Εvaluation, Control and Mitigation of the Environmental Impacts of Shipping Emissions (EMERGE), 2020-2023

The project EMERGE is funded by the European Union under Horizon 2020 (Grant Agreement No. 874990), in order to investigate the environmental impact of the introduction of scrubbers for the reduction of marine emissions into the atmosphere, as well as the submission of proposals to reduce the potential adverse environmental effects on the marine environment.

Marine scrubbers use water to capture various pollutants (such as SOx, aromatic hydrocarbons, particulate matter, heavy metals, etc.) from ship exhaust and thus prevent the emission of these pollutants into the atmosphere. There are two types of washing machines, open and closed circuit. Closed-circuit scrubbers use filters and contaminant collection tanks, and reuse the same amount of water for spraying and repeated capture of pollutants. Open circuit scrubbers use water pumped from the sea, which after sprayed and enriched with pollutants returns to the sea.

The second type is obviously significantly lower cost, but raises concerns about the possible impact of the introduction of these pollutants into the marine environment instead of the atmosphere.

The role of the Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Oceanography in the EMERGE project is to contribute to the study of the possible effects of the use of scrubbers in the marine environment. To this end, the Laboratory has developed a research strategy based on two parts:

-The observational part concerns the attempt to record the macroscopic effects of pollution in the busy area of ​​the Saronic Gulf (specifically near the entrance of the port). At the same time, in the framework of the project, the Laboratory studies the anthropogenic mixing in the upper sea column.

-The part of the simulations concerns the study of the effects of the movement of the ships in the marine environment, and the comparison of the effects of different scenarios of use of marine scrubbers.

Members of the mission of the University of the Aegean working on the diving boat "ELPIDA". There are two instruments for measuring temperature, conductivity and water pressure, with additional sensors of oxygen, chlorophyll and turbidity, a drifting surface float (drifter) as well as filtration work to record chlorophyll.

To meet the implementation needs of this very ambitious project, the Laboratory has developed a new methodology for observing anthropogenic mixing from ships, while investing in the use of a three-dimensional ecological / biogeochemical model.

...research in the ships' wake....