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The Programme for the Assessment and Control of Pollution in the Mediterranean region (MED POL) was initiated in 1975 as the environmental assessment component of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and is now in Phase IV. Its task is to assist Mediterranean countries in the implementation of pollution-assessment programmes (marine pollution trend monitoring, compliance monitoring and biological effects monitoring). In parallel, MED POL provides assistance in the formulation and implementation of pollution-control, regional and national action plans addressing pollution from land-based sources and activities. It also formulates and carries out capacity building programmes related to the analysis of contaminants and treatment of data and to technical and management training. MED POL-collected data and information directly contribute to the implementation of the LBS and Dumping Protocols. The countries which signed the Barcelona Convention are: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the European Union.
The National Monitoring Programme of Turkey under MED POL Phase IV is aimed at the following:
a) Compliance to the national regulations and the MAP common measures for
industrial/municipal effluents in Hot Spot areas and estimation of inputs from effluents
b) the reliable monitoring of river inputs, and estimation of riverine fluxes
c) the reliable assessment of the temporal changes in contaminant levels in biota
and sediments, in selected coastal and hot spot stations
d) the reliable assessment of pollution status of the coastal waters
e) The reliable assessment of eutrophication status in coastal waters and the
lagoons; Mersin Bay (pilot site)
f) A preliminary assessment of organic carbon content of sediments and
quality of water at intensive aquaculture areas.
These will be respectively pursued through:
1. Compliance monitoring in the bathing waters
2. Compliance monitoring of effluents in hot spot areas;
3. Monitoring of loads from land-based point sources of pollution
4. Trend monitoring of contaminants in biota in selected hot spot
areas and in the coastal waters;
5. Monitoring of contaminants in sediments in hot spot areas and
near-shore coastal waters;
6. Monitoring of eutrophication status in a pilot site
7. Monitoring of aquaculture areas in one gulf
The execution of the National Monitoring Programme will be in the
context of, and in accordance with, the MED-POL PHASE IV Programme.
2. Collaborating Institutions and Responsible Investigators
Two Institutes will participate in the Programme, the Middle East
Technical University/ Institute of Marine Sciences and Dokuz Eylul
University/ Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology. Ministry
of Environment and Forestry will be responsible of the coordination
of the programme and the provision of compliance reports for the bathing
waters.
