AQUARIUS Funding Call – Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure Access: Open 02 September 2025 – 28 October 2025
AQUAGAPS_AEGEAN
Levels and air-sea exchange of persistent organic pollutants in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: contribution to the global monitoring effort AQUA-GAPS/MONET
Funded by AQUARIUS Transnational Access Call 2
The project investigates the occurrence and air–sea exchange of organic pollutants in the Cretan Sea (Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean) using coastal and offshore monitoring stations.
Research Infrastructure Used: POSEIDON
“This project captures a critical piece of the global pollution puzzle by measuring how contaminants cycle between the ocean and atmosphere in the Mediterranean, helping us track their sources, trends, and long-term environmental fate.”
Branislav Vrana
Centre RECETOX, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
PARTNERS
MAIN OBJECTIVES
The project investigates the occurrence and air–sea exchange of organic pollutants in the Cretan Sea (Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean) using coastal and offshore monitoring stations. It aims to quantify pollutant levels, understand seasonal dynamics, and support global monitoring efforts, producing datasets, scientific publications, and contributions to international environmental assessment frameworks.
MORE INFORMATION
AQUARIUS TA Project Name:
Levels and air-sea exchange of persistent organic pollutants in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: contribution to the global monitoring effort AQUA-GAPS/MONET
Project acronym:
AQUAGAPS_AEGEAN
TA Project Unique ID:
62
Partners involved:
• Masaryk University, Faculty of Science (RECETOX)
• Masaryk University, Faculty of Science
Start date
1 July 2026
End date
30 June 2027
Mission Lighthouse Region
Mediterranean Sea
Work/research geographical
area
The research area is located in the Cretan Sea (southern Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean) and consists of two fixed monitoring sites:
- A coastal buoy near Heraklion (35°25′40.5″ N, 25°04′26.1″ E) and
- An offshore open-ocean observatory (35°43′37.2″ N, 25°08′06.0″ E).
This region represents a semi-enclosed marine basin.
Names of RI facilities used
POSEIDON – Monitoring, Forecasting and Information System for the Greek Seas
Scientific discipline(s)
Earth Sciences & Environment: Water sciences/Hydrology
Principal Investigator
(PI) Affiliation
Branislav Vrana
Centre RECETOX, Masaryk University, Czech Republic