In recent years it has become increasingly urgent to obtain data related to the impact of climate change on the marine ecosystem. So far there is uncertainty as to how the oceans react to impending temperature rise and pH reduction. According to the literature, acidification on the one hand will make the oceans much less hospitable to marine organisms, the change in temperature on the other hand will affect the circulation and renewal of marine masses. Apart from climate change, great pressure on the marine ecosystem is exerted by human activities concentrated in the coastal zone, constituting point sources of pollution, such as industries/crafts, urban wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture etc. With regard to the sub-project of autoregulation of the Region of ATTIKI, the Institute of Oceanography of ELKETHE will study the mechanism for renewing the deeper layers of the western basin of the Saronic Gulf, pilot as a deep basin in which the lack of water renewal leads to reduced oxygen conditions, the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen and carbon, the geochemical processes in the anoxic environment, the dioxide in different oxygen layers. It will study the effect of pH reduction on assimilation of pollutants (heavy metals) from benthic organisms, such as urchins. Methodologies for passive sampling of organic pollutants, laboratory analysis of antibiotics in seawater, and use of miobenthic parameters to assess the environmental status of coastal areas will be developed. The ecological relationships between microbes of the eastern Mediterranean oligotrophic environment will be described and associated with coastal ecosystems. The very important problem of marine litter will be studied with the help of mathematical models relating to the transport and dispersal of waste. Within the framework of the proposed autoregulation sub-project of the Region of AEGEAN, an integrated methodology for the assessment of hybrid (combined) marine potential (waves and wind power) will be developed. Increasing the share of marine renewable energy sources in the national energy balance is one of the European Union’s most key objectives in the context of Blue Development. In the same context, the physical processes that take place on a coastline and the prediction of potential risks from extreme phenomena will be studied, issues that are important components in its integrated management and protection, as well as the optimal design of technical projects. Recent surveys in the coastal zone of Rhodes have highlighted the existence of a multitude of underwater gorges (Canyons) of great diversity that cross the island’s continental shelf and continue in the nearby deep basins. Underwater canyons have been shown to be pipelines for transport of both inorganic and organic matter, as well as pollutants and anthropogenic waste from the coastal zone to the deep sea, while at the same time being places of increased biodiversity. In addition, there are strong indications that they are home to significant shrimp populations, which are a high-value biological resource. At the same time, the contribution of the Institute of Oceanography to regional development will be reinforced by the scientific upgrading of the Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes (USP). The ASR is an independent decentralised unit of ELKETHE, occupying a strategic position at the northernmost tip of the island in an ideal position by the sea, offering a unique possibility for the installation of sensors measuring numerous meteorological and environmental parameters. With the proposed actions, YP and Rhodes can be a model natural laboratory for monitoring the evolution of natural processes that have a direct connection with the local community.
