The FlowSOC project aims to assess how contaminants currently move through Southern Ocean food webs and how this flow may change in the future as a result of climate change. Although Antarctica is far from the main direct sources of pollution, contaminants such as trace elements and persistent organic pollutants can reach this region through atmospheric and oceanic transport, accumulate in marine organisms, and increase along trophic pathways.
The project will combine sampling across Southern Ocean regions, advanced laboratory analyses and ecological modelling to understand baseline contaminant levels, bioaccumulation and biomagnification pathways, and the environmental factors influencing contaminant burdens in organisms from different trophic levels. Samples will include organisms from the base of the food web, such as plankton and invertebrates, through to fish, squid, seabirds and marine mammals, allowing an integrated view of food-web functioning.
By comparing regions with contrasting environmental conditions, including Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas, FlowSOC will use natural climatic gradients as a proxy for future environmental change. This will make it possible to assess whether shifts in food-web structure, such as a reduced reliance on krill and increased use of alternative trophic pathways, may increase contaminant exposure in top predators.
The results will improve predictions of the combined impacts of pollution and climate change on Antarctic marine ecosystems. The project will also include communication, dissemination and knowledge-transfer activities, aiming to support international conservation policies, promote environmental monitoring, and raise public awareness of marine pollution and the protection of the Southern Ocean.
