To investigate the routes and endpoints of marine contaminants such as anthropogenic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, marine litter, including plastics and e-waste, HNS, POPs, radionuclides, PFAS, pharmaceutics, etc., oceanographic monitoring and models are widely applied. This session covers monitoring strategies, lab studies, computational tools, and web-based applications to track marine pollutants and their effects at the local, regional, and global levels. Advanced observational techniques, protocols, and toxicity testing; ensemble and multi-model simulations; machine learning and artificial intelligence applications are among the subjects that are being solicited.
Studies linking effects to broader ecosystem stressors, such as climate change and environmental degradation, are particularly welcome. Increased anthropogenic pressure in the Arctic Ocean resulting from the melting of polar ice makes researching marine pollutant transfer under ice conditions extremely valuable.
The session's key questions are: What do we know about sources of marine pollution? Which factors affect the dispersion of pollutants in the marine environment? What happens to the contaminants in the water column, sediments, and on the sea surface? How do marine pollutants interact with marine ecosystems?
The impact of other environmental stressors such as artificial light, noise, and thermal pollution on marine ecosystem resilience is also a significant topic for discussion.