Tag: marine environment

Untreated ballast water discharge from ships can spread living organisms and even pathogens across the world thereby introducing non-native or invasive species into the local environment. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München therefore recommend using physical treatment processes such as filtration rather than electrochemical disinfection, which creates countless potentially toxic compounds. These are the findings of a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.In order to prevent the transfer of harmful organisms, ships' ballast water is often subjected to electrochemical disinfection. "However, our analyses show that electrochemical disinfection creates numerous so-called disinfection by-products (DBPs)," explains Prof. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, who led the study. He and his team at the Analytical BioGeoChemistry (BGC) research unit at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, working in close collaboration with colleagues in the US, compared samples of treated and untreated ballast water.Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, they discovered that treatment led to the formation of 450 new, diverse compounds, some of which had not previously been described as disinfection products or been structurally categorized.Using alternative methods"Until the toxicological features of these compounds are fully clarified, we recommend a cautious approach to disinfecting ballast water," Schmitt-Kopplin notes. According to the scientists, the study -- the first in-depth ...

  The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and volunteers from various environmental interest groups have completed the relocation of 2,300 hard coral colonies from Sultan Shoal, south west of Singapore, to three southern sites at St John's and Sisters' Islands to protect them from the impact of the Tuas Terminal development. It is estimated that there are about 2,800 hard coral colonies at Sultan Shoal. In addition, about 92 percent, or 1,150 coral fragments, that have been reared in coral nurseries at Lazarus and Kusu Islands have survived and grown in size up to twice their original diameter. Of the 1,150 coral fragments, 420 have been transplanted and reattached to the substrate at the same location. These encouraging findings were shared at an event today to appreciate the efforts of volunteers in local coral conservation. The event was graced by Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport. At the event, Mrs Teo also gave out prizes to winners of MPA's Conserving Our Corals T-shirt Design Competition held earlier in May 2015. The competition which attracted more than 130 entries was organised to raise awareness of MPA's coral conservation activities. The coral ...

  Authorities are investigating 14 possible sources of an oil spill near the Great Barrier Reef, The Brisbane Times reports Fourteen ships have been identified as possible sources of a film of oil stretching, in broken sections, 30 kilometres long and five kilometres wide south of Townsville, Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Services Queensland said on Saturday July 18, 2015. An oil slick was confirmed 18 nautical miles (33 kilometres) NNE of Cape Upstart on Friday evening, but was broken up into metre-sized blotches of oily film by the weather. "We know the ships that went past the area," Mr Quirk said. "There are 14 ships that we consider are possible sources of oil and we plan to take oil samples from all of those ships," he said.Advertisement "We already have samples from five ships in Australian ports and when the others port in Australia or overseas we will get samples."   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cvjLUTjdgs Townsville water Police took samples from the oily film confirmed last week, after an 800-metre diameter slick it was reported by a fisherman to Townsville's Coast Guard on Friday (July 17) morning.  In the beginning, I was forthright with you propecia before and after has changed ...

  The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has successfully prosecuted the master and owners of the Hong Kong registered bulk carrier ANL Kardinia for illegally dumping garbage in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. One Armania Shipping Ltd and the master of ANL Kardinia were found guilty on July 20 in the Townsville Magistrates Court on one charge each of illegally disposing of garbage under the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983. The illegal discharge took place on 13 February 2015 and was detected by an AMSA Inspector during a routine Port State Control inspection in Brisbane on 16 February 2015. The AMSA Inspector examined ANL Kardinia’s Garbage Record Book and discovered an entry for a discharge of food waste within the prohibited discharge area of the Great Barrier Reef. One Armania Shipping Ltd was fined $4,000 and the master was fined $300 for the illegal discharge. AMSA Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley said masters and owners of vessels should be warned that the illegal discharge of ships’ waste would not be tolerated in Australian waters. “Australia has a robust Port State Control regime, designed to ensure ship owners and their masters are following the rules ...

  A team of scientists from the University of St Andrews has developed a new computer modelling tool for assessing the impact of noise from human disturbance, such as offshore wind development, on marine mammal populations. The team, led by Professor John Harwood of the School of Biology, has created the interim Population Consequences of Disturbance (PCOD) framework for assessing the consequences of human-induced noise-disturbance on animal populations. The study is published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution. Changes in natural patterns of animal behaviour and health resulting from them being disturbed may alter the conservation status of a population if the activity affects the ability of individuals to survive, breed or grow. However, information to forecast population-level consequences of such changes is often lacking. The project team developed an interim framework to assess impacts when evidence is sparse. Crucially, the model shows how daily effects of being disturbed, which are often straightforward to estimate, can be scaled by the duration of disturbance and to multiple sources of disturbance. One important application for the PCOD framework is in the marine industry. Many industries use practices that involve the generation of underwater noise. These include shipping, oil and ...

  A project to identify potential sea areas in South East Asia which could be put forward for designation as Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) is gaining traction with the holding of a second regional meeting in Hanoi, Viet Nam (24-25 June).  A PSSA can gain extra protection through the adoption of associated protective measures, such as ship routeing systems. IMO’s Ed Kleverlaan is facilitating the meeting, which is being held under the auspices of a co-operation agreement between IMO and the Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency, NORAD. The meeting is being attended by around 20 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam. Source: IMOIn the start, I was open with you propecia before and after has changed my existence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

  A group of international scientists have released their findings about a proposed trans-isthmus shipping canal in Nicaragua, raising concerns about environmental impact and lack of information.  The mega project would be built by the Nicaraguan government with the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Company (HKND) and would exceed the Panama Canal in both size and capacity. The environmental assessment report was conducted by Environmental Resources Management (ERM), a consultant firm hired by HKND. The scientists convened at FIU in the spring of 2015 to review excerpts of the environmental impact assessment commissioned as part of the planning process for the canal. In their report, the scientists determined the ERM assessment does not adequately measure the potential impacts of the project, noting insufficient data collection on water quality, geology, sediments, species, erosion, and fisheries. The scientists also note the time period in which the study was conducted — two years — is a shorter timeframe than what is needed to adequately evaluate long-term impacts of such a large-scale infrastructure project. "For a project of this magnitude with so much at stake, it seems that very careful and thorough consideration is a must," said Todd Crowl, workshop participant and director of FIU's Southeast Environmental ...

  New research by NOAA, University of Alaska, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the journal Oceanography  shows that Chukchi and Beaufort Seas could become less hospitable to shelled animals by 2030 “Our research shows that within 15 years, the chemistry of these waters may no longer be saturated with enough calcium carbonate for a number of animals from tiny sea snails to Alaska King crabs to construct and maintain their shells at certain times of the year,” said Jeremy Mathis, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and lead author. “This change due to ocean acidification would not only affect shell-building animals but could ripple through the marine ecosystem.” A team of scientists led by Mathis and Jessica Cross from the University of Alaska Fairbanks collected observations on water temperature, salinity and dissolved carbon during two month-long expeditions to the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas onboard United States Coast Guard cutter Healy in 2011 and 2012. These data were used to validate a predictive model for the region that calculates the change over time in the amount of calcium and carbonate ions dissolved in seawater, an important indicator of ocean acidification. The model suggests these levels will drop below the current range in 2025 ...