ONE-BLUE project aims to assess the risk of pollutants in the sea with Artificial Intelligence

The ONE-BLUE project, part of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme funded by the European Union (EU), is managed by a consortium that brings together partners from 20 institutions and 11 European countries. In Portugal, the project is led by MARE.

ONE-BLUE will use cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence to detect risks to marine organisms in the natural environment. The researchers will develop and use methods based on optical sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically and non-invasively detect whether a given water sample poses a risk to marine organisms. By 2027, they will be particularly focussed on developing new methodologies for assessing the toxicity of contaminants present in European waters.

For MARE researcher Bernardo Duarte, ‘this project represents a unique opportunity to assess the impacts of serious threats such as global change and pollution on ocean health’. The project also aims to ‘advance the understanding of the combined impacts of contaminants of emerging concern (CPE) and climate change on diverse marine environments’. The researchers taking part in ONE-BLUE will focus on the ‘concentrations, profiles, fate, behaviour and effects (of CPE) in the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea’, and also intend to draw up ‘safety guidelines and monitoring protocols’ for future assessments of these pollutants in aquatic environments.

Bernardo Duarte explains that ‘with this project, we aim to provide innovative solutions that support the implementation of relevant EU policies, such as the “Zero Pollution” strategy. Collecting and analysing data and disseminating the results of this project will allow us to establish an exploitation plan for the technologies developed, ensure effective implementation and contribute to sustainable marine management.’

The new technologies will enable the autonomous remote detection of antibiotics, the development of an ultrasonic system for the concentration of microplastics in seawater and the creation of an early warning system as decision support.

To find out more about the project click HERE