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"Marine environment"
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What the wild sea can be : the future of the world's ocean
No matter where we live, 'we are all ocean people', Helen Scales observes in her bracing yet hopeful exploration of the future of the ocean. Beginning with its fascinating deep history, Scales links past to present to show how prehistoric ocean ecology holds lessons for the ocean of today. In elegant, evocative prose, she takes readers into the realms of animals that epitomize current increasingly challenging conditions, from emperor penguins to sharks and orcas. Yet despite these threats, many hopeful signs remain. Increasing numbers of no-fish zones around the world are restoring once-diminishing populations. Astonishing giant kelp and sea grass forests, rivaling those on land, are being regenerated and expanded, while efforts to reengineer coral reefs for a warmer world are growing.
Book
Microplastics in the seas
Concern is rising about widespread contamination of the marine environment by microplastics. Plastic debris in the marine environment is more than just an unsightly problem. Images of beach litter and large floating debris may first come to mind, but much recent concern about plastic pollution has focused on microplastic particles too small to be easily detected by eye (see the figure). Microplastics are likely the most numerically abundant items of plastic debris in the ocean today, and quantities will inevitably increase, in part because large, single plastic items ultimately degrade into millions of microplastic pieces. Microplastics are of environmental concern because their size (millimeters or smaller) renders them accessible to a wide range of organisms at least as small as zooplankton, with potential for physical and toxicological harm.
Journal Article
Marine defaunation: Animal loss in the global ocean
The loss of animal species in terrestrial environments has been well documented and is continuing. Loss of species in marine environments has been slower than in terrestrial systems, but appears to be increasing rapidly. McCauley et al. review the recent patterns of species decline and loss in marine environments. Though they note many worrying declines, they also highlight approaches that might allow us to prevent the type of massive defaunation that has occurred on land. Science , this issue 10.1126/science.1255641 Marine defaunation, or human-caused animal loss in the oceans, emerged forcefully only hundreds of years ago, whereas terrestrial defaunation has been occurring far longer. Though humans have caused few global marine extinctions, we have profoundly affected marine wildlife, altering the functioning and provisioning of services in every ocean. Current ocean trends, coupled with terrestrial defaunation lessons, suggest that marine defaunation rates will rapidly intensify as human use of the oceans industrializes. Though protected areas are a powerful tool to harness ocean productivity, especially when designed with future climate in mind, additional management strategies will be required. Overall, habitat degradation is likely to intensify as a major driver of marine wildlife loss. Proactive intervention can avert a marine defaunation disaster of the magnitude observed on land.
Journal Article
Quantifying shedding of synthetic fibers from textiles; a source of microplastics released into the environment
Microplastics in the environment are a subject of intense research as they pose a potential threat to marine organisms. Plastic fibers from textiles have been indicated as a major source of this type of contaminant, entering the oceans via wastewater and diverse non-point sources. Their presence is also documented in terrestrial samples. In this study, the amount of microfibers shedding from synthetic textiles was measured for three materials (acrylic, nylon, polyester), knit using different gauges and techniques. All textiles were found to shed, but polyester fleece fabrics shed the greatest amounts, averaging 7360 fibers/m
−2
/L
−1
in one wash, compared with polyester fabrics which shed 87 fibers/m
−2
/L
−1
. We found that loose textile constructions shed more, as did worn fabrics, and high twist yarns are to be preferred for shed reduction. Since fiber from clothing is a potentially important source of microplastics, we suggest that smarter textile construction, prewashing and vacuum exhaustion at production sites, and use of more efficient filters in household washing machines could help mitigate this problem.
Journal Article
The IMO initial strategy for reducing Greenhouse Gas(GHG) emissions, and its follow-up actions towards 2050
At the 62nd Meeting (2011) of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (henceforth MEPC), the IMO had adopted the proposed amendment adding to the MARPOL Annex Chapter Ⅵ making it mandatory the EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) for new ships as well as the SEEMP (Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan) for all ships. This was eventually for reducing GHG emissions from international shipping vessels, and has been effective since the 1st of January 2013 for ships weighing 400GT.
Notably, at the 70th MEPC, the plan to develop a roadmap for the comprehensive IMO strategy on reducing GHGs from ships was approved, and as such, the plans including its short-term, mid-term and long-term measures have been arranged in order to adopt the pertinent strategy by 2023.
Following the approved roadmap, at the 72
nd
MEPC (April, 2018), the first stage of reducing GHG emissions from ships was selected/passed as the Initial IMO strategy for the reduction of GHGs from ships (henceforth Initial IMO GHG Strategy), and at the 73
rd
MEPC (October, 2018), subsequent programs following the Initial IMO GHG Strategy were arranged.
In this paper, the following issues will be introduced and discussed 1) the initial IMO strategy for the reduction of GHG from ships, 2) the contents of the 73 ~ 74 MEPC meeting regarding the follow-up actions related GHG reduction programs until 2023 to be executed (including specific matters concerning the execution of potential short-term, mid-term and long-term measures) 3) the GHG reduction strategies, GHG response policies of IMO member states and 4) finally, trends in technological developments for GHG reduction from ships.
Journal Article
The world's wildest waters
Embark on the journey of a lifetime to 20 of the world's wildest waters! Explore each environment and learn about the people who are working to preserve them for future generations. Meet the creatures who call these watery worlds home and discover how you can take active steps to make a difference. Featuring colourful original illustrations and stunning photography, 'The World's Wildest Waters' brings the excitement of the high seas and the mystery of the ocean's dark, hidden depths to your lap.
Book
Occurrence and Distribution of Antibiotics in the Water, Sediment, and Biota of Freshwater and Marine Environments: A Review
Antibiotics, as pollutants of emerging concern, can enter marine environments, rivers, and lakes and endanger ecology and human health. The purpose of this study was to review the studies conducted on the presence of antibiotics in water, sediments, and organisms in aquatic environments (i.e., seas, rivers, and lakes). Most of the reviewed studies were conducted in 2018 (15%) and 2014 (11%). Antibiotics were reported in aqueous media at a concentration of <1 ng/L–100 μg/L. The results showed that the highest number of works were conducted in the Asian continent (seas: 74%, rivers: 78%, lakes: 87%, living organisms: 100%). The highest concentration of antibiotics in water and sea sediments, with a frequency of 49%, was related to fluoroquinolones. According to the results, the highest amounts of antibiotics in water and sediment were reported as 460 ng/L and 406 ng/g, respectively. In rivers, sulfonamides had the highest abundance (30%). Fluoroquinolones (with an abundance of 34%) had the highest concentration in lakes. Moreover, the highest concentration of fluoroquinolones in living organisms was reported at 68,000 ng/g, with a frequency of 39%. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones are among the most dangerous antibiotics due to their high concentrations in the environment. This review provides timely information regarding the presence of antibiotics in different aquatic environments, which can be helpful for estimating ecological risks, contamination levels, and their management.
Journal Article