A review on the environmental impacts of shipping on aquatic and nearshore ecosystems

Annika K Jägerbrand; Andreas Brutemark; Jennie Barthel Svedén; Ing-Marie Gren

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133637

A review on the environmental impacts of shipping on aquatic and nearshore ecosystems

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Dec 10:695:133637. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133637. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

Authors

Annika K Jägerbrand¹, Andreas Brutemark², Jennie Barthel Svedén², Ing-Marie Gren³

Affiliations

¹ Calluna AB, Hästholmsvägen 28, SE-131 30 Nacka, Sweden; Department of Construction Engineering and Lighting Science, School of Engineering, Jönköping University, P.O. Box 1026, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden. Electronic address: annika.jagerbrand@calluna.se.
² Calluna AB, Hästholmsvägen 28, SE-131 30 Nacka, Sweden.
³ Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7013, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.

PMID: 31422318
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133637

Abstract

There are several environmental and ecological effects of shipping. However, these are rarely assessed in total in the scientific literature. Thus, the aim of this study was to summarize the different impacts of water-based transport on aquatic and nearshore ecosystems and to identify knowledge gaps and areas for future research. The review identified several environmental and ecological consequences within the main impact categories of water discharges, physical impacts, and air emissions. However, although quantitative data on these consequences are generally scarce the shipping contribution to acidification by SO_x- and NO_x-emissions has been quantified to some extent. There are several knowledge gaps regarding the ecological consequences of, for example, the increasing amount of chemicals transported on water, the spread of non-indigenous species coupled with climate change, and physical impacts such as shipping noise and artificial light. The whole plethora of environmental consequences, as well as potential synergistic effects, should be seriously considered in transport planning.

Keywords: Antifouling paints; Cargo spills; Marine litter; Operational discharges; Shoreline erosion; Wastewater.

Publication types

Review