The sessions > Pollution and contaminants: pathways and impacts in ecosystems

Marine chemical contamination in the Mediterranean is part of a general degradation of marine ecosystems and there is a need to improve scientific bases to describe the good ecological state and to provide better indicators of the evolution of this anthropic pressure on the environment. The Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable because human activities in neighboring countries (urbanization, agriculture, industries, aquaculture, tourism, port activities, etc.) induce significant inputs of chemical contaminants from rivers, rivers, runoff, groundwater, atmospheric deposition...

These contaminants act on ecosystems through disruptive effects and can constitute a risk for the sustainability of ecosystems and for human health. Despite increased monitoring of chemical pollution in the Mediterranean in support of public policies for many years, there remains a crucial need for scientific research on these questions. The MISTRALS program has carry out research to better control the quantities of pollutants brought in from the continent or through the atmosphere as well as to better understand the mechanisms involved in their transport in the environment and their transfer in the food chain.