The Mediterranean Sea represents a cradle of civilization and a biodiversity hotspot of inestimable global value. However, despite containing just 1% of all global marine water, this basin concentrates approximately 7% of the microplastics (MPs) spread throughout the world’s oceans. This alarming statistic is due to the very nature of the Mediterranean: a semi-enclosed sea where waters renew extremely slowly. The plastic that enters it—estimated at over 100,000 tons every single year—struggles immensely to exit through the Strait of Gibraltar, inevitably ending up accumulating along the coasts, on beaches, and in seabed sediments.
What raises the greatest concern in the scientific community is not only the very long time required for plastic materials to degrade, but above all the profound and systemic damage that microplastics cause to marine organisms and, indirectly but inexorably, to human health. Plastic particles, in fact, can release toxic chemical additives used during their production and, at the same time, act as true vectors for the transport of environmental pollutants, pathogens, and genes that promote antibiotic resistance. Once ingested by marine fauna, and subsequently by humans through the consumption of seafood along the food chain, these tiny particles are extremely difficult to eliminate from the body.
Although the pervasive presence of plastic materials in the sea and within marine organisms is now a widely and sadly documented fact, scientific knowledge regarding the complex oceanographic mechanisms that regulate their transport and distribution in the marine environment remains limited. In particular, the international scientific community has not yet precisely outlined the specific routes taken by the countless plastic particles, nor how surface and deep marine currents, dominant winds, and coastal hydrodynamic circulation processes influence their movement and subsequent accumulation in specific and vulnerable marine areas.
The MAESTRI Project: A Cross-Border and Multidisciplinary Response
To address this markedly systemic and complex problem, the MAESTRI project was born, an acronym that stands for “Predictive models of microplastic accumulation in coastal marine areas, effects on biodiversity and strategies to reduce pollution” (Modelli previsionali di accumulo di microplastiche in aree marine costiere, effetti sulla biodiversità e strategie per ridurre l’inquinamento). This ambitious project, conceived and coordinated by the University of Palermo, has the primary objective of developing the absolute first forecasting model dedicated to the accumulation of microplastics in the central Mediterranean basin.
The resulting mathematical and oceanographic model will be able to describe, simulate with high fidelity, and predict the distribution of microplastics for the next ten years in this geographic area. This will make it possible to identify with extreme precision the coastal areas most vulnerable to accumulation and definitively clarify the intricate physical and chemical dynamics that determine their concentration.
MAESTRI was funded with a 1.5 million euro contribution under the European INTERREG Italy-Malta Program. Formally launched in May 2025, the project will see its scientific and operational conclusion in 2027. The leadership of this complex work is entrusted to Professors Fabrizio Pepe and Gianluca Sarà, along with Dr. Marta Corradino, all belonging to the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences of the Palermo university, who are the main promoters of the study. However, the true strength of MAESTRI lies in its impressive network of collaborations, which includes the University of Messina (with the Department of Engineering), the University of Catania (with the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences), the National Research Council (CNR) of Messina, the Department of Geosciences of the University of Malta, and, representing government institutions, the Ministry of Public Works of Malta.
As emphasized by the project coordinators, the key to tackling the global hotspot of microplastic pollution lies in “multidisciplinarity that integrates expertise in geology, marine biology, engineering, and chemistry.” The intent is to provide concrete scientific tools to estimate the residence times of plastic at sea and anticipate its entry into food webs, thereby assessing and mitigating ecological and health risks.
Pilot Areas and Field Investigations: Between Sicily and Malta
The field research and meticulous coastal monitoring will involve two geographical areas that are specular and crucial for central Mediterranean currents: on one side, 8 kilometers of pristine but vulnerable coastlines in south-eastern Sicily, specifically in the areas of Isola delle Correnti and Vendicari; on the other side, 9 kilometers of Maltese coastlines, including Ghadira Bay, Golden Bay, Riviera Bay, Gnejna Bay, Ramla Bay, and Salina Bay.
During the first year of activity (between May 2025 and May 2026), the research teams will collect an impressive amount of data using ultra-high-tech tools and cutting-edge calculation methodologies. Operations involve the use of drones equipped with advanced sensors for aerial analysis of beaches, sophisticated geophysical instruments for the morphological study of the seabed up to 50 meters deep, and the use of FT-IR spectroscopic techniques, essential to pinpoint the exact chemical composition of the recovered microplastics. These tools will be joined by Lagrangian numerical models, necessary to simulate the fluid movement of particles at sea.
In Malta, at one of the pilot sites, a permanent monitoring system based on high-resolution cameras will also be installed, whose purpose will be to study the arrival and accumulation of plastic waste immediately following storm surges, providing fundamental empirical data to validate the accuracy of the forecasting models. Overall, over 200 sediment samples and more than 100 water samples will be collected. Microplastics will be meticulously extracted from these samples for chemical analysis, allowing researchers to catalog their various types and accurately trace their industrial or civil origins.
The Plastisphere: When Plastic Becomes an Ecosystem
One of the most fascinating and disturbing aspects of the research conducted by the MAESTRI team concerns the study of the so-called “plastisphere.” This term refers to the complex microbial communities that colonize floating plastic surfaces, turning debris into biological rafts. The project includes a detailed census of the bacteria and fungi present on these surfaces.
As explained by Paola Quatrini of the University of Palermo, the plastisphere “can include pathogens but also microorganisms capable of degrading plastic polymers.” The long-term goal, bordering on environmental bioengineering, is to isolate bacteria and fungi potentially capable of degrading plastic, so that they can be enhanced in the future and actively applied in bioremediation strategies for the ecological removal of microplastics from the environment.
Biological investigation activities will also include a specific focus on benthic organisms (species living in close contact with the seabed) and planktonic organisms (living suspended in the water column). The aim is to quantify the intrinsic presence of polymers in these organisms and understand at the cellular level how microplastics interfere with their fundamental physiological and metabolic processes.
The Origin of the Problem and Impacts on Global Health
To understand the severity of the situation, it is vital to analyze the origin of these pollutants. Francesco Tiralongo of the University of Catania clarified that microplastics derive from commonly used products: “cosmetics and industrial pellets, but also the result of the degradation of synthetic fabrics, tires, nautical paints, packaging, fishing gear.” Tiralongo adds that microscopic particles up to 1 micron can reach the seas even carried by the atmosphere.
Once taken in by filter-feeding organisms and ascending the food chain to humans, microplastics cause severe physical and clinical consequences: “false satiety, intestinal occlusion, reduced growth, and alteration of feeding behavior” in fauna, and provoke oxidative stress, inflammation, tissue damage, and endocrine alterations at the systemic level. This scenario requires a profound rethinking of our consumption habits and waste management technologies, framing the problem not just as an ecological crisis, but as a massive socioeconomic and health emergency.
A Shared Prevention Perspective
The complexity of microplastic movements is a central element of the research. Emmanuel Sinagra of the University of Malta highlighted how pollution is not limited to what floats on the surface: “a significant portion of the particles, over time, sinks and settles on the seabed, transforming sediments into true reservoirs of contamination.” These sediments can be remobilized by currents, violent storms, or anthropogenic activities, prolonging the toxic impact over time.
Giovanni Sgubin of the University of Palermo will lead the development of numerical simulations, implementing “Lagrangian numerical models […] that simulate the trajectories of millions of virtual microplastic particles transported by currents.” In parallel, Carla Faraci of the University of Messina will focus on coastal engineering, combining field observations with physical and numerical models to understand the intimate “interactions between wave motion and plastic debris on the seabed.”
8The MAESTRI project, officially presented on February 19, 2026, thus stands as a milestone in European environmental research. As beautifully summarized by Professor Fabrizio Pepe, the challenge is to turn knowledge into concrete action: “MAESTRI is not limited to describing the problem, but anticipating it: transforming forecasting into prevention, providing administrations, port authorities, and environmental bodies with concrete scientific tools to plan monitoring, targeted interventions, and policies based on solid data.” The collaboration between Italy and Malta demonstrates that pollution knows no borders and that only by joining forces, sharing technologies and vision, can we hope to stem the silent invasion of microplastics and restore the Mediterranean Sea to its original purity and vitality.
