Ocean Disposal of Wastewater


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive study on the subject of ocean disposal of treated and untreated sewage waste. The early chapters cover the philosophy of outfall design, properties of sewage from developed towns and an overview of water quality regulations in New Zealand, Great Britain and the U.S. Alternative ways of satisfying these regulations are discussed. The book also provides information required to design outfall pipelines and diffusers.




Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste


Book Description

An estimated 8 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste enters the world's ocean each year - the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic waste into the ocean every minute. Plastic waste is now found in almost every marine habitat, from the ocean surface to deep sea sediments to the ocean's vast mid-water region, as well as the Great Lakes. This report responds to a request in the bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for a scientific synthesis of the role of the United States both in contributing to and responding to global ocean plastic waste. The United States is a major producer of plastics and in 2016, generated more plastic waste by weight and per capita than any other nation. Although the U.S. solid waste management system is advanced, it is not sufficient to deter leakage into the environment. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste calls for a national strategy by the end of 2022 to reduce the nation's contribution to global ocean plastic waste at every step - from production to its entry into the environment - including by substantially reducing U.S. solid waste generation. This report also recommends a nationally-coordinated and expanded monitoring system to track plastic pollution in order to understand the scales and sources of U.S. plastic waste, set reduction and management priorities, and measure progress.




Encyclopedia of Environmental Science


Book Description

A strongly interdisciplinary and wide-ranging survey of the environment of life on Earth: the most authoritative and comprehensive source on environmental science to be collected together in a single volume. Unique in presenting both a basic overview and detailed information on environmental topics. Entries are arranged in an encyclopedic A-Z format and contain extensive cross-references to related entries, as well as references to primary and secondary literature. Over 370 separate entries prepared by 228 leading experts from 25 countries. Incorporates 25 substantial in-depth treatments of key areas and also includes biographies of leading scientists and environmentalists. Contains a comprehensive subject index and a citation index of all referenced authors. The Encyclopedia of Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary reference work, which crosses many fields of interest and includes a wide variety of scholarly and authoritative articles on mankind's environment. It provides information on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere and is careful to focus on the connections between these realms and the Earth as a whole. Taken as a whole, the Encyclopedia surveys basic environmental science and applied areas of study, and is drawn from the physical sciences, life sciences and social sciences. The 228 authors from 25 different countries, many of whom are the leading authorities in their field, include biologists, ecologists, geographers, geologists, political scientists, soil scientists, hydrologists, climatologists, and representatives of many other disciplines and academic specialties. The work, which is amply referenced and cross-referenced, consists of substantial essays on major topics, medium-sized entries and short definitional entries. The shorter entries include useful biographies of leading scientists and environmentalists. The Encyclopedia will be invaluable to all readers interested in the environment of life on Earth, its past, present and future, and its physical and social dimensions. The text provides a source of well-classified basic information as well as covering the leading theories and important debates in the environmental sciences. In addition, the book also includes assessments of the future prospects for the Earth's environment in the face of pollution, population increases and the accelerating transformation of land, air, water and vegetational systems. The Encyclopedia is unique in presenting both a basic overview and detailed information on environmental topics and is suitable for the general scientific reader and the specialized environmental scientist in academic institutions, research laboratories or private practice.




Guidelines for the Implementation of MARPOL


Book Description

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO, at its sixty-second session in July 2011, adopted the Revised MARPOL Annex V, concerning Regulations for the prevention of pollution by garbage from ships, which enters into force on 1 January 2013. The associated guidelines which assist States and industry in the implementation of MARPOL Annex V have been reviewed and updated and two Guidelines were adopted in March 2012 at MEPC's sixty-third session. The 2012 edition of this publication contains: the 2012 Guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V (resolution MEPC.219(63)); the 2012 Guidelines for the development of garbage management plans (resolution MEPC.220(63)); and the Revised MARPOL Annex V (resolution MEPC.201(62)).




Management of Marine Plastic Debris


Book Description

Management of Marine Plastic Debris gives a thorough and detailed presentation of the global problem of marine plastics debris, covering every aspect of its management from tracking, collecting, treating and commercial exploitation for handing this anthropogenic waste. The book is a unique, essential source of information on current and future technologies aimed at reducing the impact of plastics waste in the oceans. This is a practical book designed to enable engineers to tackle this problem—both in stopping plastics from getting into the ocean in the first place, as well as providing viable options for the reuse and recycling of plastics debris once it has been recovered. The book is essential reading not only for materials scientists and engineers, but also other scientists involved in this area seeking to know more about the impact of marine plastics debris on the environment, the mechanisms by which plastics degrade in water and potential solutions. While much research has been undertaken into the different approaches to the increasing problem of plastics marine debris, this is the first book to present, evaluate and compare all of the available techniques and practices, and then make suggestions for future developments. The book also includes a detailed discussion of the regulatory environment, including international conventions and standards and national policies. - Reviews all available processes and techniques for recovering, cleaning and recycling marine plastic debris - Presents and evaluates viable options for engineers to tackle this growing problem, including the use of alternative polymers - Investigates a wide range of possible applications of marine plastics debris and opportunities for businesses to make a positive environmental impact - Includes a detailed discussion of the regulatory environment, including international conventions and standards and national policies




Ocean Dumping Ban Act


Book Description




Clean Ships, Clean Ports, Clean Oceans


Book Description

Marine debris is a serious environmental problem. To do its part, the United States has agreed to abide by the international treaty for garbage control at sea, known as MARPOL 73/78 Annex V. Clean Ships, Clean Ports, Clean Oceans explores the challenge of translating Annex V into workable laws and regulations for all kinds of ships and boats, from cruise ships to fishing crafts and recreational boats. The volume examines how existing resources can be leveraged into a comprehensive strategy for compliance, including integrated waste management systems and effective enforcement. Clean Ships, Clean Ports, Clean Oceans describes both progress toward and obstacles to Annex V compliance. The book covers: How shipborne garbage orignates and what happens to garbage discharged into the seas. Effects of discharge on human health, wildlife safety, and aesthetics. Differences in perspective among military, industrial, and recreational seafarers and shoreside facilities. Clean Ships, Clean Ports, Clean Oceans will be important to marine policymakers, port administrators, ship operations officers, maritime engineers, and marine ecologists.




Saving the Oceans Through Law


Book Description

The oceans cover more than seventy per cent of the surface of the planet and they provide many vital ecosystem services. However, the health of the world's oceans has been deteriorating over the past decades and the protection of the marine environment has emerged as one of the most pressing legal and political challenges for the international community. An effective solution depends upon the cooperation of all states towards achieving agreed objectives. This book provides a critical assessment of the role that international law plays in this process, by explaining and evaluating the various legal instruments that have been negotiated in this area, as well as key trends in global ocean governance. Starting with a detailed analysis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the book considers the main treaties and other legal texts that seeks to prevent, reduce, and control damage to the marine environment caused by navigation, seabed exploitation, fishing, dumping, and land-based activities, as well as emerging pressures such as ocean noise and climate change. The book demonstrates how international institutions have expanded their mandates to address a broader range of marine environmental issues, beyond basic problems of pollution control to include the conservation of marine biological diversity and an ecosystems approach to regulation. It also discusses the development of diverse regulatory tools to address anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment and the extent to which states have adopted a precautionary approach in different maritime sectors. Whilst many advances have been made in these matters, this book highlights the need for greater coordination between international institutions, as well as the desirability of developing stronger enforcement mechanisms for international environmental rules.




Marine Debris


Book Description

Marine debris is a global pollution problem affecting marine life, maritime commerce and environmental quality. Scientists, policymakers and the public must be knowledgeable about the source, impact and control efforts if effective solutions are to be developed. Marine Debris addresses the origin of persistent solid waste in the ocean, from urban and rural discharges to waste from ships and the recreational use of oceans. The book identifies key issues from biological, technological, economic and legal perspectives, and gives a framework for controlling each of the main sources of marine debris.




Ocean Dumping of Industrial Wastes


Book Description

In recent years there has been an increased realization that the casual disposal of wastes can lead to a deterioration in environmen tal quality with substantial impacts on society. The management of waste disposal practices must consider the various alternatives of discharging and decomposing wastes on land, in the atmosphere, and in the marine environment. Up until 1972 ocean dumping was used increasingly to dispose of sewage sludge, industrial wastes, and dredged material. In subsequent years regulations were developed to reduce and minimize ocean dumping. These regulations were prompted often by ignorance of the possible effects of waste disposal in the ocean rather than by knowledge that such ocean dumping was detrimen tal to the marine environment or to man. The relationship between waste disposal and the oceans can be viewed in either of two ways. One may want to assure that waste disposal procedures do not alter adversely the marine environment, or one may choose to utilize the ocean as a waste depository to reduce the burden placed on the con tinental ecosystem and on the atmosphere. From either perspective it is essential that there be an adequate base of technical information to assess the fate and effects of wastes introduced to the ocean. A series of original technical papers has been compiled in this book to present some of the recent results of research on industrial waste disposal in the ocean.




Recent Books