Implementation of the Horizon Europe project “CLEAR-WATER: Harmonising Aquatic Litter Monitoring and Assessment Across European Union Waters” has started
Aquatic litter pollution, including plastic, microplastic and nanoplastic pollution, is a widespread and growing environmental problem. Litter enters rivers, lakes, groundwater, coastal areas and seas, affecting the health of aquatic organisms, biodiversity, ecosystem functions and the natural resources used by people.
Although aquatic litter monitoring has been conducted in Europe for many years, the methods used for sample collection, preparation, analysis and data reporting differ considerably between countries and environmental matrices. Differences in sampling equipment, sample volumes, particle-size limits, laboratory methods and quality-control procedures make it difficult to compare the results obtained. This, in turn, limits the ability to reliably assess the distribution of pollution, identify its sources and develop effective management measures.
Monitoring microplastics and nanoplastics is particularly challenging. Particles are unevenly distributed in aquatic environments, their concentrations change over time, and different analytical methods characterise different aspects of pollution. Particle numbers and properties can be determined using infrared and Raman spectroscopy, while polymer mass can be analysed using pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A sufficiently harmonised system that would allow results obtained using different methods to be compared is currently lacking.
The Horizon Europe research and innovation project CLEAR-WATER aims to jointly develop harmonised pan-European strategies for aquatic litter monitoring by defining what, where, when and how to measure in order to ensure reliable pollution assessment in freshwater and marine environments.
The project will cover the full range of aquatic litter sizes—from macroscopic litter to microplastics and nanoplastics—as well as diverse environments, including lakes, rivers, groundwater, coastal areas, the sea surface, deeper water layers and the seabed.
CLEAR-WATER will develop CLEARMAP, an aquatic litter monitoring and assessment framework. It will integrate harmonised monitoring methods, standard operating procedures, data-quality requirements, a decision-support tool for selecting monitoring methods, digital tools for data collection and visualisation, pollution-risk assessment and recommendations for policymakers.
The project will develop and test innovative technologies, including remote-sensing and image-analysis methods for detecting macro- and meso-litter, an autonomous microplastic sampling system, advanced analytical methods for small microplastic particles and nanoplastics, and artificial-intelligence-based solutions for litter detection and classification.
Particular attention will be given to the comparability of results. The project will develop standardised microplastic reference materials.
The developed methods will be tested through practical case studies in different freshwater and marine areas across Europe. In Latvia, one of the main research activities will focus on monitoring microplastics throughout the Salaca River system, covering the entire pollution pathway from the river’s headwaters to its mouth and the Baltic Sea.
The project is coordinated by MATIS in Iceland and involves a total of 19 partners.
As a project partner, BIOR will compile information on aquatic litter and microplastic monitoring programmes, methods and datasets used in Latvia and the Baltic Sea region; assess the spatial and temporal coverage, quality and methodological differences of existing data; participate in the evaluation of citizen-science methodologies; support the development and testing of an autonomous microplastic water-sampling system; contribute to the development of an optimal microplastic-monitoring workflow; participate in developing methods for the preparation and analysis of small microplastic and nanoplastic particles; contribute to developing and testing environmentally relevant microplastic reference materials and test matrices; participate in developing a common standard operating procedure and quality-assurance and quality-control requirements for the entire microplastic-analysis process, from sampling to data analysis and reporting; collect microplastic samples from the headwaters, river sections and mouth of the Salaca River, as well as from Baltic coastal waters; prepare and analyse the collected samples; and disseminate the project results through scientific and public-awareness events.
The project implementation period is 48 months.
More information: https://clear-water-project.eu/
