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MONITOOL project main results 2017-2023
MONITOOL project meets schools by UNICA
Our MONITOOL partners Jean-Louis Gonzalez (IFREMER) and Natalia Montero (AZTI), guest editors of a Special Issue of the Water journal
MONITOOL project, present at the International Symposium on Marine Sciences 2022
MONITOOL project participation in the Summer Internships Program 2022 of the IST (Lisbon)
DCU Sampling Campaign (2022) in the Irish Coastal Region
MONITOOL project results obtained in the Canarian region are now available by the IDECanarias viewer of GRAFCAN
Passive samplers (PS) for the assessment of dredging activity impacts
MONITOOL Project Final Conference (2021)
Interview with Professor Hao Zhang, Lancaster University, UK, and member of the MONITOOL scientific advisory board
Designing and development of an additional experiment performed by IFREMER at the laboratory
AZTI presents MONITOOL results at different scientific events during 2020
Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC) carried out a wastewater sampling campaign following the MONITOOL standardized methods
DCU Masters student, Martin Nolan, submits his MSc Thesis based on MONITOOL acquired knowledge
Evaluation of the impact of biofouling on deployments of DGT
COVID-19 impact on MONITOOL project implementation
MONITOOL Partners take part in the annual ICES expert’s meetings
Technical conference on passive samplers and MONITOOL project takes place in the Basque Country
Interview with Isabelle Amouroux, leader of MONITOOL Work Package 6 (EQS Adaptation and Chemical Status Assessment)
MONITOOL partners share and assess the results in Nantes and proceed with the last steps of the project
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IPMA complete metal analysis in seawater samples

IPMA complete metal analysis in seawater samples

The MONITOOL project aims to establish technical/scientific conditions to monitor existing metal contaminants in the coastal and estuarine waters using passive sampler devices. This objective is particularly important for monitoring the chemical state of these waters to further application to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. 

Nuno at IPMAThe Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) was the partner responsible for the task involving the determination of the total concentration of trace metals in water using a seaFAST sampling system coupled with an ICP-MS (Perkin-Elmer NexION 2000C).

Up to 400 estuarine/seawater samples were collected and analysed. Total dissolved concentrations of Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, Cu, Mn and Zn were determined in coastal and estuarine waters from several areas of France, Ireland, Italy (Sardinia), Portugal, Spain (Basque country and Canary Islands), Scotland and United Kingdom.

Based on the obtained results, metal levels varied within wide ranges evidencing conditions from pristine to anthropogenic metal contamination. For metals regulated by the WFD (Cd, Pb and Ni) by the EQS (Environmental Quality Standards), the higher concentrations were found in estuarine waters even surpassing the regulatory values. This pattern was also found for the other analysed elements although some high values are related with natural processes. Are example Mn and Co which are related with freshwater input and early diagenetic processes.

An exercise was performed among all partners to evaluate contamination during the sampling procedure. Adequate sampling conditions were found for Cd, Ni, Co, Cu and Mn, while for Pb and Cd and additional cleaning step is needed.