On July 2, 2026, Mare Nigrum Research Vessel has returned to shore, marking the end of an intense and highly productive campaign on the Black Sea’s continental shelf and slope.
The weather was on our side right up to the last moment, and the extremely favourable sea conditions allowed us to achieve absolutely all our planned objectives. As originally imagined, the GeoEcoMar team successfully surveyed all 33 sampling stations.
What did we accomplish on board?
A comprehensive profile of the Black Sea: at each of the 33 stations, our researchers carried out an impressive amount of work – in situ measurements of physicochemical water parameters; greenhouse gas analyses at the water-atmosphere interface; water sampling to determine nutrients, chlorophyll pigments, and total organic carbon, as well as pollutants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pharmaceutical residues, and hormones); and sediment sampling for a full suite of analyses: sedimentological, mineralogical, geochemical, and biological (benthic fauna).
What will come next?
The impressive volume of samples and data collected on board has now been transferred to GeoEcoMar’s onshore laboratories. A meticulous analysis phase follows, the results of which will significantly improve the ability to predict the impact of multiple stressors on the marine ecosystem.
The mission was carried out as part of the project “Improving the monitoring program for the Romanian Black Sea shelf to enhance the capacity to assess and predict the impact of multiple stressors on marine ecosystem services” (PN23300103).
Congratulations to the entire team of researchers and crew of Mare Nigrum for their professionalism, dedication and how they have overcome every challenge on this expedition!