Climate change and pollution, along with biodiversity loss, represent a triple planetary crisis on a global scale. This project addresses two elements of this crisis, specifically the chemical aspects of the impact of climate change and pollution in the coastal and open sea areas of the Croatian part of the eastern Adriatic. It will be carried out through three work packages: Acidification of the Central and Southern Adriatic Sea (1), Impact of Anthropogenic Pressures and Climate Change on the Trophic Status of the Water Column and Contaminants (2), and Microplastics in the Marine Environment (3).

1) Existing long-term data series related to acidification parameters will be identified. The introduction of new research methods and monitoring of new parameters will significantly contribute to the assessment of sea acidification in the Adriatic. Research on shellfish farming sites and traditional shellfish harvesting areas will provide valuable information for assessing the vulnerability of this economic activity

2) The concentrations of nutrients in seawater will be studied to assess the degree of eutrophication, and the content of metals in the sediment will be examined to evaluate pollution. Changes in the sedimentation conditions important for the distribution and content of metals and the composition of organic matter (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), will also be examined in the sediment. The introduction of new analytical methods for determining carbon and nitrogen will contribute to new scientific insights into the composition of organic matter in the Adriatic. The assessment of the impact of climate change and/or its superponing with anthropogenic pressures will be analyzed from long-term data series.

3) A new analytical technique for the qualitative determination of microplastics in the marine environment will be introduced. Areas near larger cities and open sea areas will be investigated as well as targeted locations at shellfish farming sites, where the microplastics in their environment and in the tissue of farmed species will be detected.

The sustainability of the proposed project’s results will be reflected through their application in marine environmental protection policies and the economy of the Republic of Croatia.

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