Database Management and correlation studies. First promising results.

The general objective of the Work Package 4 is to develop a database that allows the compilation and interchange of all information generated during the study. This includes the simultaneously determination of metals in seawater by ‘classical’ procedures (i.e., by spot sampling) and by Diffusive Gradient in Thin films (DGTs). This database is focused on transitional and coastal water locations from the whole Atlantic Region and some areas of the Mediterranean.

For this database two main sources of data are being taken into account:

(i) results from research done previous to Monitool project (published and unpublished data) 

(ii) results from Monitool project.

Regarding with the first (i), it has been concluded that there are very few references that include “raw” data of both methodologies (i.e., spot sampling and DGTs) that can be useful for building a database. In relation to the results obtained in the framework of the MONITOOL project, most of the winter campaign data (carried out in winter 2018) are currently included, covering both, transitional and coastal zones.

The Work Package 4 also includes the statistical analyses that allow determining the relationships between both methodologies and the influence of the environmental characteristics in these relationships. This will be done when the database is completed with the results of the summer campaign (carried out in summer 2018). However, preliminary exploratory analyses have been conducted with winter season data and promising relationships have been found between the two methods in some analysed metals (Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). This would not be possible without the close collaboration of all Partners to obtain information from the different geographical areas.

 Preliminary relationships between metals by spot and DGT water sampling