This special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry (IJEAC) includes selected papers presented from the Third Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control (WETPOL) held in Barcelona from 20 to 24 September 2009, following the series previously held in Ghent (Belgium) in 2005, and in Tartu (Estonia) in 2007. The conference was organised in cooperation with Dr Joan García from the Hydraulics, Maritime and Environmental Engineering Department of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) and myself from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA) of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
The meeting focused on the processes affecting the fate of pollutants in natural and constructed wetlands, namely: (i) trace elements: mobility and sequestration; (ii) behaviour of priority and emerging pollutants in wetlands; (iii) molecular and microbial advances related to pollutants fate, disposal and removal in wetlands; (iv) biogeochemical processes of pollutants in natural and constructed wetlands; (v) pollutant modeling in wetlands; (vi) wetlands’ role in pollutant management at catchment scale; attenuation of diffuse pollution in wetlands and wetlands and water reuse.
The scientific programme contained plenary lectures, keynote presentations, four parallel sessions and posters. Furthermore, a technical visit was organised to the Aiguamolls del Empordà located at the Girona province where natural and constructed wetlands coexist.
The meeting accounted for 263 attendees of 35 countries, 110 oral and 100 poster presentations. In order to appreciate the high scientific quality of the presentations, a 500€ award and two accessits were given to PhD students which presented the best posters according with the Scientific Committee. Both the award and accessits included a free registration to the next WETPOL meeting to be held in Prague (Czech Republic) from 3 to 8 July 2011. Furthermore, 40 fellowships to attendees coming from developing countries were also awarded. The next WETPOL meeting in Prague will be co-organised with the Society of Wetland Scientists and Wetlands Biogeochemistry Society.
Although the conference covered technical and scientific aspects related to the wetland pollution attenuation, the papers published in this special issue are mostly focused on the scientific aspects of chemical pollution particularly on the fate specific contaminants in wetlands. The paper selection was carried out according to the usual peer reviewing process of this journal.
As a co-chairman of this conference, I would like to thank all the students that participated in the meeting organisation, participants that actively contributed to the meeting success with their presentations and discussions, the sponsors that funded the meeting and finally to IJEAC for offering the possibility to disseminate this outcome.