Raupers, Björn , Passig, Johannes, Gehm, Christian, Beck, Aaron J. , Esposito, Mario, Gledhill, Martha , Zimmermann, Ralf and Achterberg, Eric Pieter (2023) In situ detection of munition compounds in coastal waters. TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 163 . Art.Nr. 117084. DOI 10.1016/j.trac.2023.117084.

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Abstract

Disposal of munitions at dumpsites in coastal seas was conducted after WW I and II. Also, large amounts of unexploded munitions from wartime activities litter the seafloor. Corrosion of munition shells causes release of toxic munition compounds (MCs). Furthermore, explosion risks increase due to large-scale economic developments in coastal waters. Seafloor munition clearance by commercial and military entities form an ongoing task to eliminate environmental and security risks.

Munition detection primarily relies on geophysical techniques. However, these methods do not provide unequivocal signatures for ordnance and suffer from false positives.

Here we assess chemical approaches using spectroscopic and spectrometric methods for ordnance detection in seawater with a primary focus on MCs, but also including chemical warfare agents. We discuss novel analytical techniques suitable for near real-time munition detection at sea, incorporating pre-concentration and matrix removal steps of seawater samples. We also describe emerging real-time technologies for on-site MC detection in coastal waters.

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