FROM BALLAST WATER TO HARMFUL AIR EMISSIONS: HOW TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF SHIPPING ON THE POLLUTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT – A REVIEW

The impact of the urban effluents of Mytilene (Lesvos island, Greece) on the receiving coastal marine environment, was evaluated by studying the quality of the city effluents (BOD5, COD, SS, heavy metals) and the marine sediments (grain size, organic matter, heavy metals). It was found that the urban effluents of Mytilene contain high organic matter and suspended particle load because of septage discharge into the sewerage network. Furthermore, although the city does not host important industrial activity, its effluents contain appreciable metal load, which is mainly associated with the particulate phase. The city effluents are discharged into the coastal marine environment and their colloidal and particulate matter after flocculation settles to the bottom, where is incorporated into the sediments. Over the years, the accumulation of organic matter and metals into the harbour mud has created a non-point pollution source in the relatively non-polluted coastal marine environment of the island. Copper and Zn were the metals which presented the higher enrichment in the sediments of the inner harbour of Mytilene.

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Design of a risk assessment methodology for the introduction of invasive species from ship ballast waters

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-02-2015-0023 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 474-490 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Abderrahmane Bouda ◽

Nour El Islam Bachari ◽

Lylia Bahmed ◽

Ryad Boubenia

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Ballast Water ◽

Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽

Content Type ◽

International Convention ◽

Environmental Similarity ◽

Process Factors ◽

Shipping Traffic ◽

The Impact

Purpose – Ballast water of merchant ship is a source of introduction of invasive species around the globe. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative risk assessment applied to a model port, the Port of Arzew in Algeria, and based on an analysis of this port’s shipping traffic. Design/methodology/approach – The risk assessment for introduction of invasive species is interpreted in the form of a probabilistic process, with a combination of two probabilities. The first probability is related to the ability of a species to arrive to the destination (recipient port), depending on the quantity of water ballast discharged and the duration of voyage. The second one is based on the species ability to survive in their new environment, which depends on the environmental similarity between donor port and Arzew port. Findings – This assessment’s outcome consists on a classification of scenarios regarding their acceptability. Consequently, it helped to classify donor ports according to a risk scale, from low risk to high-risk donor ports. Research limitations/implications – The phenomenon of invasion of aquatic species is a complex process. Factors such as adaptation and tolerance of species, the attendance or absence of predators, were not taken into account in this study. Practical implications – This study could be used by the maritime administration as a decision-making tool regarding the issue of exemptions under the IMO International Convention on the Management of Ballast Water and Sediments 2004. Originality/value – This is one of the first known studies in Algeria and dealing with ballast water management. The results of this assessment provide useful information to policy makers, in order to develop a national strategy to reduce the impact of shipping pollution on the marine environment.

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Ballast water: a review of the impact on the world public health

Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1590/s1678-91992008000300002 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 393-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

CK Takahashi ◽

NGGS Lourenço ◽

TF Lopes ◽

VLM Rall ◽

CAM Lopes

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Ballast Water ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

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Installation of submarine cables and pipes in shallow waters and connecting them to the shore by the method of horizontal directional drilling

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202128604007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 286 ◽

pp. 04007

Author(s):

Valeriu-Florian Vasilescu ◽

Dumitru Dinu

Keyword(s):

Marine Environment ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Shallow Waters ◽

Directional Drilling ◽

Horizontal Directional Drilling ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Subsea Tunnel ◽

Submarine Cables ◽

Wind Energy Systems ◽

The Impact

This article presents the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) as one of the most suitable technique used to reduce the impact on the environment during the submarine pipe and cable installation process, especially in the coastal area and shallow waters. HDD is a technique used to drill a subsea tunnel or under other designated area with the goal to pull a pipe or other facility through the drilled underground tunnel. With the development of the offshore natural gas and wind industry, the demand for the construction of transfer pipeline and cables has also increased. The installation of submarine pipelines and cables can have negative effects on the marine environment. This is one of the main reasons that construction and operation of offshore wind energy systems has been and continues to be regarded with scepticism by environmental activists, despite the undeniable benefits of this renewable energy source. The main objectives of this article are to emphasize the importance of using this technique but also to highlight the benefits, in particular by significantly reducing the impact on the marine environment.

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BALLAST WATER POLLUTION RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE BLACK SEA

Mechanical Testing and Diagnosis ◽

10.35219/mtd.2020.4.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 35-40

Author(s):

Vasile RAŢᾸ ◽

Liliana RUSU

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Black Sea ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Ballast Water ◽

Safety Net ◽

The Black Sea ◽

Natural Food ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Living Organisms ◽

The Stability

Since the emergence of humanity, the marine environment has provided a safety net in many ways, has fostered socio-economic development, creating links between states, between continents. In the same time, it represents a priority source of food for a considerable percentage of the population. The same marine environment also creates solutions to current global problems, as a potential source of sustainable energy for the future. In recent decades, the stability of this ecosystem has been considerably shaken by the various types of pollution resulting from human activities. The Black Sea is not immune to these results from economic activities, such as the transport of goods by water, which creates the context for the migration of living organisms from one geographical region to another. The threat of ecosystems has been intensified by the process of globalization, by changing the natural food chains following the accidental introduction of non- indigenous marine life by discharging ballast water from ship tanks. Risk assessment to limit the effects of this biohazard problem is the first step in a normal regional chain of action..

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Protection of the Marine Environment

The Korean Journal of International and Comparative Law ◽

10.1163/22134484-12340155 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 196-211

Author(s):

Margaret A. Young

Keyword(s):

Marine Environment ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Dispute Settlement ◽

Trade Agreements ◽

Marine Litter ◽

Multilateral Trade ◽

General Obligation ◽

United Nations Convention ◽

The Impact ◽

Trade Measures

Abstract The general obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment is contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Increasingly, marine issues are addressed in regional or multilateral trade agreements, including the covered agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This article examines selected legal developments, such as provisions in regional trade agreements on marine capture fisheries, marine litter and waste management infrastructure. Rules on the use of trade measures to eliminate harmful fishing practices, and the prohibition of certain subsidies, are also explored. The article calls for attention to the impact of these developments on dispute settlement between states under UNCLOS, support for marine protected areas, and the capacity for regime interaction between relevant bodies. These issues have relevance for the conservation of marine living resources as well as other issues relating to the protection of the marine environment, including marine plastics and climate change.

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Plastic Accumulation in the Sea Surface Microlayer: An Experiment-Based Perspective for Future Studies

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences9020066 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 66 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Luisa Galgani ◽

Steven Loiselle

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Bulk Water ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Surface Microlayer ◽

Surface Ocean ◽

Marine Organic Matter ◽

Sea Surface Microlayer ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

The Impact

Plastic particles are ubiquitous in the marine environment. Given their low density, they have the tendency to float on the sea surface, with possible impacts on the sea surface microlayer (SML). The SML is an enriched biofilm of marine organic matter, that plays a key role in biochemical and photochemical processes, as well as controlling gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere. Recent studies indicate that plastics can interfere with the microbial cycling of carbon. However, studies on microplastic accumulation in the SML are limited, and their effects on organic matter cycling in the surface ocean are poorly understood. To explore potential dynamics in this key ocean compartment, we ran a controlled experiment with standard microplastics in the surface and bulk water of a marine monoculture. Bacterial abundance, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and oxygen concentrations were measured. The results indicate an accumulation of CDOM in the SML and immediate underlying water when microplastic particles are present, as well as an enhanced oxygen consumption. If extrapolated to a typical marine environment, this indicates that alterations in the quality and reactivity of the organic components of the SML could be expected. This preliminary study shows the need for a more integrated effort to our understanding the impact of microplastics on SML functioning and marine biological processes.

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Air Emissions from the Incineration of Hazardous Waste

Toxicology and Industrial Health ◽

10.1177/074823379000600503 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 23-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

E. Timothy Oppelt

Keyword(s):

Hazardous Waste ◽

Management Practices ◽

State Level ◽

Waste Incineration ◽

The United States ◽

Air Emissions ◽

Operational Experience ◽

Large Measure ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

In the United States over the last ten years, concern over important disposal practices of the past has manifested itself in the passage of a series of federal and state-level hazardous waste cleanup and control statutes of unprecedented scope. The impact of these various statutes will be a significant modification of waste management practices. The more traditional and lowest cost methods of direct landfilling, storage in surface impoundments and deep-well injection will be replaced, in large measure, by waste minimization at the source of generation, waste reuse, physical/chemical/biological treatment, incinceration and chemical stabilization/solidification methods. Of all of the “terminal” treatment technologies, properly-designed incineration systems are capable of the highest overall degree of destruction and control for the broadest range of hazardous waste streams. Substantial design and operational experience exists and a wide variety of commercial systems are available. Consequently, significant growth is anticipated in the use of incineration and other thermal destruction methods. The objective of this paper is to examine the current state of knowledge regarding air emissions from hazardous waste incineration in an effort to put the associated technological and environmental issues into perspective.

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The impact of anti-sea lice pesticides, azamethiphos and deltamethrin, on European lobster (Homarus gammarus) larvae in the Norwegian marine environment

Environmental Pollution ◽

10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114725 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 264 ◽

pp. 114725 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Aoife E. Parsons ◽

Rosa H. Escobar-Lux ◽

Pål Næverlid Sævik ◽

Ole B. Samuelsen ◽

Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt

Keyword(s):

Marine Environment ◽

Sea Lice ◽

European Lobster ◽

Homarus Gammarus ◽

The Impact

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Zooplankton of a stressed area in the Damietta coast of the Mediterranean Sea

Acta Adriatica ◽

10.32582/aa.58.2.5 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 245-260 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wael S. Eltohamy ◽

Ahmad Alzeny ◽

Yasmine A. M. Azab

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Ballast Water ◽

Environmental Variables ◽

Species Invasions ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

June July ◽

Zooplankton Communities ◽

The Impact ◽

Univariate Analyses

The spatial pattern of zooplankton communities at Damietta coast, southeastern Mediterranean was studied to assess the impact of human activities on the abundance and community structure. Twenty-five stations from five different stressed sites were sampled in June-July 2014. Thirty-four zooplankton taxa were recorded, in addition to the larvae of copepods and meroplankton. Copepoda was the most abundant group among which, Oithona nana, Euterpina acutifrons, and Parvocalanus cirrostratus were the most frequent. The calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus trihamatus is a new record for the Mediterranean Sea that may have been introduced via ballast water. Multivariate/Univariate analyses demonstrated that 1) the environmental variables and zooplankton communities represented significant differences among five sites; 2) the spatial variations of community structure were undoubtedly due to land-based effluents; and 3) among all environmental variables, salinity and phytoplankton biomass had the major determining effects on the spatial patterns of zooplankton categories. The results indicates that not only the discharged water makes the Damietta coast at risk, but also the ballast water is not less dangerous. Hence, we emphasize the need for activation of the ballast water management to reduce the risk of future species invasions.

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