ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic activities have led to two of the greatest environmental concerns of our times regarding marine ecosystems: chemical contamination and climate change. Marine organisms are strongly affected by changes in seawater’s physical and chemical properties (e.g. temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved O2), and climate change will impose even greater ecophysiological challenges, namely on the metabolism, growth, behaviour and, ultimately, survival of these organisms. Moreover, climate change driven impacts are expected to directly affect chemical contaminants availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Given the novelty and complexity of the subject, the underlying interactions between climate change effects and environmental pollutants are still far from being fully understood. However, recent compelling evidences have pointed out how changes to the climate can affect contaminants’ interactions, their uptake, retention and detoxification mechanisms in marine biota as well as exacerbate the exposure to these toxic compounds. Hence, this chapter presents an overview of the ecotoxicological effects of chemical contaminants, including emerging and non-regulated substances, on wild and farmed marine organisms in tomorrow’s ocean. The current research gaps are also critically discussed.
