A new perspective at the ship-air-sea-interface : the environmental impacts of exhaust gas scrubber discharge

Shipping emissions are likely to increase significantly in the coming decades, alongside increasing emphasis on the sustainability and environmental impacts of the maritime transport sector. Exhaust gas cleaning systems ("scrubbers"), using seawater or fresh water as cleaning media for sul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Marine Science
Main Authors: Endres, Sonja, Maes, Frank, Hopkins, Frances, Houghton, Katherine, Mårtensson, Eva M, Oeffner, Johannes, Quack, Birgit, Singh, Pradeep, Turner, David
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Law and Political Science
Earth and Environmental Sciences
scrubber
sulfur emissions
shipping
air-sea interface
surface ocean
biogeochemistry
exhaust gas cleaning system
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
EMISSIONS
SULFUR
POLLUTION
CARBON
PHYTOPLANKTON
CONTAMINANTS
COMMUNITIES
NUTRIENT
REGION
Ocean acidification
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8559894
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8559894
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00139
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8559894/file/8559895
Description
Summary:Shipping emissions are likely to increase significantly in the coming decades, alongside increasing emphasis on the sustainability and environmental impacts of the maritime transport sector. Exhaust gas cleaning systems ("scrubbers"), using seawater or fresh water as cleaning media for sulfur dioxide, are progressively used by shipping companies to comply with emissions regulations. Little is known about the chemical composition of the scrubber effluent and its ecological consequences for marine life and biogeochemical processes. If scrubbers become a central tool for atmospheric pollution reduction from shipping, modeling, and experimental studies will be necessary to determine the ecological and biogeochemical effects of scrubber wash water discharge on the marine environment. Furthermore, attention must be paid to the regulation and enforcement of environmental protection standards concerning scrubber use. Close collaboration between natural scientists and social scientists is crucial for progress toward sustainable shipping and protection of the marine environment.

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