Scientists call international collaboration for tackling chemical pollution monitoring in Antarctica
The “ImPACT/POLEMP International Workshop on Monitoring Chemical Pollution in Antarctica (IWMCPA 2024),” co-organized by the Università di Siena, the University of Genoa, the German Environment Agency, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, successfully held in the Historical Aula Magna, University of Siena, Italy on October 3rd-4th 2024.
This workshop brought together leading experts and scientists from around the world to discuss key challenges of environmental research and monitoring of chemical pollution in the Antarctic, offering valuable insights and promoting collaboration prospects for future research program in the polar regions. The scientific presentations covered a range of cutting-edge topics, focusing on the environmental presence, transport, and fate of legacy persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in Antarctica, national and international research programs, Antarctic environmental specimen banking, and advanced sampling and analytical technologies.
The workshop was co-chaired by Dr. Simonetta Corsolini, Dr. Marco Grotti, Dr. Anette Küster, and Dr. Zhiyong Xie, and held in a hybrid format, attracting about 60 participants from 34 research institutions across 17 countries. Experts addressed the potential for direct pollution from cruise ships, research vessels, and large cargo ships, agreeing that more diverse research tools and approaches are needed to tackle the complex pollution scenarios driven by global climate change. The workshop highlighted the critical role of international collaboration in monitoring and mitigating chemical pollution. Such global efforts will better equip the research community to meet the challenges posed by emerging chemical contaminants in in a changing Antarctica and drive progress in national and international research programs protecting the pristine Antarctic Region.
Learn more about the ImPACT Expert Group here.
