Descrizione 1
Maria Teresa Berducci, Andrea Colasanti, Paola Guarracino, Chiara Maggi, Ginevra Moltedo, Luca Stellati, Francesco Venti
Descriptor 8 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD), in order to achieve good environmental status of marine waters through the gradual elimination of pollution, specifically requires the assessment of the presence of chemical contaminants and their effects in environmental matrices. During the 2021–2023 period, ISPRA conducted monitoring of the Adriatic Sea Subregion (MAD), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Subregion (MIC), and Western Mediterranean Subregion (MWE). The data were processed and integrated with those provided by regional agencies and experimental zooprophylactic institutes.
This monitoring revealed that, although the data coverage for the study of contaminant concentrations varied across matrices and subregions, there was an overall improvement. This allowed for the assessment of GES (Good Environmental Status) for the sediment matrix in two MRUs and for the biota matrix in the Adriatic MRU.
The indicator measures the concentration and effects of contaminants in biota and sediment matrices, taking into account selected biological processes and taxonomic groups in which a cause-effect relationship has been identified and must be monitored.
The assessment applies to the three Subregions, also known as Marine Reporting Units (MRUs): Adriatic Sea (MAD), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean (MIC), and Western Mediterranean (MWE). Each MRU extends to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). To evaluate Good Environmental Status, each MRU was overlaid with a grid of variable cell sizes depending on the MRU and matrix (biota and sediment), and specifically for biota also based on the functional group of the investigated species.
For Descriptor 8, the chemical parameters monitored are the substances or groups of substances listed in the priority list (Regulation 2455/2001 and further regulated in Directive 2013/39/EU), grouped into classes suggested by the European Community depending on the matrix. For biochemical effect assessment, species selection and biomarker analyses to be carried out on different organs and/or tissues were defined in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (UNEP/MAP, 2017 Mediterranean QSR; UNEP/MAP, 2019 WG467/05; UNEP/MAP, 2021 WG509/43 Annex III App 22-23-24) and guidance from European working groups of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Mediterranean Pollution Assessment and Control Programme (MedPol), which operate in line with international conventions such as OSPAR, HELCOM, and UNEP.
For sediments, the monitored categories include: metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halogenated organic compounds (HOCs), including dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs (PCDD, PCDF, PCB-DL), and organotin compounds (TBT).
For biota, the investigated categories include: metals, PAHs, HOCs (including dioxins, furans, polybrominated diphenyl ethers – PBDEs, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid – PFOS), determined in fish samples, while dioxins, furans, PCB-DL and PAHs are determined only in mollusks and crustaceans, as per environmental legislation.
To assess effects on the bioindicator species Mullus barbatus, the following biological responses (biomarkers) were analyzed:
- Lysosomal membrane destabilization via hexosaminidase (LMS-ESO), indicating physiological stress
- Increased micronucleus frequency (MN), indicating genotoxicity
- Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE), indicating neurotoxicity
- Increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity (EROD), indicating disruption of CYP450 biotransformation system.
For GES assessment within MRUs, Italy used the integrated Chemical Quality Index (CQI), previously developed and used in Marine Strategy evaluations, and the newly developed Calibrated Biological Effects Index (CBEI), designed by ISPRA.
To assess the marine environmental quality status and any exceedances of environmental quality standards (EQS) set by Directive 2000/60/EC and related directives, Directive 2008/105/EC and Directive 2013/39/EU.
- Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD)
- Directive 2009/90/EC
- Directive 2013/39/EU
- Legislative Decree 219/2010
- Legislative Decree 172/2015
- Regulation (EU) 915/2023
The Marine Strategy Directive 2008/56/EC required Member States to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters by 2020. The GES determination is based on a set of eleven qualitative descriptors of marine ecosystems, including Descriptor 8, which specifically requires assessing the presence of chemical contaminants against threshold values (EQS), as set by Directive 2000/60/EC and its daughter directives, and studying their effects.
Overall environmental quality judgment considers both contaminant concentrations (indexed and integrated by matrix – sediment and biota) and their biological effects (bioaccumulation and biomarkers) compared to respective controls and thresholds.
Descrizione 2
http: //www.db-strategiamarina.isprambiente.it
Insufficient spatial coverage of bioaccumulation data (especially in molluscs and crustaceans) and biomarker data; difficulty in finding in good time the data of the monitoring carried out by coastal ARPA.
Judgment to be completed with the supplementation for matrices (seeding and biota) and the elaboration of the relationship between bioaccumulation and biological effects.
Qualificazione dati
https://strategiamarina.isprambiente.it/sic-sistema-informativo-centralizzato/
Monitoraggio Direttiva Quadro sulla Strategia Marina 2008/56/CE (MSFD) - Sistema Informativo Centralizzato (SIC): https://strategiamarina.isprambiente.it/sic-sistema-informativo-centralizzato/
Monitoraggio Direttiva Quadro sulle Acque 2000/60/CE (WFD) - EIONET/SOE: https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/it/eea/me1/
Adriatic Sea (MAD), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean (MIC), Western Mediterranean Sea (MWE)
2021-2023
Qualificazione indicatore
To assess environmental status based on contaminant concentration, an index was developed comparing concentration values with reference standards in national/international legislation (Directive 2008/105/EC, Directive 2013/39/EU, Legislative Decrees 219/2010 and 172/2015). This index is based on the deviation between measured values and EQS, weighted by a hazard/priority coefficient to differentiate between priority hazardous, only priority, and other substances. A zero value indicates compliance with EQS; values above zero indicate exceedances.
The CQI includes successive integration levels. The individual index forms the basis for a final category index, evaluating each contaminant class overall. The category index, based on the maximum individual index, is dimensionless and applies to each matrix (sediment and biota).
Category index classes range from GOOD (no or minor deviations) to BAD (at least one contaminant exceeds EQS by an order of magnitude). The index can also be "NG" (not assessable) or "NO DATA."
The matrix-level integration aggregates all category indices per monitoring point for a comprehensive chemical quality judgment.
For biological effect assessment in M. barbatus, national thresholds (IT-BAC and TBR) were set. Based on these, a weighted index (CBEI) was used. This index integrates deviations of each biomarker against thresholds, considering biological relevance and response weight. It ranges from 0 (all biomarkers below thresholds) to 14 (all biomarkers greatly above thresholds). Based on the CBEI, each site is rated from GOOD to BAD.
Each MRU was divided into a GRID to spatially represent indices and ratings, with cell sizes adapted to matrix and species. Results per cell are integrated.
A minimum spatial coverage of 50% is required to express a judgment. GES is achieved when ≥60% of covered area is GOOD and NO GOOD (POOR + BAD) areas do not exceed 25%.
For biota, target species (red mullet, cod, crustaceans/mussels) were chosen consistently across MRUs for data comparability.
In the three-year period 2021–2023, the indicator was widely implemented by integrating data from the regional Agencies with monitoring data carried out by the IZSes and with data derived from sampling conducted by ISPRA. Furthermore, data from the assessment of contaminant effects (biomarkers) were also considered.
For the sediment matrix, the percentage of cells in good status remains consistently high across the three subregions (Table 1).
In the case of biota, the percentage of cells not in good status is high for Demersal Fish, essentially due to the metals category and the contribution of mercury, which exceeds the EQS set by Legislative Decree 172/2015 (Table 2).
In any case, the observed values, when compared with Regulation (EU) 915/2023 for edibility, are never found to exceed the aforementioned regulatory limit.
Finally, with regard to effects, the percentage of cells in good status is high in all MRUs (MWE 88%, MAD 100%; MIC 100%) (Table 5; Figure 5).
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Dati
Figure 1: Contaminants in the Seeds – Evaluation of the three-year period 2021-2023 and of the individual years
ISPRA
Figure 2: Contaminants in demersal fish – Evaluation of the three-year period 2021-2023 and the individual years
ISPRA
Figure 3: Contaminants in the Molluscs – Evaluation of the three-year period 2021-2023 and of the individual years
ISPRA
Figure 4: Contaminants in Crustaceans – Evaluation of the three-year period 2021-2023 and the individual years
ISPRA
Abstract
ISPRA
Figure 5: Effects of contaminants in M. barbatus – Evaluation of the three-year period 2021-2023
ISPRA
Table 1: Statistics Coverage Cells and Evaluation GES Sediments
ISPRA
Table 2: Staet Coverage Cells and Evaluation GES Biota Demersal Fish
ISPRA
Table 3: Coverage Statistics Cells and Evaluation GES Crustaceans
ISPRA
Table 4: Statistics Cell Coverage and GES Biota Mollusks Assessment
ISPRA
Table 5: Hedging statistics (% cells) and GES M. barbatus rating
ISPRA
Sampled cells with a depth of the bottom of 500 m (presence species)
NG is not a judged
As shown in Figure 1, the cells investigated for the sediment matrix are generally in a good state, showing few cells with NO GOOD assessments (POOR and WORST), linked to exceedances of the environmental quality standards established by Legislative Decree 172/2015, mainly found in the areas closest to the coast. Tracing back to the categories of contaminants that most influenced the presence of cells in a non-good state, it is evident that the exceedances are essentially linked to metals and PAHs in the Adriatic and Western Mediterranean MRU, while the few criticalities in the Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean MRU are mainly related to metals and organochlorine compounds. From Table 1, it can be seen that the GES environmental assessment was achieved for the Adriatic and Western Mediterranean MRU, whereas for the Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean MRU, although it shows the highest percentage of GOOD cells, the spatial coverage does not allow an assessment to be expressed (40%). The difficulty in the Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean MRU was related to the logistics of sampling, as the stations are at great depths and difficult to access.
Considering the biota matrix, broken down into different functional groups (Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4), it is noted that, in some subregions, sufficient spatial coverage to give a quality assessment is still not achieved, especially for Mollusks (Tables 2, 3, 4).
From Figure 2, for Demersal fish, it emerges that all cells are in a NO GOOD state. The criticality of this result is linked to the metals category, which has only one regulated contaminant, mercury, and shows values in Italian marine fish that are always above the Environmental Quality Standard. The matrix-level integration thus confirms the negative assessment at the category level, which had already emerged in previous years despite lower coverage. However, it is important to highlight that, from the point of view of human health, mercury data are all below the limit values set by the new Regulation 915/2023.
As for the functional group Mollusks (Figure 3), the limited spatial coverage (Table 4) does not allow the definition of an environmental assessment. However, it is observed that all the investigated cells are in a good state, showing no exceedance of the environmental quality standards established by Legislative Decree 172/2015. This behavior is evident in all MRUs and for all years of the three-year period. The scarcity of data is due to the difficulty in finding useful metadata to adapt the health data provided by the Zooprophylactic Institutes to environmental assessment, which often do not meet the requirements for environmental data dictated by Legislative Decree 219/2010.
Moreover, regarding the evaluation of effects measured in Mullus barbatus (Figure 5), in all subregions, although the spatial coverage (<50%) does not allow an assessment to be expressed, a high percentage of cells in GOOD (>60%) is observed (Table 5). The only criticality detected was found at one point in the Western Mediterranean (MWE) analyzed in 2023 and is related to a slight exceedance of the threshold values for LMS-ESO and EROD, indicators of alteration of the physiological state and the CYP450 biotransformation system in the analyzed fish.