Jaakko Mannio

How many fish populations in Finland are affected by acid precipitation

SynopsisThe number of fish populations affected or lost from small lakes in southern and central Finland due to acid precipitation is estimated. Tolerance limits (pH and labile aluminum) of common fish species were obtained from a fish status survey of 80 lakes. These tolerance values were used to estimate the proportion of affected lakes from the water chemistry data of 783 statistically selected lakes. The proportion of anthropogenically acidified lakes was estimated by calculating pre-acidification pH and aluminum concentrations of the lakes, using a steady-state model based on water chemistry. The number of fish populations for which acidification has affected growth or population structure was estimated at between 2200 and 4400. Out of these, the number of fish populations that have disappeared due to acid precipitation would be about 1000–2000. Almost 60% of the affected or lost populations are roach, Rutilus rutilus, the most sensitive of the common fish species in small lakes in southern and central Finland. Less than 15% of the damaged population is European perch, Perca fluviatilis, the most common species. This is due to the substantially higher tolerance of perch to acidified water in comparison with roach.

Heavy Metal Surveys in Nordic Lakes; Concentrations, Geographic Patterns and Relation to Critical Limits

Abstract In the autumn of 1995, coordinated national lake surveys were conducted in the Nordic countries, including Russian Kola. The 11 metals (Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V) investigated in nearly 3000 lakes have generally low concentrations and distinct geographical patterns. Direct and indirect influence of long-range transported air pollution is the major important factor for distribution of Pb, Cd, Zn and to a certain degree Co. Total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in lakes are important for Fe and Mn but also to a certain degree for As, Cr and V. Bedrock geology is the major controlling factor for Cu and Ni, with the exception of areas around the smelters in the Kola peninsula, where the Cu and Ni concentrations in lakes are very high due to local airborne pollution. Bedrock and surficial geology is also an important factor for controlling the concentrations of As, Co, Cr and V. The results indicate that heavy metal pollution in lakes is a minor ecological problem on a regional scale in the Nordic countries.

Heavy metal budgets for two headwater forested catchments in background areas of Finland

Mean annual (1994-1996) budgets for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn at two background, forested catchments, VK and HJ, in Finland are presented. Budgets for plots (VK3, HJ1 and HJ4) included throughfall (TF), litterfall (LF) and soil leaching fluxes, and for catchments terrestrial retention and leaching and lake sedimentation fluxes. Total deposition (TD) loads were relatively low (Cd < 0.1, Cu < 2, Ni < 1, Pb < 3 and Zn < 5 mg m-2 year-1) and that even in these areas almost half of the TD was in the form of dry deposition. Retention of TD within catchments was > or = 77% for all metals, except for Ni at VK (54%). For Cu and Pb, the retention was 94-97%. Most of the retention (74-97%) took place in the terrestrial part of the catchment, lake sedimentation accounting for the remainder. Plot-scale soil leaching fluxes at 40 cm of Cd, Cu (VK3) and Ni (VK3) were greater (> or = 100%) than TD inputs. Most of the catchment retention must therefore have taken place either deeper in the soil or in the lowland peatland areas. The humus layer was particularly effective in retaining Cu and Cd (65-81% and 51-78% of total inputs to the forest floor (TF + LF)). The retention of Pb by the humus layer was less than expected (26-54% of TF + LF). Litterfall was a particularly important internal flux for Zn.

Finnish lake survey: the role of organic and anthropogenic acidity

A lake survey consisting of 987 randomly selected lakes was conducted in Finland in autumn 1987. The survey covered the whole country, and the water quality of the lakes can be considered as representative of the approximately 56 000 lakes larger than 0.01 km2 in Finland. The median TOC concentration is 12 mg L-1 and the median pH 6.3. The proportion of lakes with TOC concentrations > 5 mg L-1 in the whole country is 91 %. Organic anion is the main anion in the full data set (median 89 μeq L-1). The high organic matter concentrations in Finnish lakes are associated with catchment areas containing large proportions of peatlands and acid organic soils under coniferous forest. The survey demonstrated that organic matter strongly affects the acidity of lakes in Finland. The decreasing effect of organic matter on the pH values was demonstrated by both regression analysis and ion balances. At current deposition levels of *SO4 the pH of humic lakes in Finland is determined to a greater extent by high TOC concentrations than by *SO4 in most areas. In lakes with pH values lower than 5.5 the average organic anion contribution is 56 % and non-marine sulfate contribution 39 %. However, in the southern parts of the country, where the acidic deposition is highest, the minerogenic acidity commonly exceeds the catchment derived organic acidity.

Sources of trace metals in streams and headwater lakes in Finland

Distributions of Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, As, and Cd in Finnish surface waters were studied by comparing two data sets: samples from 154 headwater lakes collected by the Water and Environment Administration in 1992 and samples from 1165 headwater streams collected during the environmental geochemical mapping program of the Geological Survey of Finland in 1990. It was expected that headwater lakes with catchments smaller than 1 km2 and high lake percentage (ratio of lake area to catchment size) would be more influenced by atmospheric trace metal deposition than the streams, with average catchment size of 30 km2.The lakes with highest arsenic concentrations lie in an area with greenstones and arsenic-rich black schists. The same lakes have high copper concentrations, which evidently are derived from the Cu-rich greenstones of the catchment. The high copper concentrations of streams and lakes in the industrialized region of the southwest coast are due to several anthropogenic sources.The highest concentrations of chromium occur in brown stream and lake waters rich in humic matter, while manganese and zinc concentrations, which are controlled by acidity, tend to be elevated in low-pH waters. The high nickel concentrations in lakes in southwestern Finland probably are due to anthropogenic input, while Ni anomalies in stream and lake water in eastern Finland are correlated with high Ni contents of glacial till. The lead concentrations in lakes are mainly of airborne anthropogenic origin.The pattern of atmospheric deposition is reflected in the concentrations of Cd, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni in headwater lakes, but land-use, the natural distribution of metals in the overburden, water acidity, and the amount of humic substances influence the distribution of trace metals in both lakes and streams. Thus the trace metal distribution in headwater lakes cannot be used alone to estimate the contribution of anthropogenic atmospheric deposition to metal anomalies in Finnish surface waters.

Trace Metals in Finnish Headwater Lakes — Effects of Acidification and Airborne Load

The study on the effects of acidification and airborne load on the concentrations of some trace metals (Al, Mn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Hg) in sediments (16 lakes), water (259 lakes) and aquatic fauna (14 lakes) of pristine Finnish headwater lakes was conducted in 1985–1989. Atmospheric trace metal load and concentrations in the water and in the sediments were higher in southern Finland than in central and northern Finland. The share of anthropogenic load according to sediments varied from 62 to 95% for Cd, Hg and Pb, was from 39 to 91% for Zn and varied from 0 to 84% for Ni and Cu in southern and central Finland. Anthropogenic load could be explained by atmospheric deposition. Acid conditions favoured high concentrations of Al, Mn, Zn, Pb and Cd in water and high concentrations of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu and Ni in aquatic plants. Lead concentrations were usually one order of magnitude higher in liver and bones of fish from acidic lakes than in circumneutral lakes. Cadmium in liver, Hg in muscle and Al in gills also showed increased concentrations in several fish species in acidic lakes.

Statistical Lake Survey in Finland: Regional Estimates of Lake Acidification

The Finnish Lake Survey, conducted in 1987, was designed to quantify the present extent of lake acidification in Finland. The surveyed lakes were selected statistically (n = 987), allowing estimation of lake frequencies, as well as corresponding variances, for any predetermined criteria. The median pH of the lakes was 6.3, median acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) 75 μeq l −1 and median sulphate concentration 71 μeq l−1. The organic anion was estimated to be the most significant anion in Finnish lakes (median 89μeq l−1). Sulphate concentrations in lakes corresponded to the pattern of acidic deposition, being highest in southern Finland. The acidity of Finnish lakes reflects the interaction of the atmospheric loading of sulphate, the catchment sensitivity, and the amount of organic anions present. The estimated proportion of acidic lakes (ANC ≤ 0 μeq l−1) in Finland was 12%, representing 4900 lakes. The proportion of the acidic lakes with pH < 5.3 estimated to be naturally acidic (original pH < 5.3), was 56–81%.

Recovery from acidification of Finnish lakes: regional patterns and relations to emission reduction policy

The regional-scale response of Finnish headwater lakes to changes in acidifying deposition loads was studied using data from a national deposition monitoring network (19 stations), acidification monitoring lakes (163 lakes) and results of a statistically based national lake survey (873 lakes). Data from 1990 to 1999 were used for statistical trend analysis. A deposition model was used to assess changes in S and N deposition for the year 2010, assuming emission reductions according to two international agreements. The deposition of sulfate and H(+) showed statistically significant (Kendall-tau, P<0.05) decreasing trends at nearly all deposition stations. For N compounds, nearly all slopes were negative, but rarely statistically significant. Sulfate concentrations have declined in all types of small lakes throughout Finland in the 1990s (significant decline in 64-85% of the lakes in three different lake regions), indicating a clear response to S emission reductions and declined sulfate deposition. Base cation concentrations decreased in both deposition and lake water, especially in southern Finland, but to a lesser extent than sulfate concentrations. The median slope of the trend for Gran alkalinity in lakes ranged between 0.98 and 2.1 microeq l(-1) a(-1). Some 1400 (27%) of Finnish headwater lakes of size 4-100 ha were estimated to show statistically significant increases in Gran alkalinity (recovery). No large changes were observed in the lake water TOC concentrations. The reduction in S deposition is the main driving factor for the lake acidification recovery process in Finland. Deposition model calculations showed that further large reductions in S deposition beyond the 1999 level are not likely to occur by the year 2010, particularly for southeastern Finland. The mean estimated S deposition change by 2010 for the three lake regions in Finland was only between -0.9 and -6.6% for the two policy scenarios (UN/ECE Gothenburg protocol, EU NEC-directive), respectively. A slower acidification recovery of the lake ecosystems is, therefore, anticipated in the future.

Finnish lake survey, 1995: regional characteristics of lake chemistry

Data sets frorn earlier national surveys, using differing sampling methods, have provided a cornrnon database for calculating critical loads of sulphur and nitrogen for surface waters in Norway, Sweden and Finland (HENRIKSEN et al. 1992). Based upon the cooperative experience gained frorn previous surveys, these countries decided to carry out a joint Nordic Lake Survey in the fali of 1995. The cooperation expanded also to adjacent areas in Denrnark, Russian Kola and Karelia and Scodand and Wales. The Northern European Lake Survey 1995 consisted of about 5,700 lakes in six countries. Sarnpling took place between Septernber 1995 and January 1996 using sirnilar statistical lake selection criteria and harmonized sampling procedures.

Organotin intake through fish consumption in Finland

BACKGROUND Organotin compounds (OTCs) are a large class of synthetic chemicals with widely varying properties. Due to their potential adverse health effects, their use has been restricted in many countries. Humans are exposed to OTCs mostly through fish consumption. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to describe OTC exposure through fish consumption and to assess the associated potential health risks in a Finnish population. METHODS An extensive sampling of Finnish domestic fish was carried out in the Baltic Sea and freshwater areas in 2005-2007. In addition, samples of imported seafood were collected in 2008. The chemical analysis was performed in an accredited testing laboratory during 2005-2008. Average daily intake of the sum of dibutyltin (DBT), tributyltin (TBT), triphenyltin (TPhT) and dioctyltin (DOT) (SigmaOTCs) for the Finnish population was calculated on the basis of the measured concentrations and fish consumption rates. RESULTS The average daily intake of SigmaOTCs through fish consumption was 3.2ng/kgbwday(-1), which is 1.3% from the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 250ng/kgbwday(-1) set by the European Food Safety Authority. In total, domestic wild fish accounted for 61% of the SigmaOTC intake, while the intake through domestic farmed fish was 4.0% and the intake through imported fish was 35%. The most important species were domestic perch and imported salmon and rainbow trout. CONCLUSIONS The Finnish consumers are not likely to exceed the threshold level for adverse health effects due to OTC intake through fish consumption.