Global Environmental Challenges 2026

Session

Water

16 Jan 2026, 13:00

seminar room H7 (DHF)

23. The Agia Zoni II tanker accident: A case of oil spill affecting the marine environment of Saronikos Gulf, Greece

Theodoros Schönhoff

16/01/2026, 13:00

Water

oral

Oil spills pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems and can have severe economic impacts on sea-related countries like Greece. The Gulf of Saronikos in particular is prone to such contaminations, as it lies on one of the main shipping routes of Greece. In this work the extent and ecological impact of its most recent oil spill, caused by the sinking of the Agia Zoni II tanker in 2017, was...

20. Release of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) from melting alpine glaciers to downstream ecosystems in a warming climate

Carina Freudling

16/01/2026, 13:30

Water

oral

Alpine glaciers have served as cold traps and long-term reservoirs for Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and can act as secondary source as they melt. PCBs were widely used since the 1940s and, due to their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties were banned internationally in 2004.
Recent climate warming accelerates glacier melting, releasing these stored PCBs into downstream...

21. Heavy Metal Contamination of La Paz’s Water Supply Due to Mining Activities

Valeria Astete Dalence (University of Bayreuth)

16/01/2026, 14:00

Water

oral

The Milluni Dams, located in La Paz, supply two of Bolivia’s biggest cities with fresh water. However, their water quality is affected by legal and illegal mining activities, posing a threat to human health and nature. For this reason, it is important to monitor different points in this area and analyze what kind of species can be found there. This study locates four points for monitoring and...

24. Pharmaceutical residues in German surface waters

Anna Lena Vienken

16/01/2026, 14:50

Water

oral

Pharmaceutical residues represent an emerging class of micropollutants in German aquatic systems. With an aging population in Germany, pharmaceutical consumption has also risen in the last few decades. Furthermore, veterinary pharmaceuticals are widely used in agriculture. While human pharmaceuticals, their transformation products, and their metabolites are often not completely removed by...

25. Contribution of Seaweed farming to mitigating current marine environmental issues

Nele Heiland

16/01/2026, 15:20

Water

Oceans and marine ecosystems serve as critical components for the global carbon cycle, yet their sequestration capacity is increasingly threatened by multiple, interlinked anthropogenic stressors. Microplastic pollution for instance is now pervasive across blue-carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass systems, influencing sediment characteristics, biological activity...