During the period from June 19 to 23, 2025, specialists from the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea (UkrSCES) conducted a scientific field campaign for water sampling in key water bodies of the Northwestern Black Sea region. Samples were collected as part of the international Black Sea SIERRA project, which are implementing with the support of the European Union, in the following locations: the Danube Delta, the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers, with additional sampling in the Khadzhibey and Tiligul lagoons, on the Black Sea coast (Odesa Bay).
The field work represented another stage in the implementation of project tasks aimed at assessing marine environment pollution caused by civil and military activities. All field campaign stages — planning, coordination, logistics, sampling, preservation, and sample transportation — were fully organized and executed by UkrSCES specialists.
The collected water samples will be used for comprehensive laboratory research aimed at:
• Detection of traditional pollutants (industrial effluents, pesticides, microplastics, eutrophication, marine litter, noise pollution, etc.);
• Identification of new types of pollutants associated with armed conflicts;
• Quantitative assessment of military pollution contribution to the overall level of anthropogenic pressure on the Black Sea;
• Determination of priority ecological risks for coastal biodiversity in the region.
This field campaign is a continuation of the series of expeditionary research initiated by UkrSCES specialists in 2024. By the end of 2025, four more scientific field campaigns are planned within the Black Sea SIERRA project. During these field campaigns, in addition to water sampling, sediment and biota collection will also be conducted for comprehensive assessment of marine environment status and its ecological risks.
The results of these studies will contribute to the development of scientifically substantiated measures for the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, as well as strengthening transboundary cooperation in the Black Sea region.

The Black Sea SIERRA project represents a crucial international initiative addressing the environmental impacts of military conflict on marine ecosystems and developing evidence-based strategies for ecosystem protection and restoration in the Black Sea region.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting authority can be held responsible for them.