Scientists participating in the CHEMSEA project undertook the task of verifying the hypothesis regarding chemical munitions dumped around the Gdańsk and Gotland Deeps, estimating the concentration of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products in the bottom sediments surrounding the findings, and assessing the risks associated with the accidental or natural release of these substances into the water column. The final products of the project will be maps of contaminated areas, models for estimating the spread of contamination in the event of damage to containers or contaminated sediments resting on the seabed, and a comprehensive risk assessment related to chemical weapons lying on the Baltic Sea floor. The intended users of the project are the maritime offices of Baltic Sea countries, environmental protection inspectorates of these countries, as well as local coastal administration and the Helsinki Commission. One of the most important tasks of the project is the underwater inspection of official and suspected locations of chemical munitions on the seabed. Therefore, on September 17, 2012, specialists from the Department of Underwater Works Technology, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Maritime Law and Maritime Security of the Polish Naval Academy were on board the R/V Oceania.
The task of the Naval Academy staff during the cruise was to collect samples for geochemical analysis of bottom sediments and water samples from the near-bottom layer using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), and to perform video and photographic documentation of selected fragments of the seabed. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 5/2012