Joint research of Iran and Russia on microplastic pollution in the Caspian and Baltic seas

A joint research between Iran's National Research Institute of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Shirshef Institute of Oceanography Shirshov  Russia  It is being implemented with the aim of investigating the extent of microplastic pollution in the Caspian Sea and the Baltic Sea.

According to the public relations report of the research institute, this scientific collaboration is jointly supported by the Iran Science Foundation.INSF) and the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has been started and most of its field and laboratory activities have been carried out during the past year.

In this project, sampling has been done from different parts of the Caspian Sea, including the Volga River in the north and southern areas within the Iranian waters, as well as from selected areas of the Baltic Sea. The preliminary results show that microplastic particles are significantly present in the water, sediments and aquatic tissue of these two water bodies.

The main goal of this research is to identify the amount and distribution patterns of microplastics and to provide the basis for formulating management strategies to control emerging marine pollution. This project with an integrated approach, in addition to field monitoring, also includes the development of risk assessment models and joint analyzes for the protection of the Caspian and Baltic ecosystems.

Based on the planning, the final results of the project will be provided to related institutions in the form of scientific reports and policy proposals next year. This cooperation can play an important role in promoting regional knowledge about the threats caused by microplastics and strengthening scientific cooperation between the two countries in the field of marine environment.

Target areas in the project: Caspian Sea (South Caspian and Volga River) and Baltic Sea