Estimation and Modelling of PCBs Bioaccumulation in the Adriatic Sea Ecosystem

TL;DR

This paper models and estimates PCB bioaccumulation in the Adriatic Sea ecosystem, revealing biomagnification patterns and the influence of trophic interactions and external factors like fishing activity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model for PCB bioaccumulation in the Adriatic Sea based on extensive trophic and concentration data analysis.

Findings

Evidence of PCB biomagnification in the Adriatic food web

Bioaccumulation strongly depends on trophic dynamics

External factors like fishing activity influence bioaccumulation

Abstract

Persistent Organic Pollutants represent a global ecological concern due to their ability to accumulate in organisms and to spread species-by-species via feeding connections. In this work we focus on the estimation and simulation of the bioaccumulation dynamics of persistent pollutants in the marine ecosystem, and we apply the approach for reconstructing a model of PCBs bioaccumulation in the Adriatic sea, estimated after an extensive review of trophic and PCBs concentration data on Adriatic species. Our estimations evidence the occurrence of PCBs biomagnification in the Adriatic food web, together with a strong dependence of bioaccumulation on trophic dynamics and external factors like fishing activity.