intensity and total volume) and thus also in river runoff and groundwater discharge
modify local biogeochemical cycles. This is extremely important for coastal and
shelf ecosystems being under high influence of processes occurring in their catchments, like e.g. for the Baltic Sea. Changes in freshwater supply may result in direct
modification of loads of different substances, including nutrients and pollutants—
both extremely important for marine biota. Indirectly they may also change local
biogeochemistry by strengthening or weakening stratification in the basins, which
influence number of biogeochemical processes and mechanisms, e.g. determine O 2
availability in the deeper water column and on sediments surface (BACC Author
Team 2008; IPCC 2013).
Climate changes may also influence the transport pathways of contaminants.
Among the hazardous substances the most important for the marine ecosystems are:
SO x and NO x , persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and radionuclides.
Contaminants may enter marine environment through local sources, like rivers, or
be deposited from the atmosphere. The latter mechanisms caused that contamination becomes a global problem. However, contaminants have usually long residence
time and may accumulate in the food web. Thus, these substances, which enter the
ocean locally may be also transported over long distances. Both these global
transport pathways allowed the contaminants to reach e.g. pristine polar environments. Thus any changes in the atmospheric circulation or water currents may cause
a threat for the vulnerable marine environments that have so far been less affected
by the contamination (Bard 1999).
Global Change naturally has also complex and difficult implications for the
living organisms including human health. Major biologically driven problems
connected with Global Change in the marine biota are biodiversity loss, species
distributions shifts, alterations in the food web, drop of the useful living resources.
For humans directly it is health risks (pathogens, contamination) as well as subjective wellbeing, behavior changes and stress level increase connected with
changeable meteorological conditions (Depledge and Bird 2009; EMB 2013).
While biodiversity loss per se (i.e. species extinction) is a very disputable
problem in the sea (there are no more than 20 proven contemporary extinctions of
marine species—see Dulvy et al. 2003), the problem of overfishing and overexploitation of living resources is serious and raise a major concern (Rosenberg 2003;
Harnik et al. 2012). The global change use to be connected with the invasions and
threat from alien species on land, however seriousness of this problem remains
disputable (Gurevitch and Padilla 2004).
The species distribution shifts (movement of thermophilic species north and
retreat of cold water forms) are well described for the zooplankton communities
(Beaugrand et al. 2002), yet there is a growing amount of data on the coastal benthic
species (MARLIN program in UK and examples from Arctic in Weslawski et al.
2011). ICES (2013) report on the movement of commercial fish species north (e.g.
cod, herring and mackerel in NE Atlantic—Corten and Lindley 2003). Still the most
concern shall be given for the backbone of marine ecosystem—the microbial life—
both the primary producers and microbial loop of decomposers and grazers, that are
first to react on the physical changes in the environment (Berglund et al. 2005).
4
T. Zielinski et al.
modify local biogeochemical cycles. This is extremely important for coastal and
shelf ecosystems being under high influence of processes occurring in their catchments, like e.g. for the Baltic Sea. Changes in freshwater supply may result in direct
modification of loads of different substances, including nutrients and pollutants—
both extremely important for marine biota. Indirectly they may also change local
biogeochemistry by strengthening or weakening stratification in the basins, which
influence number of biogeochemical processes and mechanisms, e.g. determine O 2
availability in the deeper water column and on sediments surface (BACC Author
Team 2008; IPCC 2013).
Climate changes may also influence the transport pathways of contaminants.
Among the hazardous substances the most important for the marine ecosystems are:
SO x and NO x , persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and radionuclides.
Contaminants may enter marine environment through local sources, like rivers, or
be deposited from the atmosphere. The latter mechanisms caused that contamination becomes a global problem. However, contaminants have usually long residence
time and may accumulate in the food web. Thus, these substances, which enter the
ocean locally may be also transported over long distances. Both these global
transport pathways allowed the contaminants to reach e.g. pristine polar environments. Thus any changes in the atmospheric circulation or water currents may cause
a threat for the vulnerable marine environments that have so far been less affected
by the contamination (Bard 1999).
Global Change naturally has also complex and difficult implications for the
living organisms including human health. Major biologically driven problems
connected with Global Change in the marine biota are biodiversity loss, species
distributions shifts, alterations in the food web, drop of the useful living resources.
For humans directly it is health risks (pathogens, contamination) as well as subjective wellbeing, behavior changes and stress level increase connected with
changeable meteorological conditions (Depledge and Bird 2009; EMB 2013).
While biodiversity loss per se (i.e. species extinction) is a very disputable
problem in the sea (there are no more than 20 proven contemporary extinctions of
marine species—see Dulvy et al. 2003), the problem of overfishing and overexploitation of living resources is serious and raise a major concern (Rosenberg 2003;
Harnik et al. 2012). The global change use to be connected with the invasions and
threat from alien species on land, however seriousness of this problem remains
disputable (Gurevitch and Padilla 2004).
The species distribution shifts (movement of thermophilic species north and
retreat of cold water forms) are well described for the zooplankton communities
(Beaugrand et al. 2002), yet there is a growing amount of data on the coastal benthic
species (MARLIN program in UK and examples from Arctic in Weslawski et al.
2011). ICES (2013) report on the movement of commercial fish species north (e.g.
cod, herring and mackerel in NE Atlantic—Corten and Lindley 2003). Still the most
concern shall be given for the backbone of marine ecosystem—the microbial life—
both the primary producers and microbial loop of decomposers and grazers, that are
first to react on the physical changes in the environment (Berglund et al. 2005).
4
T. Zielinski et al.