Effects of scrubber washwater discharge on microplankton in the Baltic Sea
In 2020, the global cap of maximum allowable sulphur content in marine fuel will be reduced from the current 3.5% to 0.5%. Another way to reduce the sulphur emissions is to install a seawater scrubber that cleans exhausts but instead release acidic water containing nutrients and contaminants back to...
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Published in | Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 145; pp. 316 - 324 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Elsevier Ltd
01.08.2019
Elsevier BV |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | In 2020, the global cap of maximum allowable sulphur content in marine fuel will be reduced from the current 3.5% to 0.5%. Another way to reduce the sulphur emissions is to install a seawater scrubber that cleans exhausts but instead release acidic water containing nutrients and contaminants back to the marine environment. In the current study, scrubber washwater was tested on a Baltic Sea microplankton community. A significant increase in chlorophyll a, particulate organic phosphorus (POP), carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) were observed when the community was exposed to 10% scrubber washwater for 13 days as compared to the control. A laboratory experiment with the filamentous cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena and the chain-forming diatom Melosira cf. arctica showed negative responses in photosynthetic activity (EC10 = 8.6% for N. spumigena) and increased primary productivity (EC10 = 5.5% for M. cf. arctica), implying species-specific responses to scrubber washwater discharge.
•Open-loop scrubbers on ships produce acidic washwater containing contaminants.•A Baltic microplankton community was significantly affected when exposed to 10% washwater.•Laboratory experiments showed species-specific responses to scrubber washwater.•Discharged scrubber washwater may impact water quality in the Baltic Sea. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0025-326X 1879-3363 1879-3363 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.05.023 |