ONE-BLUE is a Horizon Europe-funded project that aims to investigate the presence and impacts of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in marine environments, understand how climate change modifies these impacts, and develop advanced monitoring tools and methodologies to support effective management and policy-making. A comprehensive database called CECsMarineDB will store and manage project data, aiding exploration and analysis. Innovative solutions include new ecotoxicity assessment methodologies, effect- directed approaches, ultrasonic systems for micro/nanoplastics, autonomous sensors, and a decision support system. ONE-BLUE is led by the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Institute of Information and Physical Technologies (ITEFI), and Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), linked to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
The project brings together 18 institutions from 11 EU countries, composing a team of 100 researchers into 20 groups carrying out the project’s actions. ONE-BLUE will carry out 9 sampling campaigns to study the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans, extracting more than 800 samples for chemical and toxicological evaluation. In addition, the experiments under controlled conditions in marine mesocosms will identify cause-and-effect relationships in a way that would be difficult in the wild. Lastly, ONE-BLUE will develop new technologies, concepts and procedures for CECs monitoring in the ocean.
