"Defining the baselines and standards for microplastics analyses in European waters (BASEMAN)"
Aims
Although microplastics (MP) are recognized as an emerging contaminant in the environment, currently neither sampling, extraction, purification nor identification approaches are standardized, making the increasing numbers of MP studies hardly ‐if at all‐ comparable. The overall goal of this interdisciplinary and international collaborative research project, is to overcome this problem through a profound and detailed comparison and evaluation of all approaches from sampling to identification of MP. Our collaborative research project combines experienced MP scientists (from different disciplines and countries) in a cutting edge project addressing the JPI Oceans (JPI‐O) pilot call “Ecological aspects of MP in the marine environment”. Our project tackles two major topics: 1) “The validation and harmonization of analytical methods” which is indispensable for 2), the “Identification and quantification of MP”. The results of the project will equip EU authorities with tools and operational measures that may be applied to describe the abundance and distribution of MP in the environment. Such tools will permit JPI‐O evaluation of member state compliance with existing and future monitoring requirements.
