Identification and Quantitative Pollutant analysis: A novel approach for environmental assessment in the Romanian Black Sea Coast

This paper presents the main factors affecting the pollution of the Black Sea ecosystem, especially the Romanian coastal zone in the current geopolitical conditions, due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, military training activities, various types of spills, microplastics, heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), emerging substances, shipping, etc. It is well known that pollution of the marine environment and destruction of habitats strongly affect the sustainable use of the seas and influence human health through direct human contact with polluted waters or through the consumption of contaminated marine nutrient sources. Various methods are being researched to prevent and reduce the negative impact of pollution, requiring a regular monitoring and assessment program, with the implementation of corrective measures, following national and international legislation. Our paper aims to demonstrate that in environmental studies, the use of mathematical relationships plays an essential role in calculating the mass value of pollutants, especially in the assessment of pollution levels in marine environments. Hence, through the quantitative analysis of the mass of pollutants present in the environment, it is possible to make a preliminary assessment of the degradation state of the marine environment in the Romanian coastal area. The methodology typically involves the integration of pollutant concentrations, the volume of water, and the area over which the pollutants are distributed. These preliminary theoretical studies will be complemented in our future research by specific in situ as well as laboratory analyses on water, sediment, and bioassay samples from the targeted marine areas.