Marine Pollution

Many of the 'pollution' problems of previous decades seem to be 'solved', in the developed World, or at least managed to minimise their environmental impacts. Whilst pollutants such as sewage can now be treated to reduce their damaging qualities the resulting effluent still contains a potent mixture of compounds that negatively impact marine ecosystems. These include 'traditional' pollutants, such as metals, and 'new' ones such as hormone mimics and pharmaceutical residues. Similarly, although oil spills are now less common and better managed the growth in global trade means vast volumes of ballast water are moved around continuously. When discharged it is usually contaminated with pollutants and potentially invasive alien species, and so represents a new threat to biodiversity.

So, the question arises has pollution really been solved or are there simply different and potentially more complex challenges today? This book considers both the 'traditional' threats from both the 'solved' and 'ongoing' pollution problems, whilst also addressing 'emerging' pollutants such as hormone mimics, nanometre sized particles added to clothing and food packaging, millimetric plastics within hygiene products, residues from the pharmaceuticals we use day-to-day along with noise and light pollution. It also considers the science behind measuring the ecological impacts of pollutants and how they are monitored in the environment including traditional and 'new' management approaches that holistically consider the impacts of human activities. This text provides an up to date account of the range of marine pollutants within a broad ecological and social context.

Christopher L. J. Frid, Professor of Marine Biology and head of Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University,Bryony A. Caswell, Research Fellow, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University

Professor Chris Frid is internationally renowned for his knowledge of marine ecosystem dynamics and the application of ecosystem approaches to marine management. A benthic ecologist by background Chris has been involved in marine pollution science and management since the 1980s working with industry, government agencies and international bodies to apply robust science to the challenges of managing human impacts on marine ecosystems. Chris is currently the Head of the Griffith School of Environment, one of the largest centres of multi-disciplinary environmental research and teaching in the World. Previously he was professor of marine biology at the University of Liverpool (UK) and prior to that at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne where he was also the Director of the Dove Marine Laboratory.

Dr Bryony Caswell is a research fellow at Griffith University, Australia, previously a lecturer in marine biology for five years at the University of Liverpool, UK and a researcher on aquatic ecotoxicology with a focus on agrochemicals and highway runoff at the universities of Reading and London. Bryony is an interdisciplinary marine scientist who conducts research into the impacts of environmental change on contemporary and ancient marine ecosystems. She is a leading authority on the long-term impacts of hypoxia on marine benthic ecosystems. Her research into marine ecological change bridges historical and geological timescales (100s-1000s years) and is driving forward our knowledge of the long-term impacts of climate change.