This study presents the development of a three-dimensional, Wisconsin-type bioenergetic/population model, two-way coupled with a biogeochemical model (POM-ERSEM) that simulates physical, chemical, and biological processes in the marine environment, to investigate the dynamics of anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) and sprat ( Sprattus sprattus )—the two most ecologically and economically significant fish species in the Black Se...

Forage species with high biomass, such as anchovies and sardines, play a key role in pelagic ecosystems and make up a significant proportion of the world's capture fisheries production. In recent years, condition indices have gained interest as significant indicators for assessing the effects of environmental and human pressures on these species and the quality of their habitats. In the present study, we examined, for the firs...

A basin-scale Mediterranean carbonate system model has been setup, building on the POSEIDON operational biogeochemical model. The spatial variability of carbonate system variables from a 13-year simulation (2010-2022) was validated against CARIMED in situ data (DIC, TA, pCO 2 ), showing reasonable agreement in reproducing the observed patterns and preserving the dynamics in different areas, except a slight overestimation (~15...

The genetic traits of seagrass populations are a crucial aspect of their ecology and evolution, influencing their adaptability and resilience. Here, we studied the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity of eighteen Posidonia oceanica meadows extending in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean, Ionian and Cretan Seas, Greece), combining twelve microsatellite markers and Lagrangian particle drift modelling. Our...

Having steadily increased with global production in the past 50 years, the presence and accumulation of plastic debris is now recognized as a major environmental problem, with consequences directly affecting not only marine ecosystems, but also society and human well-being. After human activities release plastic litter, it is either directly discharged into the ocean or it is transported to the sea via inland pathways (e.g., r...

In this study, the abundance and properties (size, shape, and polymer type) of microplastics (MPs) in sea surface water samples, collected during two sampling campaigns over 2018–2019, in four coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea (Saronikos Gulf, LIgurian Sea, Gulf of Lion, and Gabes Gulf) were investigated. Coupled hydrodynamic/particle drift model simulations with basin-scale Mediterranean and high resolution nested models...

Micro- and macro-plastics pollution is a growing threat for marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and consequently human wellbeing. Numerical models that consider main sources of plastics and simulate their dispersal characteristics are unique tools for exploring plastic pollution in marine protected areas (MPAs). Here, we used a Lagrangian plastic drift model, taking into account various sizes/types of plastic litter, o...

Marine pollution from debris is a major issue nowadays, since every year large amounts of litter enter into the sea. Under the Horizon 2020 framework and within the Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods in European Seas (CLAIM) project, innovative devices were designed, developed, tested and applied in laboratory and in the field. These consisted of a system named CLEAN TRASH for the prevention of macro...

Litter cleanup and disposal management in the marine environment are increasingly subject to public scrutiny, government regulation and stakeholder initiatives. In practice, ongoing efforts and new investment decisions, for example in new cleanup technologies, are constrained by financial and economic resources. Given budgetary restrictions, it is important to optimize decision-making using a scientific framework that takes in...

We present the development of a 3D full-lifecycle, individual-based model (IBM) for anchovy and sardine, online coupled to an existing hydrodynamic/biogeochemical low-trophic level (LTL) model for the North Aegean Sea. It was built upon an existing 1D model for the same species and area, with the addition of a horizontal movement scheme. In the model, both species evolve from the embryonic stage (egg+yolk sac larva) to the lar...

The Mediterranean is considered a hot-spot for plastic pollution, due to its semi-enclosed nature and heavily populated coastal areas. In the present study, a basin-scale coupled hydrodynamic/particle drift model was used to track the pathways and fate of plastics from major land-based sources (coastal cities and rivers), taking into account of the most important processes (advection, stokes drift, vertical and horizontal mixi...

The Golani’s round herring Etrumeus golanii is an Erythraean small pelagic fish (lessepsian migrant) that entered into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. It has expanded its distribution from the east to the western Mediterranean with well-established local populations. We investigated basic aspects of its reproductive biology off the island of Crete (eastern Mediterranean) using ovarian histology and analysis of oo...

A novel pan-European marine model ensemble was established, covering nearly all seas under the regulation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), with the aim of providing a consistent assessment of the potential impacts of riverine nutrient reduction scenarios on marine eutrophication indicators. For each sea region, up to five coupled biogeochemical models from institutes all over Europe were brought together for...

Microplastics (MPs) are a contaminant of growing concern due to their widespread distribution and interactions with marine species, such as filter feeders. To investigate the MPs accumulation in wild and cultured mussels, a dynamic energy budget (DEB) model was developed and validated with the available field data of Mytilus edulis (M. edulis, wild) from the North Sea and Mytilus galloprovincialis (M. galloprovincialis, cultur...

There is a general scarcity of oceanic observations that concurrently examine air–sea interactions, coastal–open-ocean processes and physical–biogeochemical processes, in appropriate spatiotemporal scales and under continuous, long-term data acquisition schemes. In the Mediterranean Sea, the resulting knowledge gaps and observing challenges increase due to its oligotrophic character, especially in the eastern part of the basin...

We studied the otolith microstructure and growth of sardine, Sardina pilchardus , in the North Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea), using samples of larvae and juveniles that had hatched in winter (November–January) and winter–spring (February–May), respectively. The juveniles had developed during an extended period coinciding with marked pelagic ecosystem changes (from winter, mixed conditions to summer, stratified waters)...