Due to population growth, urban development and increasing economic activity in the coastal zones, there is an increasing risk that anthropogenic pollution will affect the biodiversity, productivity and quality of marine ecosystems.
Changes in the use of materials, especially plastics, have led to increased environmental load. With respect to both the Water Framework Directive and spatial use of the North Sea, the behaviour, bioavailability and interactions of pollutants (known and unknown, often present in complex mixtures) and the corresponding effects on the ecosystem are very important.
Priorities and research topics within this theme include water and sediment quality, biological availability, toxicity, combined toxicity, bioassays, biomarkers and ecological effects.