Preface

Pollution of the aquatic environment is a real threat across the globe. It is becoming a topic of intense study for researchers. It has been updated and almost completely revised. The Mediterranean Sea has been recognized as a target hotspot of the world as the pollutants’ concentration in this region is greater than other vast oceans.

The book summarizes the basic pollutants in the Mediterranean Sea, focusing on microplastics, rare earth elements and biotoxins. The impacts of pollutants on the aq uatic environment and health have received greater attention in this edition, and there are more case descriptions that cover some countries in the Mediterranean region. This edition has a simple emphasis on pollution problems in the Mediterranean region. The present book is an attempt to put together, to a certain level, the scientific publications on the referred topic for the benefit of the target audience. In addition, more references are included at the end of the chapters, including many websites.

A framework: Chapters 1 through 5 provide basic information on pollutants in the Mediterranean Sea with a special focus on some countries in the region and how humans are affecting the environment. They also discuss important concepts of the pollutant’s hazards. Chapter 1 demonstrates the impact of Biotoxins in Lebanon as a case study. Chapter 2 discusses the bio-monitoring of effluents. Chapter 3 introduces basic concepts in microplastic pollution and its effect on fish while Chapter 4 explains the impact of microplastics on the Moroccan Mediterranean. Chapter 5 delves into the ecological impacts of rare earth elements influx into the Mediterranean Sea.

I hope readers who are interested in environmental pollution in general, or involved in aquatic science in particular, can find this book useful and objective achievable. Finally, I would very much welcome any feedback from readers.