Final report on summer schools

This report describes the main objectives, implementation details and outputs of PERSEUS summer schools held in Constanza, Gelendzik and Anavyssos. The specific objective of this deliverable is to give an overview of the three training courses held within the course of the PERSEUS project, providing details of the thematic content of the same training courses and of the skills imparted to participants as a result of such training. In this way, this deliverable might prove useful to those entrusted to design and offer future marine environmental policy training in the SES as a showcase of good training practice. By underscoring the most significant outputs emerging from such training courses, this deliverable also aims to demonstrate how PERSEUS has contributed in a tangible manner towards a new scientific vision for the SES. This deliverable achieved this jointly with the two sister deliverables 8.3 and 8.4, contributing to the fostering of a PERSEUS community of trained MSFD practitioners who can extend the legacy of such a project beyond its lifetime by assisting their respective countries and institutes in achieving MSFD goal compliance through the PERSEUS training they have received.peer-reviewe

Marine chemical contaminants – support to the harmonization of MSFD D8 methodological standards: Matrices and threshold values/reference levels for relevant substances

According to the Article 17(2) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Member States have to review and update their marine strategies every six years. This requires updates of the MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 by 2018. The current report provides an overview of the substances, matrices and threshold values that Member States intend to use for the assessment of the Descriptor 8 in this MSFD reporting cycle. This compilation aims at evaluating gaps and discrepancies between Member States and identifying aspects that need further harmonization. It also helps understand which issues should be addressed to achieve consistency with the new MSFD Commission Decision (EU 2017/848). The information has been gathered from the contributions of the MSFD Expert Network on Contaminants, an informal network established to support MSFD implementation. This work is part of a process to help regulators to assess relevant contaminants in their jurisdictional area, thus aiming at EU national authorities but also at Regional Sea Conventions in the shared marine basins.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

Assessment of coastal pressures in the MSFD sub-regions of the SES

The analysis of historical data sets and the results obtained from field studies about the pressures exerted on coastal ecosystems in 18 sites of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea showed that : Inputs form Po and Danube rivers showed a high interannual variability. After an increase of eutrophication over the 70-80s, a decrease of nutrients inputs, especially of phosphate, was recorded since 1990. Positive impacts are seen on phytoplancton communities. In the vicinity of most coastal big cities the policy measures taken in order to reduce polluted water discharges show their effectiveness although some local issues still exist. Chemical contaminants levels decrease rapidly when the distance increase from point sources. However a large amount of coastal inputs is exported offshore. Attention should be paid to the fate and the impact of new emerging pollutants. At the basin scale, contaminant concentrations in biota show very different patterns depending on substances. For some substances, the biogeochemical background and the environmental conditions play a important role in the contamination of marine organisms. There is globally no evidence of neither degradation nor clear trends regarding seagrass meadows. The status of seagrass habitats is correlated to water quality. It can be concluded that human pressures have not affected seagrass meadows in a irreversible way. Seagrass habitats can recover (slowly) when pressures decrease. The rate of new introductions of Non Indigenous Species has been increasing at all coastal study areas after 2000. An increase of the Lessepsian species migration is seen, in link with climate change The analysis of 18 years of data about demersal fish communities showed a geographic variability in functional group (FG) biomass trends. Nearly half of the studied Mediterranean areas shows an increase of FG biomass. Changes respond mainly to nutrient inputs trends and to a lesser extent fishing pressure. Marine litter is increasing pressure on marine ecosystems. The majority of items were made of plastic often exceeding the global average of 75%. Some harmful effects on fauna are documented (birds, turtles…) but impact is poorly known. The lack of standardized methods for underwater noise measurements make difficult to assess the level of the pressure and the impact on marine ecosystems

Review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU concerning MSFD criteria for assessing good environmental status

This report represents the result of the scientific and technical review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 8. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with experts nominated by EU Member States, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the MSFD implementation strategy (agreed on at the 11th CIS MSCG meeting). The report is one of a series of reports (review manuals) including Descriptor 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 that conclude phase 1 of the review process and, as agreed within the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy, are the basis for review phase 2, towards an eventual revision of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. The report presents the state of the technical discussions as of 30 April 2015 (document version 8.0: ComDecRev_D8_V8), as some discussions are ongoing, it does not contain agreed conclusions on all issues. The views expressed in the document do not necessarily represent the views of the European Commission

From Waters to Fish: A Multi-Faceted Analysis of Contaminants’ Pollution Sources, Distribution Patterns, and Ecological and Human Health Consequences

This study presents an extensive evaluation of the contamination levels in fish, mollusks, water, and sediments in the Black Sea over eight years, from 2016 to 2023. The primary aim was to determine the concentrations and distribution patterns of heavy metals (HMs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish, water, and sediments of the Black Sea, and their implications for marine ecosystem health and human safety. Data were collected through scientific cruises and the methodology involved systematic sampling across different regions of the Romanian Black Sea, followed by rigorous laboratory analyses to identify and quantify the presence of contaminants. The study also examined the temporal trends of these pollutants, providing insights into their sources, pathways, and persistence in the marine environment. Additionally, the research assessed the bioaccumulation of contaminants in various biota, offering a critical perspective on food safety and potential risks to human consumers. The findings revealed significant spatial insights, highlighting areas of concern that require immediate attention and action. Notably, industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and historical pollution hotspots were identified as major sources of contamination. This research underscores the need for enhanced monitoring and regulatory frameworks to mitigate pollution sources and safeguard the Black Sea ecosystem, advocating for sustainable practices and effective management strategies to preserve marine resources in the Black Sea

Lysosomal Membrane Stability of Mussel (<i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i> Lamarck, 1819) as a Biomarker of Cellular Stress for Environmental Contamination

The lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) of hemocytes in wild mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as a biomarker of cellular stress for chemical pollution was tested by neutral red retention time (NRRT) assays. To assess the environmental contamination in the study area, seawater quality and pollutant bioaccumulation throughout the soft tissue of mussels were investigated. The samples were collected in July 2022 at four sites on the Romanian Black Sea coast considered to be differently affected by contamination. To support the suitability of LMS as a biomarker of contaminant-induced stress, the contaminant body burdens of the mussels were compared with the NRRT values. The results showed a significantly reduced NRRT in all investigated locations, particularly in port areas (mean retention time between 11 and 14 min). The elevated bioaccumulation of organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and low NRRTs were observed at the most contaminated sites (i.e., ports). The low lysosomal stability reflected stress and damage in the hemocytes of mussels and could be related to the body burdens of contaminants. LMS is an effective indicator of health status in mussels and could be considered a sensitive biomarker of cellular stress induced by contaminant exposure

Environmental assessment training of researchers from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

Leading research Institutes and SMEs from EU Member States, Associated States, Associated Candidate countries, non-EU Mediterranean and Black Sea countries joined forces in a coordinated manner within the PERSEUS Project, in order to address common environmental pressures and, ultimately, take action in the challenge of achieving the Good Environmental State. One of these coordinated actions was the summer school on “The contribution of environmental indices in meeting the objectives and principles of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive”, organized in Constanta, Romania, during 3-7 June 2013, within the framework of Work Package 8 (WP8). The main objectives of the PERSEUS Summer School on the contribution of environmental indices in meeting the objectives and principles of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive were to expose participants to aspects of the theoretical and practical background on the assessment of the benthic ecological status using the index M-AMBI (multivariate AMBI - AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index) and MSFD assessment issues; to provide participants with the most important concepts related to the fishery related indices; to get participants acquainted with the main applications of ocean color based index/eutrophication- related core set indicators CSI023 (chlorophyll-a); to present theoretical and practical aspects of characterization of the ecological state of marine and coastal waters using Trophic index (TRIX); to establish links between different researchers involved in the field of environmental indicators related with MSFD. As a result of the conduction of this summer school, 20 Mediterranean and Black Sea young researchers were trained in the basics of MSFD environmental indices, which they can apply in their respective institutes for the better management of marine resources, thus contributing to build experience in the formulation of scientifically based synthetic assessment of the state of the marine environment, aligned with the objectives of the PERSEUS project.peer-reviewe