Category: news

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) has conducted a large-scale study on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Our waters are part of a low-emission zone for NOx (NECA) that was established to limit its harmful impact on the densely populated coastal states around the North Sea. The study shows that the majority of ships meet the emission standards. However, the measurements also illustrate that recent ships in Belgian waters have higher average NOx emissions than older ships. This is remarkable given that international regulations aim to reduce NOx emissions in the NECA just gradually, with recent ships having to meet stricter standards than older ships.

With the application of a sniffer sensor in the Belgian air surveillance aircraft, owned by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) and frequently deployed within Coast Guard duties, our country is known as a pioneer in the international fight against air pollution from ships at sea. The sensor allows on-site measurement of various air pollutants in ship emissions. Sulphur dioxide measurements have been on the programme since 2016. Since the integration of a NOx sensor in 2020, the aircraft also measures the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Need to Reduce NOx Emissions

That obtaining an effective reduction in NOx emissions, including those caused by shipping, is an important objective stems from the negative effects of NOx on public health and our living environment. Nitrogen oxides penetrate deep into the lungs and are a promoter of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, they play an important role in the formation of ozone, which is not only a very strong greenhouse gas but can also cause respiratory problems. Furthermore, NOx play a role in the formation of particulate matter. Finally, NOx contribute to eutrophication and acidification of marine and terrestrial environments.

Following the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and English Channel were designated as emission control areas, with the aim of better protecting the densely populated coastal regions and sensitive sea areas of the North Sea states from the ill effects of NOx. As shipping density is very high here, and busy shipping lanes are close to land, the reduction of NOx emissions from shipping is particularly relevant here. Provision 13 of Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) imposes stricter limits on nitrogen emissions from ships in the North Sea NOx Emission Control Area (NECA) from 1 January 2021. It sets emission limits based on the construction date of ships. Similar to cars, for which Euro standards are defined based on the year of construction, international maritime NOx emission limits are divided into different levels or ‘Tiers’. Tier 0 applies to ships built before 2000, Tier I to ships built from 2000 to 2010, Tier II to ships from 2011 to 2020 and Tier III to ships from 2021 onwards in NECA’s. For ships from more recent age categories, this involves increasingly stricter standards than for older ships. In this way, the NECA expected Tier II ships to emit 20%, and Tier III ships 80%, less nitrogen than Tier I ships.

Results of the Belgian Follow-up

With the deployment of the sniffer plane, Belgium is the only country on a global scale to already map NOx emissions from ships in this way. Two years of NOx measurements of individual ships in the Belgian part of the North Sea show that emission standards are largely met. However, contrary to expectations, it was also found that more recent seagoing ships emit more nitrogen in the operating area of the Belgian air surveillance aircraft than older ships.

In 2020 and 2021, nitrogen emissions from as many as 1407 ships were monitored during 127 flight hours. NOx values that call for further investigation were recorded for 59 of these ships. For instance, it was found that for more recent (Tier II) ships, which have to meet stricter standards, the average nitrogen value was higher than that for older ships (Tier I and Tier 0). Moreover, more Tier II ships were observed with NOx emission values that had exceeded a predetermined threshold.

Explanation and Further Investigation

In cooperation with the Directorate-General Shipping (FPS Mobility and Transport), the shipping industry and the Antwerp Maritime Academy, the RBINS will conduct further research into the possible causes. One explanation already cited in the study lies in the way the regulations have been drafted for Tier II ships, where NOx emissions at lower engine powers have less weight in the set standards (with even no limit at all at powers lower than 25%). The reasoning behind this is that a ship operates mainly on the higher engine powers, and therefore emissions at the higher powers should weigh more heavily. However, in the Belgian part of the North Sea, because of the busy traffic and for optimising their arrival time in port, ships often sail with lower engine power, while NOx emissions (in g NOx/kWh) are higher at the lower powers … So while more energy-efficient cruising does lead to lower fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions, it can, especially for Tier II vessels, also lead to higher NOx emissions. Other pollutants may also increase with lower engine power, such as black carbon and particulate matter. The international regulations that just envisage a reduction in nitrogen emissions thus do not appear to be adapted to the specific sailing conditions in the southern North Sea.

A possible solution to eliminate this unexpected impact of international regulations could be to add a not-to-exceed threshold for NOx emissions regardless of the engine power and construction date of ships. Such Not To Exceed (NTE) limit has been set in the regulations for Tier III ships so there is good hope that this latest generation of ships does lead to NOx emission reductions in our sea areas. The problem remains that even for Tier III ships, no limit was set below an engine power of 25%.

Keel Laying Date

Finally, a weakness in international regulations is that it remains possible to build new ships to old standards for too long. In the regulations, the Keel Laying Year, the year in which a ship’s keel is laid and registered, determines which Tier the ship enters. Of all ships built in 2021, barely 13% turn out to be Tier III ships. It was found that the time between construction date and keel laying date increased sharply with the implementation of the NECA in the North Sea in 2021. In this way, recent ships can still enter Tier II and consequently do not have to comply with the stricter Tier III limit that guarantees an effective reduction of NOx emissions (e.g. by applying NOx reduction systems). Therefore, Belgium (and also the Netherlands) will no longer accept ships built from 2026 onwards but with a Keel Laying Year older than 2021 as Tier II ships.

Studies such as this one show that even within a framework of stricter emission standards, shipping needs to continue its efforts to transition from the use of fossil fuels to the use of more sustainable energy sources with less impact on public health, climate and environment.

In the new report ‘Strandings and sightings of marine mammals in Belgium in 2021’, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, SeaLife Blankenberge and the University of Liège compile the results of monitoring and scientific research on marine mammals in Belgium in 2021. The doubling of the number of seals washed ashore dead, often perished in fishing nets, was the most remarkable finding.

Which dead or dying marine mammals washed up on our beaches? Which causes of death could be indicated? What are the trends of marine mammals in Belgium? How many seals has Sealife taken in? These are the questions to which one can find the answers in the latest marine mammal report, which focuses on the results from 2021.

Many dead seals

In 2021, only harbour porpoises and seals stranded in Belgium. A dull year for marine mammal researchers after a spectacular 2020, when two Sowerby’s beaked whales and a Minke whale washed ashore? Certainly not. Indeed, the number of dead seals doubled to more than 100, compared to an almost constant number in the 2018-2020 period (44 on average). Determining the cause of death proved to be a real challenge. As many of the dead seals appeared to be ‘decapitated’, much commotion and speculation arose. In the end it turned out that many of the animals concerned had died in fishing nets. The proportion of Grey seals, which have claimed their place in the southern North Sea only more recently than the Harbour seals, has fluctuated between half and about 70% during the last 10 years.

Harbour porpoises

With 74 stranded Harbour porpoises, 2021 was a rather moderate year. In 10 of the years since 2005 there were more (in four years even more than 100), in the six other years less. The cause of death could be determined for 30 porpoises: 15 fell prey to Grey seals (which is a remarkable number), 12 died of infectious diseases or starvation and ‘only’ 3 drowned in fishing nets.

Four live Harbour porpoises also stranded, all of which unfortunately died soon after stranding. Aerial surveys showed almost 3,000 Harbour porpoises in our waters during June and September.

Rehabilitation of seals

Sealife Blankenberge took in eight Grey and 10 Common seals in 2021. Bite wounds (of unknown origin), injuries caused by the nylon rope of a fishing net, and other waste at sea (rubber ring), were at the basis of the need for rehabilitation. Six Grey seals and seven Harbour seals could be released in 2021. In contrast to the past, young Grey seals are now more often left lying on the beach: they become more numerous and they do not need our help most of the time.

Additional contributions

The annual report also devotes attention to the death of Grey seal Oscar. This very old seal spent his last years on our coast and in 2021 became the mascot of the voluntary seal guard and received a lot of press attention. The solitary Bottlenose dolphin, which has been turning up regularly in our waters for many years and often seeks out the company of divers, also makes an appearance in the report.

2021 marked the 75th anniversary of the International Whaling Commission. Whether there is a reason to bring out the champagne, you can read in an opinion piece.

All marine mammals are legally protected in Belgium. Monitoring of the populations and research into explanations for the observed trends, for which the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences was appointed as the responsible institute, is part of the implementation of the Royal Decree on the protection of species in marine areas under Belgian jurisdiction, whereby, among other things, the agreements made within the Coast Guard are followed. Research into the state of health and causes of death is also an obligation in international agreements, which moreover teaches us a lot about the state of the marine environment. However, the monitoring and scientific research on marine mammals are only possible thanks to the support of the local emergency and control services and the enthusiasm and willingness to report of many observers.

For information on recent sightings of marine mammals in Belgium and instructions on what to do when stranded, please visit the website marinemammals.be. The full report for 2021 (available in Dutch and French), as well as the older annual reports, can be consulted here.

Coastal environments are under strong pressure from human activity but could also help us battle climate change. A promising method to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere is to distribute silicate minerals in coastal areas since the chemical reaction that occurs when silicate minerals weather allows the ocean to take up more CO₂. The new project DEHEAT will investigate the feasibility of using silicate weathering in coastal areas to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. This will be done by field studies of sites where silicate weathering rates are naturally high, and by modelling.

To kick off the project, the DEHEAT consortium organises a one-day symposium about carbon cycling in coastal environments on the 31^st of August 2022. Covering a broad range of topics, the symposium will be a platform for networking and discussions about questions at the forefront of science. The symposium will be held in the Grand Auditoire at the Museum of Natural Sciences (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels. Attendance is free, but registration here before the 1^st of August is required.

DEHEAT is a Belspo-funded project under the RV Belgica call, runs from 2022 to 2026 and is coordinated by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences with partners at Universiteit Antwerpen and Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Programme

9.00 – 10.00 Registration and coffee
10.00 – 10.45 Sophie Opfergelt, UCLouvain, Belgium.
Influence of permafrost thaw on weathering and organic carbon fluxes
10.45 – 11.30 Christophe Rabouille, LSCE, France.
RiOMars: a hotspot of carbon cycling at the river-sea interface
11.30 – 11.45 Break
11.45 – 12.30 Rebecca James, ULB, Belgium/SDU, Denmark
Promoters or temporary reservoirs: the carbon sequestration role of coastal vegetated ecosystems
12.30 – 14.00 Break (coffee 13.30 – 14.00)
14.00 – 14.45 Christian März, Uni Bonn, Germany.
ChAOS in the Barents Sea: Links between carbon, nutrients and metals
14.45 – 15.30 Ulrike Braeckman, UGent, Belgium.
Title tba.
15.30 – 15.45 Break
15.45 – 16.30 Goulven Laruelle, ULB, Belgium.
Quantifying the CO₂ exchange between the atmosphere and the global coastal ocean
16.30 – 18.00 Network reception

Co-location of marine activities, lithium extraction from the deep sea, overfishing of deeper-water species, and the unexpected ocean impacts of wildfires and of new biodegradable materials are among fifteen issues experts warn we ought to be addressing now.

An international team of experts has produced a list of 15 issues that are not currently receiving widespread attention but are likely to have a significant impact on marine and coastal biodiversity over the next decade (see below for full list).

The horizon scan involved 30 experts in marine and coastal systems from 11 countries in the global north and south, from a variety of backgrounds including scientists and policy-makers. The study was led by Dr James Herbert-Read and Dr Ann Thornton in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, and included Prof Dr Steven Degraer of the Marine Ecology and Management (MARECO) team of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS). The resulting paper ‘A global horizon scan of issues impacting marine and coastal biodiversity conservation’ was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution on 7 July 2022.

This horizon scanning process has previously been used to identify issues that have later come to prominence. For example, a scan in 2009 gave an early warning that microplastics could become a major problem in marine environments, which is indeed the case now.

Seemingly Unexpected Issues

While there are many well-known issues impacting ocean biodiversity, including climate change, ocean acidification and pollution, this study focuses on lesser-known emerging issues that could soon have significant impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems. These issues include the effects of new biodegradable materials on the marine environment, the impacts of wildfires on coastal ecosystems, and an ‘empty’ zone at the equator as species move away from this warming region of the ocean.

“Marine and coastal ecosystems face a wide range of emerging issues that are poorly recognised or understood, each having the potential to impact biodiversity,” said Dr James Herbert-Read. He added: “By highlighting future issues, we’re pointing to where changes must be made today – both in monitoring and policy – to protect our marine and coastal environments”.

For example, the report highlights the potential impact of new biodegradable materials on the ocean. Although such materials are promoted as a solution to the waste problem, some of these materials are more toxic to marine species than traditional plastics. Herbert-Read said: “Governments are making a push for the use of biodegradable materials, but in many cases we don’t know what impacts these materials may have on ocean life”.

At first glance, the potential impact of wildfires on coastal and marine environments may also seem unexpected, but in addition to habitat destruction, wildfires can cause water pollution from ash and other debris, sediment and nutrient slugs that move many kilometres downstream and impact aquatic life along the way, and the emergence of harmful algal blooms.

Apart from fish moving away from the equator, the authors also warn that the nutritional content of fish is declining as a consequence of climate change. Essential fatty acids tend to be produced by cold-water fish species, so as climate change raises ocean temperatures, the production of these nutritious molecules is reduced. Such changes may have impacts on both marine life and human health.

Exploitation Issues

Several of the issues identified are linked to exploitation of ocean resources. For example, deep sea ‘brine pools’ are unique marine environments home to a diversity of life and have high concentrations of salts containing lithium. The authors warn that rising demand for lithium for electric vehicle batteries may put these environments at risk. They call for rules to ensure biodiversity is assessed before deep sea brine pools are exploited.

While overfishing is an immediate problem, the horizon scan looked beyond this to what might happen next. The authors think there may soon be a move to fishing in the deeper waters of the mesopelagic zone (a depth of 200m – 1000m), where fish are not fit for human consumption but can be sold as food to fish farms. “There are areas where we believe immediate changes could prevent huge problems arising over the next decade, such as overfishing in the ocean’s mesopelagic zone,” said Dr Ann Thornton. She added: “Curbing this would not only stop overexploitation of these fish stocks but reduce the disruption of carbon cycling in the ocean because these species are an ocean pump that removes carbon from our atmosphere”.

Far Away Issues?

Although some of the problems listed may seem far away, the study is also relevant in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Steven Degraer of RBINS clarifies: “Issues like how to properly manage the co-location of human activities at sea or the possible alteration of the nutritional content of fish due to climate change are of direct relevance also to well-studied areas like the southern North Sea”.

Because our waters are positioned on a busy shipping route, near a number of large ports, and count many different users (shipping, fisheries, renewable energy, sand extraction, dredging, tourism, …), it remains a continuous challenge to reconcile all activities on a limited surface so that the cumulative effects remain acceptable and mitigable. And, of course, the effects of climate change are not exclusive to tropical regions.

Driving Policy Change and Practices

Not all of the predicted impacts are negative. The authors think the development of new technologies, such as soft robotics and better underwater tracking systems, will enable scientists to learn more about marine species and their distribution. This, in turn, will guide the development of more effective marine protected areas. But they also warn that the impacts of these technologies on biodiversity must be assessed before they are deployed at scale.

“Our early identification of these issues, and their potential impacts on marine and coastal biodiversity, will support scientists, conservationists, resource managers, policy-makers and the wider community in addressing the challenges facing marine ecosystems,” said Herbert-Read.

The main aim of the study is therefore to raise awareness and encourage investment into full assessment of the predicted issues now, and potentially drive policy change, before the issues have a major impact on biodiversity.

By providing an early warning for the listed issues, the authors work in synergy with other ongoing processes. The United Nations has designated 2021-2030 as the ‘UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.’ In addition, the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity will conclude negotiations on a global biodiversity framework in late 2022. The aim is to slow and reverse the loss of biodiversity and establish goals for positive outcomes by 2050.

This research was funded by Oceankind.

 

The full list of issues identified by the report

Ecosystem impacts

1. Wildfire impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems
2. Coastal darkening
3. Increased toxicity of metal pollution due to ocean acidification
4. Equatorial marine communities becoming depauperate (lacking variety) due to climate migration
5. Altered nutritional content of fish due to climate change

Resource exploitation

6. Untapped potential of marine collagens and their impacts on marine ecosystems
7. Impacts of expanding trade for fish swim bladders on target and non-target species
8. Impacts of fishing for mesopelagic (middle-depth) species on the biological ocean pump
9. Extraction of lithium from deep-sea brine pools

Novel technologies

10. Co-location of marine activities
11. Floating marine cities
12. Trace element contamination compounded by the global transition to green technologies
13. New underwater tracking systems to study non-surfacing marine animals
14. Soft robotics for marine research
15. Effects of new biodegradable materials in the marine environment