSN 1095-6433. 304. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111831. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased significantly since pre-industrial times, leading to ocean warming and acidification. These environmental changes affect the physiology of marine organisms as they modify metabolic processes. Despite the critical role of temperature and pH in marine biology, studies of their combined effects are limited. This study investigated the interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on the feeding behavior and physiology of two sympatric amphipods, Hyale niger and Cymadusa filosa. Using an orthogonal experimental design with two temperatures (27 °C and 30 °C) and two pH levels (7.8 and 7.5), we assessed feeding rates, respiration rates, ammonia excretion, and O/N ratios. Results indicated that C. filosa was less tolerant to these stressors than H. niger. While H. niger showed no significant changes between treatments, C. filosa showed reduced feeding rates and altered physiological responses to elevated temperature and decreased pH. Reducing the feeding rate of C. filosa may favor macroalgal biomass and strengthen bottom-up control in phytal communities. In addition, increased ammonia excretion in C. filosa suggests increased protein catabolism to meet energy demands at higher temperatures, despite reduced oxygen consumption. This indicates a compromised metabolism and a reduction in circulating oxygen capacity for C. filosa. The study shows heterogeneous responses to climate change, highlighting the need to assess combined environmental stressors in different species to accurately understand the impacts of climate change.

• Graversen, Anna Elizabeth Løvgren; Lønborg, Christian; Addamo, Anna Maria; Pedersen, Sidsel Gurholt; Chemello, Silvia & Alejo, Irene [Show all 88 contributors for this article] (2025). A marine and salt marsh sediment organic carbon database for European regional seas (EURO-CARBON). Data in Brief. 60. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2025.111595. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Marine and salt marsh sediments contain large amounts of organic carbon (OC) and are therefore important in the global carbon cycle. Here, we collated previously published and unpublished measurements of sediment OC in marine and salt marsh sediments in European regional seas (EURO-CARBON; available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14905489). To the extent possible the OC data were complemented by variables such as sediment porosity and dry bulk density. The EUROCARBON dataset holds 61306 individual data entries of sediment OC content from different regions of European regional seas. Around three quarters (76%) were collected in Coastal and deep sea bare sediments, 18% from salt marshes, 7% from seagrass habitats, and 0.03% from macroalgal habitats. For all habitats and sediment depth layers the OC content varied between <0.1 and 41.56 % (avg.: 2.47 ± 3.37 %; median: 1.39 %), with the content generally decreasing in the following sequence: salt marsh (5.01 ± 5.96 %; 3.03 %) > seagrass (2.37 ± 5.96 %; 3.03 %) > bare sediment (1.88 ± 2.03 %; 1.20 %). The EURO-CARBON dataset will serve as a basis for future work, and it will be an important resource for researchers, managers, and policymakers working towards protecting sediment OC pools

• Pardo, Juan C. F.; Poste, Amanda E.; Frigstad, Helene; Quintana, Cintia O. & Trannum, Hilde C. (2023). The interplay between terrestrial organic matter and benthic macrofauna: Framework, synthesis, and perspectives. Ecosphere. 14(5). doi: 10.1002/ecs2.4492. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ecosystems are shaped by physical, chemical, and biological drivers, which affect the quality and quantity of basal energy sources, with impacts that cascade to higher trophic levels. In coastal, shelf, and marine habitats, terrestrial-derived organic matter (ter-OM) can be a key driver of ecosystem structure and function. Climate change is expected to alter land–ocean connectivity in many regions, with a broad range of potential consequences for impacted ecosystems, particularly in the coastal zone. The benthic compartment is an important link between the large organic carbon pools stored on land and the marine environment. At the same time, the macrofauna plays a key role in the processing, biological uptake, and fate of ter-OM in the aquatic environment, with implications for coastal ecosystem functioning, benthic–pelagic coupling, carbon burial, and biogeochemical cycles. However, information about relationships between land–ocean connectivity (including ter-OM loads) and coastal benthic community responses remains spread across disciplines, and a broad perspective on the potential impacts of a changing climate is still missing. Here, we explore the interplay between benthic macrofaunal communities and ter-OM through a paired narrative and research weaving analysis, which combines systematic mapping and bibliometric analysis. The review describes the past development and status of the research field as well as the lack of information in some geographical regions and habitats worldwide. We highlight the role of macrofauna in carbon cycling and the growing evidence that ter-OM plays a key role in the structure and function of benthic communities, not strictly limited to estuarine habitats. Climate change poses challenges for the prediction of future ter-OM fluxes and potential macrofauna responses to this additional stressor, thus requiring new methodological approaches (e.g., multimarker approaches for OM characterization) and long-term monitoring programs across different habitats and spatiotemporal scales.

• Guarizo, Matheus; Pardo, Juan C. F.; Grande, Fernando Rafael De; Vinagre, Catarina & Costa, Tânia Marcia (2023). Impacts of ocean warming and acidification on predator-prey interactions in the intertidal zone: A research weaving approach. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. ISSN 0022-0981. 568. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2023.151946. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The effect of ocean warming and acidification on predator-prey interactions in the intertidal zone is a topic of growing concern for the scientific community. In this review, we aim to describe how scientists have explored the topic via research weaving, a combination of a systematic review, and a bibliometric approach. We assess articles published in the last decade exploring the impact of both stressors on predation in the intertidal zone, via experimental or observational techniques. Several methods were used to delve into how climate change-induced stress affected intertidal predation, as the study design leaned toward single-based driver trials to the detriment of a multi-driver approach. Mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans have been extensively used as model organisms, with little published data on other invertebrates, vertebrates, and algae taxa. Moreover, there is a strong web of co-authoring across institutions and countries from the Northern Hemisphere, that can skew our understanding towards temperate environments. Therefore, institutions and countries should increase participation in the southern hemisphere networking, assessing the problems under a global outlook. Our review also addresses the various impacts of ocean acidification, warming, or their interaction with predation-related variables, affecting organisms from the genetic to a broader ecological scope, such as animal behaviour or interspecific interactions. Finally, we argue that the numerous synonyms used in keywording articles in the field, possibly hurting future reviews in the area, as we provide different keyword standardizations. Our findings can help guide upcoming approaches to the topic by assessing what has been already done and revealing gaps in emerging themes, like a strong skew towards single-driver (specially acidification) lab experiments of northern hemisphere organisms and a lack of field multi-stressor experiments.

• Pardo, Juan Carlos Farias; Aune, Magnus; Harman, Christopher; Walday, Mats & Skjellum, Solrun Figenschau (2023). A synthesis review of nature positive approaches and coexistence in the offshore wind industry. ICES Journal of Marine Science. ISSN 1054-3139. 82(4). doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsad191. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Offshore wind is one of the major fast-growing renewable energy industries, and sustainable implementation of offshore wind farms (OWF) is desired. Nature positive approaches have been proposed to promote biodiversity gain and improve ecosystem resilience. At the same time, coexistence has been considered a way to mitigate the race for ocean space and better integrate the development of the OWF industry. Here, we provide a systematic narrative synthesis review on nature positive approaches and coexistence in OWFs. We observed an increased interest in the topics over the last 5 years, with most of the documents coming from the northern hemisphere, in particular Europe and the North Sea. Literature is mostly related to bottom-fixed turbines, with relatively fewer documents available regarding floating offshore wind, which is a nascent industry. There is a lack of long-term in situ assessments of the impact of nature positive approaches. Whilst there are various biodiversity impacts of OWFs, the literature highlights the artificial reef effect and biodiversity protection and gain (diversity and abundance) for ecological and economically relevant groups. Coexistence strategies with OWF, such as fisheries, aquaculture, and marine-protected areas, bring positive and negative outcomes for the environment, and further investigation on their integration should be explored.

• Marochi, Murilo Zanetti; Grande, Fernando Rafael De; Pardo, Juan Carlos Farias; Montenegro, Álvaro & Costa, Tânia Marcia (2022). Marine heatwave impacts on newly-hatched planktonic larvae of an estuarine crab. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. ISSN 0272-7714. 278. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108122. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Climate change is imposing constant and more severe environmental challenges to coastal and marine species. Regional climate and species acclimation capacity determine the communities’ ecological response to stressors. Marine heatwave events are of serious threat to species fitness and survivorship, even more to the sensitive early- history stages of ectotherms. By combining modeled regional historical data and climate change predictions with manipulative experiments, we evaluated the potential impact of marine heatwaves in a widespread and abundant planktonic larvae of the fiddler crab Leptuca thayeri. Larvae survival was affected by temperature increase with lowest survival probability under higher temperature treatments regardless of pH conditions. Larval physiology was affected by both temperature increase and pH conditions. With heatwaves becoming more frequent, hotter, and lasting longer in the region, we could expect potential reductions in the larval recruitment and stocks with cascade ecological negative effects on estuarine habitats.

• Deininger, Anne; Martin, Angela Helen; Pardo, Juan; Berg, Paul Ragnar; Bhardwaj, Jyotirmoy & Catarino, Diana Sofia de Oliveira [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2021). Coastal Research Seen Through an Early Career Lens—A Perspective on Barriers to Interdisciplinarity in Norway. Frontiers in Marine Science. 8. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.634999. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The value of interdisciplinarity for solving complex coastal problems is widely recognized. Many early career researchers (ECRs) therefore actively seek this type of collaboration through choice or necessity, for professional development or project funding. However, establishing and conducting interdisciplinary research collaborations as an ECR has many challenges. Here, we identify these challenges through the lens of ECRs working in different disciplines on a common ecosystem, the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. The most densely populated coastline in Norway, the Skagerrak coast, is experiencing a multitude of anthropogenic stressors including fishing, aquaculture, eutrophication, climate change, land runoff, development, and invasive species. The Skagerrak coastline has also been the focus of environmental science research for decades, much of which aims to inform management of these stressors. The region provides a fantastic opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration, both within and beyond the environmental sciences. This perspective article identifies the barriers ECRs in Norway face in establishing interdisciplinary and collaborative research to inform management of coastal ecosystems, along with their root causes. We believe our discussion will be of broad interest to all research institutions who employ or educate ECRs (in Norway and worldwide), and to those who develop funding mechanisms for ECRs and interdisciplinary research.

• Pardo, Juan C.F. & Costa, Tânia M. (2021). Multiple-stressor effects of warming and acidification on the embryonic development of an estuarine fiddler crab. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. ISSN 0272-7714. 254. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107296. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Predicted effects of anthropogenic climate change on estuarine and coastal organisms are complex, and early life history stages of calcified ectotherms are amongst the most sensitive groups. Despite the importance of understanding their vulnerability, we lack information on the effects of multiple stressors on the embryonic development of estuarine and burrowing organisms, mainly mangrove-associated species. Here, we determined the combined effects of elevated temperature and decreased pH on the embryonic development of the estuarine fiddler crab Leptuca thayeri. Initially, the microhabitat (burrow) of ovigerous (egg-bearing) females was measured for temperature, pH, and salinity, which provided control values in our laboratory experiment. Embryos at the early stage of development were subjected to cross-factored treatments of predicted temperature and pH and evaluated for development rate, survivorship, and volume until their later embryonic stage. Embryo development was faster at early and later stages of development, and survivorship was lower under elevated temperature. Embryos under reduced pH showed advanced embryonic stages at their late development stage. Higher egg volume was observed in a warmer and acidified environment, and lower volume in warmer and non-acidified conditions, indicating that embryo development is synergistically affected by warming and acidification. More than 70% of embryos developed until late stages under the multiple-stressors treatment, giving insights on the effects of a warm and acidified environment on burrowing estuarine organisms and their early stages of development.

• Pardo, Juan; Arvigo, A.L.; Miyai, C.L. & Costa, T.M. (2021). Risk-induced trait response in planktonic larvae is altered under an acidified scenario. Climate Change Ecology. 2. doi: 10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100040. Full text in Research Archive
• Andrade, Luiz F.; Pardo, Juan & Costa, Ana C. (2021). New insights of soft bottom shallow water amphipods from the Azores. Açoreana : revista de estudos açoreanos. ISSN 0874-0380. 11, p. 151–151. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Amphipod crustaceans are important components of the benthic coastal fauna. Despite several efforts, the Azorean soft bottom water communities are still not fully comprehended in the Archipelago. During the "Meiozores 2019 Summer School-Exploring the meiofauna of the Azores", amphipods were collected among meiofauna shallow water samples from several locations in the São Miguel Island, Autonomous Region of the Azores, in July 2019. In total, 78 amphipod individuals were identified in eight taxa, being three at genus level and five to specific level. Illustrations and short descriptions are provided for all taxa treated herein.

• Pardo, Juan; Araujo, Thiago Quintao; Capucho, Ana Teresa; Yap-Chiongco, Meghan K.; Buckenmeyer, Ariane & Jondelius, Ylva [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2021). Tiny animals do live in the sand: a report of meiofaunal focused active-learning activities to increase ocean literacy in primary-school children. Açoreana : revista de estudos açoreanos. ISSN 0874-0380. 11, p. 177–186. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ocean literacy is essential to increase awareness and educate people about the importance of our ocean. Students are among the main actors to build an ocean-literate society. Outreach initiatives, for instance, have an educational potential to transfer knowledge in a practical way. Here, we report an outreach activity with students about meiofaunal communities, an ecological important and underexplored group in marine environments. Through interactive talks and hands-on activities, we showed primary school children the main characteristics of the group and their importance to marine habitats. Using information obtained during the "Exploring the Diversity of Marine Meiofauna of the Azores 2019” summer school, the activity was regionally focused providing a broad perspective of the topic. Taxa and methods to deal with meiofauna were explained by dividing the topics into stations and knowledge transferred via playful and interactive activities. Students were involved in the activities interacting with mentors and raising questions about meiofauna and the marine environment. Direct contact with animals endemic to the Azores provided students with a new understanding of these understudied groups within the local marine environment. This interaction can increase the knowledge and awareness about marine life, achieving the principles of ocean literacy.

• Jörger, Katharina M.; Alvaro, Nuno V.; Andrade, Luiz F.; Araujo, Thiago O.; Aramayo, Victor & Artois, Tom [Show all 40 contributors for this article] (2021). Meiozores 2019 - Exploring the marine meiofauna of the Azores. Açoreana : revista de estudos açoreanos. ISSN 0874-0380. 11, p. 17–41. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In July 2019 an international team of 39 senior and junior researchers from nine countries met at the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel for a 10-days workshop/summer school to explore the meiofaunal biodiversity in marine sediments of the Azores. In total, we sampled intertidal and subtidal sediments from 54 localities on 14 major sites around São Miguel and additionally explored eight freshwater and terrestrial sites for rotifers. We sorted and investigated more than 2000 living specimens in the field, yielding approximately 180 species of soft-bodied meiofauna, representing most major clades of meiofauna with a focus on nematodes, polychaete annelids, proseriate and rhabdocoel flatworms, gastrotrichs, acoelomorphs, nemerteans, molluscs and cnidarians. Most of the encountered diversity shows similarities to the North-East Atlantic continental meiofauna, but in-depth morphological and molecular analyses are still pending. About 60 of the 180 species could not be assigned a species-level identification in the field, and nearly 15% of the total diversity is expected to be new to science and is awaiting formal description. Herein, we present an overview of the results of the workshop, providing detailed information on the sampling sites, methodology and encountered diversity, and we offer a preliminary discussion on aspects of faunal elements shared with other biogeographic regions. We highlight the most common members of the marine meiofauna of the Azores, provide preliminary diversity estimates and suggest a roadmap for future research towards a better understanding of the meiofauna in this remote archipelago.

• Pardo, Juan C F; Stefanelli-Silva, Gabriel; Christy, John H. & Costa, Tânia M. (2020). Fiddler crabs and their above-ground sedimentary structures: a review. Journal of Ethology. ISSN 0289-0771. 38, p. 137–154. doi: 10.1007/s10164-020-00647-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Fiddler crabs are abundant, semi-terrestrial crustaceans inhabiting tropical, subtropical and warm temperate coasts worldwide. Some species build above-ground sedimentary structures at or near the opening to their burrows. The functions and shapes of these constructions vary interspecifically and according to the sex of the builder. Here, we compile the dispersed reports on these structures, suggest uniform naming for different shapes, review explanations for their functions and explore associations between the attributes of builders and their structures. We found that 47 fiddler crab species build at least one type (or subtype) of structure, including chimneys, hoods, pillars, semidomes, mudballs, and rims. Sedimentary structures show a strong association with sediment type as well as builder front type, genus and sex, but not with fiddler crab clade. Experimental studies have revealed distinct, sometimes multiple functions for some of these structures (e.g., female attraction, reduction of aggressive behavior and/or landmark orientation); however, most studies have been observational leaving the proposed functions of these structures for many species untested. Both field and laboratory experiments as well as observational studies can help us to better understand these sedimentary structures and their role in fiddler crab behavior and ecology.

• Arakaki, Jonathann Yukio; Grande, Fernando Rafael De; Arvigo, Alexandre Luiz; Pardo, Juan Carlos Farias; Fogo, Bruno Rafael & Sanches, Fábio HC [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). Battle of the borders: Is a range-extending fiddler crab affecting the spatial niche of a congener species? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. ISSN 0022-0981. 532. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151445. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Climate change is drastically altering environmental conditions and resource availability. Many organisms areshifting their distribution boundaries. Fiddler crabs, for instance, are important ecosystem engineers in coastalenvironments that have been extending their distribution range poleward. In this study, we evaluated the in-fluence of a range-extending species,Leptuca cumulanta, which has recently overlapped the distribution of theresident speciesLeptuca uruguayensis. Through a set offield and laboratory experiments, we characterised thedegree of territorial overlap betweenL.cumulantaandL. uruguayensisfrom the lower to upper intertidal zone in amangrove area. We also analysed whether the presence ofL. cumulantaprevents habitat choosiness or influencesagonistic behaviours inL.uruguayensisin territorialfights. We found that both species overlap territories at thesame level in the intertidal zone. However, we observed that both habitat choice and agonistic behaviours ofL.uruguayensiswere unresponsive to the presence ofL.cumulanta. The low interference between recent hetero-specific neighbours sharing the same space supports coexistence offiddler crabsL. uruguayensisandL. cumulantain the early stage of overlapping

• Pardo, Juan C.F; Ramon, Debra; Stefanelli-Silva, Gabriel; Elegbede, Isa; Lima, Luciana S. & Principe, Silas C. (2020). Advancing Through the Pandemic From the Perspective of Marine Graduate Researchers: Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities. Frontiers in Marine Science. 7. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00528. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a new social and academic reality to researchers worldwide. The field of marine science, our own topic of interest, has also been impacted in multiple ways, from cancelation of laboratory and field activities to postponement of onboard research. As graduate researchers, we have a time-sensitive academic path, and our current situation may constrain our academic future. At the same time, the pandemic demands revised strategies to deal with the ongoing difficulties and tackle similar future situations. In this perspective, we have gathered information on the challenges, solutions and opportunities for graduate researchers in the field of marine science by (1) discussing the relevant short-, long-term challenges caused by the pandemic, (2) providing feasible immediate and near-future solutions, (3) compiling opportunities (courses, scientific events, academic positions), and (4) creating a shared social media account to make the available information on new opportunities more accessible. With this, we hope to add to the efforts to advance the academic career of marine graduates during this harsh period.

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• Pardo, Juan; Turra, Alexander & Oliveira, Bruno Meirelles (2022). Challenges in ocean governance in the views of early career scientists: achievements of the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Ocean. Instituto de Estudos Avançados. ISBN 9786587773384. 235 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Lindemann, Christian; Synnes, Ann-Elin; Pardo, Juan; Lusher, Amy L.; Puente, Santiago de la & Johannesen, Ellen [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2025). Effektene av bunntråling og snurrevad på klima og havets naturlige karbonlager. Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA). ISSN 9788257778651. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Havsedimenter fungerer som viktige karbonlagre, men mobilt bunnfiske kan redusere denne lagringen og frigjøre karbondioksid. Norske farvann, spesielt Skagerrak, deler av Barentshavet og glasiale renner, er utsatt for fiskepress som kan svekke karbonlagrene og karbonakkumuleringsrater i sedimentene. Snurrevad har tradisjonelt hatt mindre påvirkning enn bunntråling, men økt bruk i kystområder kan forstyrre sårbare habitater. Regulering og redusert fiskeriintensitet kan bidra til å bevare karbonlagrene, og tiltak rettet mot karbonrike områder har størst effekt. Likevel er hensynet til organisk karbon fortsatt lite integrert i fiskeriforvaltningen, noe som gir muligheter for bedre beskyttelse. Samtidig har investeringer i utslippsreduserende teknologi vært begrenset, trolig grunnet manglende økonomiske insentiver. Fiskerirelatert plastavfall utgjør også en betydelig andel av søppelbelastningen på havbunnen, noe som fremhever behovet for bedre avfallshåndtering i næringen.

• Øxnevad, Sigurd; Borgersen, Gunhild; Næss, Rita; Synnes, Ann-Elin; Pardo, Juan & Brkljacic, Marijana Stenrud [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2025). Tiltaksorientert overvåking av Ranfjorden i 2024. Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA). ISSN 9788257778095. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  NIVA har gjennomført tiltaksorientert overvåking av Ranfjorden i 2024 på oppdrag for Mo Industripark AS, Celsa Armeringsstål AS, Elkem ASA Rana, Ferroglobe Mangan Norge AS, Miljøteknikk Terrateam AS og Rana Gruber AS. I 2024 ble det analysert prøver av blåskjell fra tre stasjoner og sediment fra seks stasjoner, hvor innholdet av miljøgifter ble bestemt. Det ble i tillegg analysert vannprøver tatt i en avstandsgradient ut fra utslippspunktet for hovedavløpet fra bedriftene i Mo Industripark for innhold av cyanid. Økologisk tilstand ble overvåket ved undersøkelse av bløtbunnsfauna på til sammen 15 stasjoner. For blåskjellene samlet inn nord for Toraneskaia var det konsentrasjoner av PAH-forbindelsene benzo(a)pyren og fluoranten som overskred grenseverdiene for disse prioriterte stoffene. Kjemisk tilstand blir derfor klassifisert til «ikke god». Der var ingen konsentrasjoner i blåskjellene fra Bjørnbærviken og Moholmen høyere enn grenseverdiene for de prioriterte stoffene, og stasjonene klassifiseres derfor til «god» kjemisk tilstand. Sedimentprøver fra to stasjoner hadde konsentrasjoner av prioriterte stoffer som overskred miljøkvalitetsstandardene, og er klassifisert til «ikke god» tilstand. To av bløtbunnsfaunastasjonene i indre del av fjorden hadde nesten ikke noe fauna, og er klassifisert til «svært dårlig» tilstand. De noe grunnere stasjonene i indre del var i «god» økologisk tilstand. Lenger utover i fjorden var det «moderat» og «god» økologisk tilstand.

• Andrews, Adam Jon; Pardo, Juan; Bjorbækmo, Marit Frederikke Markussen & Berg, Paul Ragnar (2025). The potential of offshore wind farms to spread marine alien species. Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA). ISSN 9788257778491. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Alien species are organisms introduced to new areas through human activities that have been associated with artificial structures in coastal zones. Offshore wind farms (OWFs), rapidly expanding across marine environments, provide novel artificial surfaces that may facilitate the establishment and spread of alien species in regions lacking natural habitats. In the southern North Sea, offshore energy structures already support such species, with similar patterns observed globally. Despite international and national policies calling for better understanding of alien marine species, their pathways, and early detection systems, Norway lacks an understanding of how OWFs will impact the spread of alien marine species. The impact of OWFs on alien species spread remains understudied globally. This study synthesizes current knowledge and explores three mechanisms by which OWFs may promote alien species dispersal to Norway: (1) acting as stepping-stones for regional and international spread, (2) enabling hitchhiking on vessels and structures between offshore and inshore areas, and (3) creating refuges for alien species due to fishing restrictions within OWFs. We highlight relevant alien taxa for each and identify knowledge gaps, aiming to support biodiversity protection efforts and meet national and commercial obligations.

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