A 3D fully nonlinear potential flow (FNPF) model based on an Eulerian formulation is presented. The model is discretized using high-order prismatic – possibly curvi-linear – elements using a spectral element method (SEM) that has support for adaptive unstructured meshes. The paper presents details of the FNPF-SEM development and the model is illustrated to exhibit exponential convergence. The model is then applied to the case of focused waves impacting on a surface-piecing fixed FPSO-like structure. Good agreement was found between numerical and experimental wave elevations and pressures.
Monitoring methods, such as seabed bottom-towed cameras, sediment grabs, and benthic sledges, have limitations in spatial coverage, cause seabed disturbance, are restricted to soft-bottom substrates, and offer low flexibility for marine seabed monitoring. In this study, we investigate the potential of a non-invasive and simple underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to enhance marine seabed monitoring. A tethered ROV equipped with a GoPro camera was deployed in three areas of Skagerrak at depths from 15-34 m to assess accuracy in species identification and substrate classification identified from still frames. The quality of still frames varied between areas due to turbidity, motion blur, and marine snow, which reduced the number of high-quality frames by approximately 20%. Classification of substrates and taxa identification were possible in the remaining still frames. Two different substrates were detected: sand and stone reef. Stone reefs had a lower occurrence compared to sand. A total of 10 taxa were detected in the two substrate types. The highest abundance was observed in the stone reef substrate compared to the sand substrate. Identification at the species level was limited due to the quality of the still frames, which affected the detectability of morphological traits. This study demonstrates that a widely accessible ROV can be used for marine monitoring. The ROV can be used in different substrates, and still frames provide valuable information on species composition, which can enhance the replicability of monitoring programs.
The idea for this project originated within the Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group, where a concern was raised about the disposal of tailings from onshore mining operations onto the seafloor. This led to a broader reflection on the impacts of mining operations on the marine environment. Many Arctic governments support the development of a mineral extraction industry, provided it operates in an environmentally responsible manner and considers socio-economic impacts to local communities. However, the environmental impact of existing and future mining operations is often debated. This report summarizes the results of the multi-year Existing Waste Management Practices and Pollution Control for Marine and Coastal Mining project, developed under the auspices of the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group.
This paper analyses challenges and enablers for integrating a transboundary land-sea interaction (LSI) perspective into marine spatial planning (MSP) practice as experienced in the Baltic Sea Region. Collaborative research results from the Pan Baltic Scope project indicate that LSI remains an amorphous concept, particularly within a transboundary MSP context. Difficulty lies in bridging planning practices across land and sea and between varying uses, administrative settings and governance functions. Addressing LSI requires capacity, time, resources, awareness, reflection, and forums for collaborative learning across sectors and governance levels.
This chapter introduces the reader to port State jurisdiction in public international law, linking customary law traditions to its utilization in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Its provisions are contextualized within their relationship to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, both historically as a matter of treaty negotiations, and contemporarily as a matter of defining generally accepted international rules and standards for port States regulating vessel-source pollution. Port States play a key role in promoting and evolving the uniform and universal application of MARPOL standards as, by-and-large, minimum global standards. Complementary principles—such as no more favorable treatment—and mechanisms—such as regional port State control memorandums—are highlighted, as well as several relevant implementation strategies, for example, concentrated inspection campaigns.
With the blue economic sectors growing, marine macroalgae cultivation plays an important role in securing food and energy supplies, as well as better water quality in sustainable ways, whether alone or as part of a cluster solution to mitigate the effects of fish farming. While macroalgae cultivation exists in Europe, it is not that widely distributed yet; with increasing marine activities at sea, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) needs to ensure social recognition as well as social and spatial representation for such a new marine activity. This comparative case study analysis of MSPs of three eastern Baltic Sea countries explores the levels of support for the development of macroalgae cultivation in MSP and the degree of co-location options for this new and increasingly important sector. It presents new analytical ways of incorporating co-location considerations into the concept of social sustainability. The results of this study support the harmonisation of views on co-location, propose ways of using space to benefit multiple users as well as marine ecosystems, and highlight some of the key social challenges and enablers for this sector.
Although the concept of ecosystem services has been in use for many decades, its application for policy support is limited, particularly with respect to marine ecosystems. Gaps in the assessments of ecosystem services supply prevent its empirical application. We advance these assessments by providing an assessment tool, which links marine ecosystem components, functions and services, and graphically represents the assessment process and its results. The tool consists of two parts: (i) a matrix following the ecosystem services cascade structure for quantifying the contribution of ecosystem components in the provision of ecosystem services; (ii) and a linkage diagram for visualizing the interactions between the elements. With the aid of the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), the tool was used to assess the relative contribution of a wide range of marine ecosystem components in the supply of ecosystem services in the Latvian marine waters. Results indicate that the tool can be used to assess the impacts of environmental degradation in terms of ecosystem service supply. These impacts could further be valued in socioeconomic terms, as changes in the socioeconomic values derived from the use of ecosystem services. The tool provides an opportunity for conducting a holistic assessment of the ecosystem service supply and communicating the results to marine spatial planning practitioners, and increasing their understanding and use of the ecosystem service concept.
The aim of this paper is to provide the foundations for the development of a spatial decision-support toolset that combines cumulative impacts and ecosystem service supply assessments to support what-if scenario analysis in a maritime spatial planning context. Specifically, a conceptual framework for a toolset has been designed in order to introduce a new approach for place-based assessments of change in relative ecosystem service supply in multiple services at a time due to changes in cumulative impacts. Central to the toolset are two pre-existing approaches for relative ecosystem service supply and cumulative impact assessments and tools that facilitate them. The tools take advantage of available data from various sources, including geodata and expert knowledge, and have already been proven to support maritime spatial planning in a real-world context. To test the new approach and demonstrate the outputs, an ecosystem service supply assessment was done manually using the two currently separate tools. The results of the test case ecosystem service supply assessment for the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea are also presented in this paper and illustrate the assessment steps and data needs. Although presently the focus of the illustrative assessment is the Gulf of Riga, the toolset will be able to accommodate analysis of cumulative impacts and service supply of any location, leaving the scope of the assessment to be determined by the objectives of the assessment as well as data availability (i.e., geospatial data availability and extent of expert knowledge).
The aim of this paper is to provide the foundations for the development of a spatial decision-support toolset that combines cumulative impacts and ecosystem service supply assessments to support what-if scenario analysis in a maritime spatial planning context. Specifically, a conceptual framework for a toolset has been designed in order to introduce a new approach for place-based assessments of change in relative ecosystem service supply in multiple services at a time due to changes in cumulative impacts. Central to the toolset are two pre-existing approaches for relative ecosystem service supply and cumulative impact assessments and tools that facilitate them. The tools take advantage of available data from various sources, including geodata and expert knowledge, and have already been proven to support maritime spatial planning in a real-world context. To test the new approach and demonstrate the outputs, an ecosystem service supply assessment was done manually using the two currently separate tools. The results of the test case ecosystem service supply assessment for the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea are also presented in this paper and illustrate the assessment steps and data needs. Although presently the focus of the illustrative assessment is the Gulf of Riga, the toolset will be able to accommodate analysis of cumulative impacts and service supply of any location, leaving the scope of the assessment to be determined by the objectives of the assessment as well as data availability (i.e., geospatial data availability and extent of expert knowledge).
Despite the relatively rich literature on the omnipresence of microplastics in marine environments, the current status and ecological impacts of microplastics on global Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are still unknown. Their ubiquitous occurrence, increasing volume, and ecotoxicological effects have made microplastic an emerging marine pollutant. Given the critical conservation roles of MPAs that aim to protect vulnerable marine species, biodiversity, and resources, it is essential to have a comprehensive overview of the occurrence, abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in MPAs including their buffer zones. Here, extensive data were collected and screened based on 1565 peer-reviewed literature from 2017 to 2020, and a GIS-based approach was applied to improve the outcomes by considering boundary limits. Microplastics in seawater samples were verified within the boundaries of 52 MPAs; after including the buffer zones, 1/3 more (68 MPAs) were identified as contaminated by microplastics. A large range of microplastic levels in MPAs was summarized based on water volume (0–809,000 items/m 3) or surface water area (21.3–1,650,000,000 items/km 2), which was likely due to discrepancy in sampling and analytical methods. Fragment was the most frequently observed shape and fiber was the most abundant shape. PE and PP were the most common and also most abundant polymer types. Overall, 2/3 of available data reported that seawater microplastic levels in MPAs were higher than 12,429 items/km 2, indicating that global MPAs alone cannot protect against microplastic pollution. The current limitations and future directions were also discussed toward the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework goals.