Ship pollution is the pollution of air and water by shipping. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of Chemicals Particulate matter, or Biological materials that cause harm or discomfort Acid rain is Rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually Acidic It has harmful effects on plants aquatic animals and infastructure The Air Quality Index ( AQI) is a standardized indicator of the Air Quality in a given location Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. The haloalkanes (also known as halogenoalkanes or alkyl halides) are a group of Chemical compounds consisting of Alkanes such as Methane Global dimming is the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct Irradiance at the Earth 's surface that was observed for several decades after the start of systematic Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky Indoor Air Quality (IAQ deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants Ozone depletion describes two distinct but related observations a slow steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of Ozone in Earth's Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter (PM or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas Smog is a kind of Air pollution; the word "smog" is a Portmanteau of Smoke and Fog. Water pollution is the contamination of Water bodies such as Lakes Rivers Oceans and Groundwater caused by human activities Eutrophication is an increase in chemical Nutrients -- typically compounds containing Nitrogen or Phosphorus -- in an Ecosystem, and may occur For other uses of the term "hypoxia" see Hypoxia. Hypoxia or oxygen depletion is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments Marine pollution is the harmful effect caused by the entry into the ocean of chemicals particles, or Plastic debris. For the fictional character see Oil Slick (Transformers. An oil spill is the release of a Liquid Petroleum Hydrocarbon into Surface runoff is a term used to describe when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess Water, from Rain, Snowmelt, or other sources flows Thermal pollution is a Temperature change in natural bodies of water caused by human influence Distinguish from Wastwater (a lake in the Lake District in northwest England Waterborne diseases are caused by Pathogenic Microorganisms which are directly transmitted when contaminated Drinking water is consumed Water quality is the physical chemical and biological characteristics of Water in relationship to a set of standards Water stagnation occurs when Water stops flowing Stagnant water can be a major Environmental hazard. Soil contamination is caused by the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses Microorganisms Fungi, green plants or their Enzymes to return the natural environment altered A herbicide is used to kill unwanted Plants Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired Crop relatively unharmed A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. Radioactive contamination is the uncontrolled distribution of radioactive material in a given environment Actinides in the environment refer to the sources environmental behaviour and effects of Actinides in the environment. Environmental Radioactivity is the study of radioactive materials in the Human environment. Fission products are the atomic fragments left after a large nucleus fissions. Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a Nuclear explosion, so named because it "falls out" of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion Plutonium in the environment is an article which is part of the Actinides in the environment series Radiation poisoning, also called " radiation sickness " or a " creeping dose " is a form of damage to organ tissue due to excessive exposure to This is a subpage of Environmental radioactivity. Radium Radium in quack medicine See the story of Eben Byers for details of one very nasty case Uranium in the environment, this page is about the Science of Uranium in the environment and in animals (including humans Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excess or obtrusive Light created mainly by Humans Among other effects Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life Radio spectrum pollution is the straying of waves in the radio and Electromagnetic spectrums outside their allocations that cause problems for some activities Visual pollution is the term given to unattractive or unnatural (human-made visual elements of a vista a Landscape, or any other thing that a person might not want to For other similarly-named agreements see Montreal Convention (disambiguation. Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes, opened for signature on The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, often abbreviated as Air Pollution or CLRTAP, is intended to protect the human environment against Air This is a list of environmental organizations. See also Environmental organization Intergovernmental organizations International organizations The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection The Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW is a worldwide system established by the World Meteorological Organization a United Nations agency to monitor trends in the Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS are standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that apply for outdoor Air Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical chemical and biological components of the environment. See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Shipping is physical process of Transporting goods and Cargo. It is a problem that has been accelerating as trade has become increasingly globalized, posing an increasing threat to the world’s oceans and waterways as globalization continues. Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. Globalization (or globalisation) in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones It is expected that, “…shipping traffic to and from the USA is projected to double by 2020. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the "[1] Because of increased traffic in ocean ports, pollution from ships also directly affects coastal areas. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size The pollution produced affects biodiversity, climate, food, and human health. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. However, the degree to which humans are polluting and how it affects the world is highly debated and has been a hot international topic for the past 30 years.
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Sources and causes
Ships can pollute the waterways and oceans in many ways. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. For instance, spills from oil tankers and chemical tankers, and ejection of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide gases into the atmosphere from exhaust fumes. History The technology of oil transportation has evolved alongside the oil industry Nitrogen dioxide is the Chemical compound with the formula N[[Oxygen O]]2 Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single Discharge of cargo residues from bulk carriers can pollute ports, waterways and oceans. Ships create noise pollution that disturbs natural wildlife, and water from ballast tanks can spread harmful algae and other invasive species. Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life Ballast is used in Sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the Sail. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions In many instances vessels due to a variety of reasons intentionally discharge illegal wastes despite foreign and domestic regulation prohibiting such actions.
This section describes how ships pollute the ocean; for the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships of 1973, sometimes abbreviated as Ship Pollution, refer to MARPOL 73/78. Marpol 73/78 is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978.
Ballast water
When a larger vessel, such as a container ship or an oil tanker unloads cargo, sea-water is pumped into compartments in the hull. Container ships are Cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers in a technique called Containerization. A hull is the body of a Ship or Boat. It is a central concept in floating vessels as it provides the Buoyancy that keeps the vessel from sinking Similarly, when a larger vessel is being loaded it discharges sea-water from these compartments. The sea water is meant to help stabilize and balance a ship. Ballast discharges from ships are responsible for tar balls in the open oceans and seas, and can cause problems navigating tanker routes. Tar is a viscous black Liquid derived from the Destructive distillation of organic matter Nevertheless, the discharge of ballast water only accounts for a small percentage of oil pollution in the marine environment. [2]
Ships are also responsible for transporting harmful organisms in their ballast water. Meinesz[3] believes that one of the worst cases of a single invasive species causing harm to an ecosystem can be attributed to a seemingly harmless jellyfish. Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They have several different basic morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species of comb jellyfish that inhabits estuaries from the United States to the Valdés peninsula in Argentina along the Atlantic coast, has caused notable damage in the Black Sea. The warty comb jelly or sea walnut ( Mnemiopsis leidyi) is a Species of tentaculate Ctenophore (comb "jellyfish" The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey It was first introduced in 1982, and thought to have been transported to the Black Sea in a ship’s ballast water. The population of the jellyfish shot up exponentially and, by 1988, it was wreaking havoc upon the local fishing industry. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. “The anchovy catch fell from 204,000 tons in 1984 to 200 tons in 1993; sprat from 24,600 tons in 1984 to 12,000 tons in 1993; horse mackerel from 4,000 tons in 1984 to zero in 1993. The anchovies are a family ( Engraulidae) of small common salt-water fish See also Sprat (surname, Sprotte Sprattus is a Genus of small Oily fish of the Family Clupeidae Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of Fish, mostly but not exclusively from the family Scombridae. ”[3] Now that the jellyfish have exhausted the zooplankton, including fish larvae, their numbers have fallen dramatically, yet they continue to maintain a stranglehold on the ecosystem. Zooplankton are the Heterotrophic (sometimes detritivorous) type of Plankton. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( Recently the jellyfish have been discovered in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. Invasive species can take over once occupied areas, facilitate the spread of new diseases, introduce new genetic material, alter landscapes and jeopardize the ability of native species to obtain food. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is “On land and in the sea, invasive species are responsible for about 137 billion dollars in lost revenue and management costs in the U. S. each year”. [2]
In addition to introducing non native species into new environments, ballast and bilge discharge from ships can spread human pathogens and other harmful diseases and toxins potentially causing health issues for humans and marine life alike. The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet A pathogen (from Greek πάθος pathos "suffering passion" and γἰγνομαι (γεν- gignomai (gen- "I give birth to" infectious A toxin ( Greek:, toxikon, lit (poison for use on arrows is a Poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms that is active at very low [4] Discharges into coastal waters along with other sources of marine pollution have the potential to be toxic to marine plants, animals, and microorganisms causing alterations such as changes in growth, disruption of hormone cycles, birth defects, suppression of the immune system, and disorders resulting in cancer, tumors, and genetic abnormalities or even death. A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually Hormones (from Greek ὁρμή - "impetus" are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an Organism that protects against Disease by identifying and killing Pathogens and Tumor Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled See also Cancer A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells (termed neoplastic [2] They may also have the opposite affect upon some marine life stimulating growth and providing a source of food. Sources of seafood can become contaminated and unhealthy for consumption. Seafood is any Sea Animal or Seaweed that is served as Food, or is suitable for eating particularly saltwater animals such Not surprisingly, cholera outbreaks have been attributed to ship operations. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium “Current research indicates that the bacterium responsible for causing cholera, Vibrio cholerae can spread through attachment to marine organisms in ship ballast water. ”[4] Shellfish and drinking water can then be contaminated when the ship discharges its ballast water. Shellfish is a Culinary and Fisheries term for those aquatic Invertebrate animals that are used as Food: various species of molluscs
Exhaust emissions
Exhaust emissions from ships are considered to be a significant source of air pollution. Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of Chemicals Particulate matter, or Biological materials that cause harm or discomfort “Seagoing vessels are responsible for an estimated 14 percent of emissions of nitrogen from fossil fuels and 16 percent of the emissions of sulfur from petroleum uses into the atmosphere. Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Sulfur or sulphur (ˈsʌlfɚ see spelling below) is the Chemical element that has the Atomic number 16 Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit An atmosphere (from Greek ατμός - atmos, " Vapor " + σφαίρα - sphaira, " Sphere " ”[2] In Europe ships make up a large percentage of the sulfur introduced to the air, “…as much sulfur as all the cars, lorries and factories in Europe put together. This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. ”[5] “By 2010, up to 40% of air pollution over land could come from ships. ”[5] Sulfur in the air creates acid rain which damages crops and buildings. Acid rain is Rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually Acidic It has harmful effects on plants aquatic animals and infastructure When inhaled the sulfur is known to cause respiratory problems and even increase the risk of a heart attack. In living organisms a respiratory system functions to allow Gas exchange. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply [5] According to Irene Blooming, a spokeswoman for the European environmental coalition Seas at Risk, the fuel used in oil tankers and container ships is high in sulfur and cheaper to buy compared to the fuel used for domestic land use. “A ship lets out around 50 times more sulfur than a lorry per metric tonne of cargo carried. ”[5] Cities in the U. S. like Long Beach, Los Angeles, Houston, Galveston, and Pittsburgh see some of the heaviest shipping traffic in the nation and have left local officials desperately trying to clean up the air. Long Beach is a city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West "Galveston" redirects here For the town in the US state of Indiana see Galveston Indiana. [1] Increasing trade between the U. S. and China is helping to increase the number of vessels navigating the Pacific and exacerbating many of the environmental problems. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions To maintain the level of growth China is currently experiencing, large amounts of grain are being shipped to China by the boat load. The number of voyages are expected to continue increasing. [6]
Oil spills
Most commonly associated with ship pollution are oil spills. For the fictional character see Oil Slick (Transformers. An oil spill is the release of a Liquid Petroleum Hydrocarbon into While less frequent than the pollution that occurs from daily operations, oil spills have devastating effects. While being toxic to marine life, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the components in crude oil, are very difficult to clean up, and last for years in the sediment and marine environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAH s are Chemical compounds that consist of fused Aromatic rings and do not contain Heteroatoms or Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of [2] Marine species constantly exposed to PAHs can exhibit developmental problems, susceptibility to disease, and abnormal reproductive cycles. One of the more widely known spills was the Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The ship ran aground and dumped a massive amount of oil into the ocean in March of 1989. Despite efforts of scientists, managers, and volunteers over 400,000 seabirds, about 1,000 sea otters, and immense numbers of fish were killed. Seabirds are Birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. [2]
Cruise ships
Along with global trade the tourism industry has also seen growth in recent years. Cruise ships generate Sewage, Greywater, Hazardous wastes oily Bilge water ballast water solid waste and air pollutants Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel The cruise ship industry has seen 8 percent annual growth and continues to increase demand. A cruise ship or cruise liner is a Passenger ship used for pleasure voyages where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience [2] With some cruise ships holding upwards of 5000 people, passengers and crew combined, these ships are likened to floating cities. [1] “In one week, a typical cruise ship generates 210,000 gallons of black water (sewage), 1,000,000 gallons of gray water (shower, sink, dishwashing water), 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water, more than eight tons of solid waste, millions of gallons of ballast water containing potential invasive species, and toxic wastes from dry cleaning and photo processing laboratories. Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other Greywater, also known as sullage, is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing Photographic processing is the Industrial process by which conventional Photographic film is treated after Photographic exposure in order to produce the ”[2] This is also compounded with fuel emissions to have detrimental effects on the environment. From 1993 to 1998, cruise ships were involved in 104 confirmed cases of illegal discharge of oil, garbage, and hazardous wastes. [7] One of the worst reported cases was by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Over several years, while in U. Royal Caribbean International () is a Norwegian / American Cruise line company based in Miami Florida. S. waters, they had been routinely and deliberately dumping waste oil, photo processing, dry cleaning, and print shop chemicals into coastal waters. Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for Clothing and Textiles using an organic Solvent rather than Water. Their ships were even fitted with concealed piping that would bypass pollution treatment equipment.
Regulation
Some of the major international efforts in the form of treaties are the Marine Pollution Treaty, Honolulu, which deals with regulating marine pollution from ships, and the UN Convention on Law of the Sea, which deals with marine species and pollution. International laws and regulations See also MARPOL 73/78, Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships MARPOL 73/78 is one of the most important treaties A Treaty is an agreement under International law entered into by actors in international law namely States and International organizations. [8] While plenty of local and international regulations have been introduced throughout maritime history, much of the current regulations are considered inadequate. Maritime history is a broad thematic element of History that often uses a global approach although national and regional histories remain predominant “In general, the treaties tend to emphasize the technical features of safety and pollution control measures without going to the root causes of sub-standard shipping, the absence of incentives for compliance and the lack of enforceability of measures. ”[9] Cruise ships for example are exempt from regulation under the Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) point source permitting system that requires compliance with U. The Clean Water Act is the primary Federal law in the United States governing Water pollution. A point source is a single identifiable localized source of something S. federal standards through technological requirements. [2] In the Caribbean, many ports lack proper waste disposal facilities, and many ships dump their waste at sea. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting [10]
References
- ^ a b c Watson, T. (2004, August 30). Ship pollution clouds USA's skies. USA Today. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-08-30-ship-pollution_x.htm
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Panetta, L. E. (Chair) (2003). America's living oceans: charting a course for sea change [Electronic Version, CD] Pew Oceans Commission.
- ^ a b Meinesz, A. (2003). Deep Sea Invasion. The Impact of Invasive Species. PBS: NOVA. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/algae/impact.html
- ^ a b National Research Council, Committee on the Ocean's Role in Human Health, Ocean Studies Board, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources. (1999). From monsoons to microbes: understanding the ocean's role in human health. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press
- ^ a b c d Harrabin, R. (2003, June 25). EU faces ship clean-up call. BBC News. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3019686.stm
- ^ Schmidt, C. , & Olicker, J. (2004, April 20). World in the Balance: China Revs Up [Transcript]. PBS: NOVA. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3109_worldbal.html
- ^ Gerdes, L. I. (Eds. ). (2004). Endangered oceans. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press.
- ^ Steger, M. B. (2003). Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press Inc. New York
- ^ Khee-Jin Tan, A. (2006). Vessel-source marine pollution: the law and politics of international regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ United Nations Environment Programme in collaboration with GEF, the University of Kalmar, and the Municipality of Kalmar, Sweden, & the Governments of Sweden, Finland and Norway. (2006). Challenges to international waters: regional assessments in a global perspective [Electronic Version]. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from http://www.giwa.net/publications/finalreport
See also
External links
- Help Stop Cruise Ship Pollution
- Report Illegal Pollution from Ships
- USCG Proceedings Magazine/Ship Pollution and Environmental Crimes
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