The East Asian Seas Congress 2024, held in partnership with Xiamen World Ocean Week from November 6 to 8, 2024, in Xiamen, China, featured the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean," aligning closely with the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). At the event, the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) research team from City University of Hong Kong organized Parallel Sessions ST2.2 on "Training Workshop on Pollution Assessment and Management (PAM)" and ST2.3 on “Capacity Building Workshop on the Global Estuaries Monitoring (GEM) Programme”.
During the GEM Workshop, Dr. Chong Chen firstly introduced members of the GEM Programme's steering committee, including Prof. Martina Doblin and Prof. Xinhong Wang, who highlighted cutting-edge monitoring technologies and stressed collaborative efforts for effective data collection. The Principal Investigator, Prof. Kenneth Mei Yee Leung, emphasized the innovative concepts sparked by the global river pharmaceutical pollution project, further inspiring the use of passive samplers, biomonitoring, and artificial mussels for radionuclide and other chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) monitoring in the GEM Programme.
Prof. Xinhong Wang presented insights on "Pollution and Land-sea Transport of Plastic Debris and Microplastics in the River Estuary," detailing the characteristics and transport dynamics of microplastics in river estuaries. Ms. Demilade T. Adedipe introduced novel passive samplers for monitoring CECs, emphasizing the viability of S-PVC as a novel adsorbing material. Dr. Chong Chen outlined the progress and global prospects of the GEM Programme, with samples collected from over 150 estuaries worldwide to address knowledge gaps in CECs pollution.
The interactive discussion, led by Professors Kenneth Leung and Xinhong Wang, focused on shaping the second phase of the GEM Programme. Attendees deliberated on prioritizing emerging contaminants for monitoring, the feasibility of passive samplers in proposed estuaries, and the collection of estuarine sediments. Recommendations included the exploration of innovative monitoring techniques and the expansion of passive samplers' use for enhanced program efficacy, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and result reproducibility. Continuous data analysis and global research collaborations were encouraged to ensure the success and impact of the GEM Programme.
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