Projects

Assessment of mixture toxicity of compounds in discharges to the North Sea and coastal areas of Norway (MixTox).

The program monitors levels, trends and effects of the most environmentally hazardous heavy metals and organic pollutants in marine organisms along the entire Norwegian coast, from the Oslofjord to the Varangerfjord, and in Svalbard.

The program will provide information on the occurrence and level of priority substances and water region-specific substances in freshwater fish.

The program "Monitoring in reference rivers" consists of monitoring in assumed reference sites in rivers with no or negligible human impact.

More4nature is an EU-funded project that aims to trigger transformative change in efforts regarding zero pollution, biodiversity protection and deforestation prevention by including citizens and communities as key actors in collaborative environmental compliance assurance. 

MULTISOURCE is an EU-funded project that will facilitate the systematic, city-wide planning of nature-based solutions for urban water treatment, storage, and reuse. Through seven technical pilots across Europe and USA, a wide range of urban waters will be treated throughout the project, while decision support tools will be co-designed together with local, national, and international stakeholders. NIVA and the City of Oslo together with 18 other partners are working on the treatment and reuse of urban stormwater using nature-based treatment solutions. The Norwegian pilot treats road runoff from Tåsenveien.

Development of new low-cost ocean sensors for ocean observing and citizen science

NIVA leads the task “Climate and environmental interactions” and will evaluate effects of industrial kelp cultivation on marine ecosystems and assess interactions between cultivated and natural seaweeds.

The project New Water Ways researches and explores ways to move beyond today’s conventional urban water management (UWM), particularly stormwater management.

NorSOOP will strengthen research and observations of the marine and atmospheric environments, as well as contribute to finding better solutions for observing and managing human impact on the world's oceans.

The project is part of an initiative to optimize wellboat transport and processing of fish in wellboats.

The purpose of the project is to monitor ocean acidification in Norwegian waters to provide an overview of the rate of acidification of Norwegian waters due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

Optimal strategies to retain and re-use water and nutrients in small agricultural catchments across different soil-climatic regions in Europe.

PAIRWISE aims to advance knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a pollution in aquatic environments, wildlife, and livestock. PAIRWISE focuses on dispersal and dynamics of antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotics in aquatic environments affected by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).

PAPILLONS' overall aim is to shed light on the sustainability of plastic use in European agriculture in terms of emissions of micro- and nanoplastics, leakage of their chemical additives, and the impact of this on the soil. Through novel applications of the latest in analytical chemistry, materials science, computer modelling and nanofabrication technologies, we elucidate the sources, behavior and impacts of particles at micro- and nanoscale.

Plastic pollution in freshwater environments is a pressing global concern due to its ability to accumulate in the environment. The long-term impacts of this pollution on freshwater ecosystems are still to understand. In PATTERN project, we aim to understand how plastics can influence nutrient composition and the natural exchanges in biological information, with a focus on the biofilms colonizing plastic’s surface. We aim to rate the environmental relevance of these processes and to assess the threshold at which plastic pollution disrupts freshwater ecosystem functioning.

Most people think of invasive species only as a nuisance with negative impacts on biodiversity and costs to society. However, some invasive species may also bring benefits, making it difficult to decide on the management strategy.

The overall goal of the project is to help ensure that the new international treaty to combat plastic pollution is effective and that it takes into account the needs and circumstances of developing countries and economies in transition. Among other things, the project supports an independent coalition of scientists working to ensure that the agreement is based on independent, up-to-date research. 

The program aims to map the levels of pollutants present in a fjord in a densely populated area and how the pollution is concentrated in the food web in the fjord system.

PROLAND addresses the sources of plastic pollution in agricultural soils. In the project, four important sources that may add plastic pollution to farm soils will be investigated: sewage sludge, compost and biogas digestate, the use of agricultural plastics, and atmospheric deposition. Concentrations of plastic, the types of plastic polymers, and plastic-associated chemicals will be quantified in agricultural soils from different areas of Norway. Assessments of what risks the microplastics, plastic additives, and pesticides may pose to soil ecosystems will be considered. Various exposure and mobility studies will be carried out in the laboratory.