Organic Pollutants in the Sea: Consequences, Evaluation, and Sampling Strategies in the Pelagic Area

Abstract

Since the last twenty years, the load and diversity of organic pollutants from domestic, industrial and agricultural origins dumped at sea, show a constant increase. Related to the spectacular consequences when they are accidentally rejected into sea-water, interest was often focused to hydrocarbons. The massive input of such compounds induces a heavy perturbation of the dynamically equilibrated system (reference system) and transforms it more or less rapidly, more or less lastingly to a new state, belonging to that pollution. More often, the water column or the pelagic area is first concerned by this kind of perturbation Its fundamental nature (liquid, dynamic) necessarily involves the use of well adapted sampling strategy(ies) to get the best assessment of the effects of organic pollution in the seawater. Much more, when spilled out, these compounds show a quick evolution (degradation, transformation) of their chemical and physical characteristics. The appreciation of the ecological stress and, secondarily, the modeling previsions have to take into account the particularities of seawater (spatially and temporally non homogenous) and those of pollutants (patchy and non predictable).