Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua

This subline is focussed on the study of the dynamics of organic pollutants in terrestrial aquatic environments and coastal areas, including the role of the atmosphere in the transport of pollutants. Thus, important efforts are devoted to sample and analyze these compounds in different environmental compartments belonging to the same ecosystems. These efforts are aimed to determine the physical-chemical processes that regulate their transport, accumulation and transformation in the ecosystems under study. The target compounds are persistent organic pollutants such as organochlorinated compounds or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or commonly used pesticides such as organophosphorous or organonitrogen compounds. Different interfaces such as soil-air, air-water-sediment, water-organisms and air-vegetation. The ultimate aim of these studies is ascertaining the transport and accumulation mechanisms of these pollutants and their potential toxic effects on organisms, including humans. Substantial work has been performed in high mountain remote zones from Europe (Alps, Pyrenees, Tatras), Africa (Teide) and America (Andes). River ecosystems, namely the Ebro Basin, have also been studied. The high mountain studies have been reported in a large number of publications in the leading scientific literature and have been supported by EU funding since 1993. Concerning fluvial systems, the studies have allowed the identification of a relevant pollutant case in Flix water reservoir that is located in the Ebro River Basin. The Spanish Ministry of Environment and Generalitat of Catalonia have developed a specific remediation plan to solve this problem. In the atmospheric studies, specific work has been performed on urban environments and for assessment of the transport of pollutants to remote sites. This work has allowed to knowing the relevance of atmospheric inputs in remote ecosystems and the mechanisms by which they are accumulated in the cold areas of the planet. The urban studies have also included volatile organic compounds (VOC), particularly tropospheric ozone precursors such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, e.g. isopentane, pentane, hexane, heptane, and others.