Benchmarking Pollution Levels in the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean sits in a critical position at the crossroads of three major continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. Pollution generated in these regions, primarily Northern Europe, is transported to and affects the Mediterranean. Until now, the extent to which the marine ecosystem has been affected has not been analytically measured. The ADIOS project set out to fulfil this need for baseline data. A consortium of nearly thirty research organisations accomplished this objective through an intensive measurement campaign. Both pollutants and naturally occurring substances were quantified, including heavy metals, radionuclides, trace metals, organics and dust as well as basic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. A variety of sampling equipment was employed to perform measurements in all the ecosystem's compartments, from the surface all the way down to the benthic sediments. The key finding was that the pollution penetrates much deeper than previously feared. Specifically, contamination was detectable at a depth of several centimeters beneath the seafloor. The pollutant transport pathways were examined and it was discovered that only a small amount of pollutant incident on the sea surface is removed from the system. ADIOS also brought to light the issue of nutrients available to the food chain. The smallest scale organisms were found to wanting of phosphorus, while on the other hand, the top end of the chain was nitrogen-limited. The multinational nature of the region underscores the importance of ensuring that this knowledge is properly shared. The large amount of data collected will be communicated to the research community through the usual channels (conferences, journals, etc.). Armed with the information garnered through ADIOS, the policy makers must meet the challenge of how to address this environmental problem.
