EMODnet Chemistry infrastructure: the pillar of the HarmoNIA visualization tools

Overview

The conservation or the achievement of the Good Environmental Status (GES) is a priority for any environmental policy mechanism of both EU and non-EU countries. Coherent data management and quality control are fundamental whenever data from different sources are required as in the case of the assessment of environmental status at regional or sub-regional scale sensu Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
A meaningful evaluation of chemical pollution is challenging due to large numbers of chemical pollutants monitored (more than 150 different substances) and heterogeneity in matrix characteristics, sampling and analytical protocols.

Use Case

In the framework of the Interreg ADRION HarmoNIA - Harmonization and Networking for contaminant assessment in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, specific visualization tools, focused on these marine areas, have been implemented. These tools provide a consistent comparison between the concentrations of contaminants measured by EU and non-EU countries, and, thus, allow transnational environmental evaluation.

The HarmoNIA data visualization tools are based on the standard approach and the data management system adopted by EMODnet Chemistry. The visualization products are elaborated also using the standardized, integrated data on contaminants from the EMODnet Chemistry platform.

The visualization system is interactive and offers many benefits for users. It easily allows to filter and visualize the desired information, such as the concentration of a specific contaminant per station, or its spatial/temporal variability among different monitoring stations, as shown below.

In conclusion, the HarmoNIA visualization system, based on the EMODnet Chemistry data infrastructure, represents a valuable support for a coherent and harmonized evaluation of marine pollution at transnational level.