33 Solutions to Pollution (Management, Migration and Remediation)
Coastal systems worldwide are threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities, including urban development, organic and inorganic pollution, over-exploitation of resources, dredging and dumping, and invasive species (Lotze et al. 2006; Airoldi and Beck 2007). When coupled with climatic instabilities, localised cumulative human perturbations create new regimes of disturbances that greatly affect the stability, resilience and productivity of ecosystems (Cimon and Cusson 2018; Piola and Johnston 2008; Sauve et al. 2016). Nonetheless, marine management has often focused on one impact at a time (Beaumont et al. 2007) instead of taking a more holistic approach. The shortfalls of this approach are becoming evident, with only about 7% of the world’s oceans designated as protected (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2020). With current management processes so strongly focused on working in an impact-by-impact framework, there are entrenched scientific, cultural and institutional challenges to shifting those processes toward ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning, which address multiple human uses of the ocean, their cumulative impacts and interactive effects (Halpin et al. 2006).
This text is from “Multiple Stressors” In: Reichelt-Brushett, A. (eds) “Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation“ 2023, by Allyson L. O’Brien, Katherine Dafforn, Anthony Chariton, Laura Airoldi, Ralf B. Schäfer & Mariana Mayer-Pinto, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
‘Composition with Debris’ by Alfo Medeiros is used under a Pexels License
Achieving cleaner oceans
In order to achieve cleaner oceans, a holistic approach is required. Solutions are multifaceted and require consideration of the three pillars of sustainability, science, education and collaborative management. A number of approaches are required to work towards cleaner, healthy, sustainable oceans including:
Science examples
Science examples
- Identification of source, transport, bioavailability, environmental fate and impact of marine pollution
- Environmental Impact Assessments
- Long-term monitoring
- Identification of bioindicator and biomarker species as an early warning sign of pollution
- Modelling distribution, likely movement and impact of marine pollution
- Research into effective, innovative mitigation, remediation and restoration of marine pollution
- Social and economic research into impacts and reasons for pollution entering the marine environment
- Multiple stressor identification, impact and management
Equitability of resources examples
Equitability of resources examples
- Proper waste management including recycling
- Accessibility to plastic alternatives
- Clean water to reduce the need for bottled water
- Incentives to recycle
Mitigation of marine pollution examples
Mitigation of marine pollution examples
- Solutions to prevent pollution entering the marine environment
- Use of permeable reactive barriers and other technologies to prevent more contamination
- Advanced wastewater treatment from industrial and urban settings
- Improved biosecurity measures
- Incentives for things such as plastic recycling
- See below video ‘Most Ocean Plastic Flows From Rivers’
Remediation of polluted areas examples
Remediation of polluted areas examples
- Clean up areas impacted by pollution if doing so will not cause greater impact
- Utilise bioremediation where possible including bacteria and microorganisms to breakdown contaminants
- Phycoremediation where algae take up and remove contaminants from the environment
- Remove contaminated media were appropriate
Education examples
Education examples
- Sources and impacts of marine pollution
- Importance of waste management
- School education such as impact of marine plastic
- Interconnectedness of environmental systems and three pillars
- Benefits of reuse rather than single use
Building a circular economy examples
Building a circular economy examples
- Multi-trophic aquaculture systems
- Waste products of poultry and cattle industry being used in aquaculture
Improvement in waste management examples
Improvement in waste management examples
- Appropriate access to disposal sites
- Adequate recycling available
- Improved agricultural practices
- Improved wastewater treatment
Innovative technology examples
Innovative technology examples
- Plastic alternatives such as seaweed based products
- Solutions to clean the ocean (e.g. the ocean clean up) *Note, the potential consequence of this sort of activity need to be considered
- Technologies to remotely monitor contaminant levels
- Bringing the lab to the field to get results then and there
- Improvements in fishing equipment to reduce the potential of ghost fishing
- Improvements to washing machine filters
Management of Marine Pollution
Consideration must be given to the various exposure pathways, distribution processes, contaminant behaviour, and organism interactions to effectively manage marine pollution. A combination of applied sciences including chemistry, biology, ecology, hydrodynamics, toxicology, statistics, and oceanography should be used in the monitoring, management, and mitigation of marine pollution. Figure 1 provides a conceptual approach that highlights the interacting factors associated with understanding marine pollution for research and management. Undesirable outcomes of past polluting activities highlight the need for social research to also be included in the multidisciplinary approach for decision-making.
Image Text Version
Figure 1. The multidisciplinary nature of marine pollution studies.
A flow diagram describing the nature of marine pollution studies. From top to bottom, the diagram can be split into 3 sections: section 1, section 2 and section 3. Each connects and will be described below.
Figure 1, section 1
The diagram starts with ‘sources’ of marine pollution, including point and non-point source, land and sea-based. ‘Sources’ flows to ‘concentration’ and ‘type’, where:
- Concentration includes sample collection and preservation, sample integrity, analytical tools, QA/QC.
- Type includes mixtures, both synthetic and natural e.g. pesticides, metals, nutrients, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, plastics, noise, radiation, sediment, biological.
‘Concertation’ and ‘type’ converge into ‘marine contamination’. Marine contamination includes the deposition, speciation, distribution and physiochemical interactions.
Figure 1, section 2
‘Marine contamination’ from section 1, flows into ‘science’, which flows to ‘response’. ‘Response’ includes increasing elements of ecosystem, community, population and individual. The ‘response’ element has several branching topics including:
- Tolerance, stress and resilience
- Physiology, behaviour, life cycle
- Interactions with environment; uptake and elimination pathways
- Biomarkers
- Bioaccumulation, bioconcentration and biomagnification
- Ecosystem services
- In-situ and laboratory-based effect studies
‘Response’ flows to ‘marine pollution’.
Figure 1, section 3
‘Marine pollution’ from section 2, is addressed by ‘management’. ‘Management’ is informed by section 2 elements, as well as other factor described in the flow diagram from the bottom up. Bottom-up factors which inform ‘management’ include: community, industry and government. Finally, community, industry and government is impacted by:
- Social licence
- Citizen sicence
- Values and trade-offs
- NGOs
- Legislation (local to global)
- Research
- Funding (public/private sector)
- Risk assessment and monitoring
End Image Text Version
This text, image and its associated caption is from “Marine Pollution in Context” In: Reichelt-Brushett, A. (eds) “Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation“ 2023, by Amanda Reichelt-Brushett, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Mitigation of Marine Pollution
Marine ecosystems become degraded by a wide variety of threats. Degrading factors can be physical, biological or chemical (Tables 1-3) and may occur simultaneously or sequentially at any one site. If these degrading factors are not mitigated the likely success of restoration projects is compromised (e.g. Sheaves et al. 2021). Mitigating measures need to target the source of the degradation. Mitigation steps in restoration projects are initiated for many reasons including marine pollution accidents (e.g. oil spills), unexpected pollution (e.g. tributyltin) and more broadly because of diffuse source inputs (e.g. catchment runoff) and coastal development (Hawkins et al. 2002). The different sources need to be managed differently and in general it is less complicated to manage point source discharge and one-off events than complex diffuse sources with numerous polluting substances.
Expand the accordions below to discover more about marine pollution mitigation strategies.
Marine Pollution mitigation strategies: Chemical
Chemical pollution mitigation strategies
| Treat or stressor | Mitigation strategies (current and recommended) |
|---|---|
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)s |
|
| Tributyltin (TBT) |
|
| Metals |
|
| Brine (desalination waste) |
|
| Illegal ship waste oil dumping |
|
| Nutrients |
|
| Pesticides |
|
| Oil spills |
|
This table and its associated caption is adapted from “Pollution Mitigation and Ecological Restoration” In: Reichelt-Brushett, A. (eds) “Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation“ 2023, byAmanda Reichelt-Brushett, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Physical pollution mitigation strategies
Physical pollution mitigation strategies
| Treat or stressor | Mitigation strategies (current and recommended) |
|---|---|
| Plastic |
|
| Turbidity |
|
| Development of urban and port infrastructure |
|
| Noise |
|
This table and its associated caption is adapted from “Pollution Mitigation and Ecological Restoration” In: Reichelt-Brushett, A. (eds) “Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation“ 2023, byAmanda Reichelt-Brushett, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Biological pollution mitigation strategies
Biological pollution mitigation strategies
| Treat or stressor | Mitigation strategies (current and recommended) |
|---|---|
| Introduced species |
|
| Harmful algae blooms |
|
| Disease |
|
This table and its associated caption is adapted from “Pollution Mitigation and Ecological Restoration” In: Reichelt-Brushett, A. (eds) “Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation“ 2023, by Amanda Reichelt-Brushett, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Innovative solutions to pollution
There are a number of innovations to try to tackle the pollution issue, particularly plastic pollution. Have a look at the examples below and consider the positives and negatives of each. While collecting vast amounts of plastic for example from the environment might seem like a good thing, can you think of any unintended impacts might be caused? As marine scientists, it is our job to critically evaluate possible solutions and identify the positives and potential negatives.
Bioremediation
From the Microbiology Society, this video covers ‘What is Bioremediation?’ and how microbes can be used to process chemical pollution, using a variety of different techniques.
Trash Barriers
From Business Insider, ‘Most Ocean Plastic Flows From Rivers. Can Giant Trash Barriers Stop It?’ explores the issue of ocean plastic and trash barriers.
Drones
Watch this video from CCN Watch on how one company, Ellipsis Earth, are exploring how drones are helping to map plastic pollution.
Monitoring
Delve into EU Science and Innovation’s video ‘Monitoring sea pollution – Futuris’, which showcases real-time marine pollutant monitoring systems in Europe.
Activity: Solutions to Pollution Crossword
Complete the crossword below to test your knowledge on solutions to pollution.
Activity Text Version
Activity: Solutions to Pollution Crossword
This exercise invites readers to fill in the blanks on a crossword in response to prompting questions. Questions and answers are listed below in order of appearance and are based on ‘across’ and ‘down’ sections in the activity:
Across
Question 3
Antibiotics, antidepressants, blood pressure and diabetes medication, birth control and veterinary products are all examples of ______ . (15 letters).
Answer to question 3: Pharmaceuticals
Question 4
A substance present in the environment where it should not normally occur, or at concentrations above background levels. (11 letters).
Answer to question 4: Contaminant
Question 8
______ is chemical uptake by an organism, attributable to both bioconcentration and dietary accumulation .(15 letters).
Answer to question 8: Bioaccumulation
Question 10
When the overall effect of two or more stressors are more than expected, it is a ______ interaction. (11 letters).
Answer to question 10: Synergistic
Down
Question 1
A contaminant that causes adverse effects in the natural environment.(9 letters).
Answer to question 1: Pollutant
Question 2
The process whereby chemicals are taken up by an organism, and become more concentrated in the organism than in the surrounding environmental medium (water, soil, etc.) is called ________.(16 letters).
Answer to question 2: Bioconcentration
Question 5
Illegal dumping, littering, sewage outfalls, and industrial effluents are all examples of ______ sources.(5 letters).
Answer to question 5: Point
Question 6
Bioremediation, wastewater management and multi-trophic aquaculture systems are all examples of _________ strategies.(10 letters).
Answer to question 6: Mitigation
Question 7
When the overall effect of two or more stressors are less than expected, it is an _________ interaction.(10 letters).
Answer to question 7: Antagonist
Question 9
In order to achieve cleaner oceans, a ________ approach is required. (8 letters).
Answer to question 9: Holistic
End Activity Text Version
Activity: Hopkins Scenario Quiz
Read the scenario below and attempt the questions to learn more.
Activity Text Version
Activity: Hopkins Scenario Quiz
This activity poses a scenario around Hopkins River, then poses questions related to the pollution management, migration and remediation for that area.
Scenario
Hopkins River in South-West Victoria is a highly modified catchment. Dairy and other agricultural practices are predominant industries on the banks of the river. Some sections of the catchment have a riparian buffer zone and/or a fence preventing access. However, significant areas allow cattle right down to the water’s edge.
Question 1
What types of contaminants / pollutants would you expect to enter the catchment from these activities? Select all correct responses from:
- Insecticides
- Pesticides
- Metals
- Nuclear
- Nutrients
Answer to question 1
- Insecticides
- Pesticides
- Nutrients
Question 2
What change might you see on the estuarine environment and its inhabitants as a result of increased nutrients from the dairy industry? Select answer from:
- Increase fish health
- Super strong fish
- Sedimentation
- Multi-head syndrome
- Eutrophication
Answer to question 2
- Eutrophication
Question 3
What type of pollution source would this be categorized as? Select answer from:
- Diffuse source
- Contaminant source
- Disaster events
- Point source
Answer to question 3
- Diffuse source
Question 4
What management solutions could be put in place to reduce the impact form these contaminants? Select answers from:
- Organic farming practices
- Putting a fence on the river’s edge
- Increasing stock density to increase economic benefit
- Riparian buffer
- Restricted cattle access
Answer to question 4
- Organic farming practices
- Riparian buffer
- Restricted cattle access
End Activity Text Version
Activity: Test your Knowledge
Test your knowledge in the quiz below:
Activity Text Version
Activity: Test your Knowledge
This exercise invites readers to answer questions to test their knowledge. Questions and answers are listed below.
Question 1
What sorts of information need to be understood in order to effectively manage marine pollution? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply from:
- What the government’s position on the type of pollution is, and how much money the substance brings in revenue to the economy to see if it is of economic value to restrict.
- Information about the organisms exposed to determine their tolerance, life history stage, elimination pathways of the contaminant and organisms that could be used as bioindicators or biomarkers of contaminants.
- Information about the composition and solubility of the substance and how that impacts its bioavailability and potential to bioconcentrate, bioaccumulate and biomagnify.
- The source, type, concentration and distribution of the marine pollutant.
Answer to question 1
- Information about the organisms exposed to determine their tolerance, life history stage, elimination pathways of the contaminant and organisms that could be used as bioindicators or biomarkers of contaminants.
- Information about the composition and solubility of the substance and how that impacts its bioavailability and potential to bioconcentrate, bioaccumulate and biomagnify.
- The source, type, concentration and distribution of the marine pollutant.
Question 2
Select each of the correct responses. A large amount of plastic is entering the environment through the Merri River into the Merri Marine Sanctuary and causing impact to local biota. Which of the following practices should be implemented to mitigate plastics entering the marine environment? Choose from:
- Focus on plastic clean up in the estuary and ocean only
- Innovative plastic collection devices to stop more plastic entering the ocean from the river.
- Remediate plastic pollution in the Merri River
- Education on plastic waste including where it goes, how to adequately dispose of it, and the 4 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose).
Answer to question 2
- Innovative plastic collection devices to stop more plastic entering the ocean from the river.
- Remediate plastic pollution in the Merri River
- Education on plastic waste including where it goes, how to adequately dispose of it, and the 4 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose).
Question 3
Select each of the following that represent barriers or issues to achieving a cleaner ocean. Select all that apply from:
- equitability of access to adequate waste management practices
- appropriate alternatives produced at large enough scale (e.g. plastic substitutes)
- having enough oil to continue to produce plastics
- diffuse sources such as urban and agricultural waste which make it difficult to pinpoint the source of pollution
Answers to question 3
- equitability of access to adequate waste management practices
- appropriate alternatives produced at large enough scale (e.g. plastic substitutes)
- diffuse sources such as urban and agricultural waste which make it difficult to pinpoint the source of pollution
Questions 4
What are some of the mitigation strategies that could be applied to nutrient pollution? Select all that apply from:
- having livestock at the rivers edge so that their waste can be diluted by the river
- wastewater treatment
- multi-trophic aquaculture systems
- Bioremediation
Answers to question 4
- wastewater treatment
- multi-trophic aquaculture systems
- Bioremediation
End Activity Text Version
Activity: Migration vs Remediation
Test your knowledge of migration and remediation in the activity below:
Activity Text Version
Activity: Migration vs Remediation
This exercise invites readers to drag and drop terms into one of two areas, depending on their alignment to the areas. The areas are ‘migration’ or ‘remediation’.
The terms for dragging and dropping include:
- Cleaning up plastic from the beach
- Ban single use plastic
- Correct waste disposal
- Wastewater treatment
- Cleaning of oil after a spill, and
- Removal or control of invasive species
Answers:
Terms belonging in ‘mitigation’ area include:
- Wastewater treatment
- Correct waste disposal
- Ban single use plastic
Terms belonging in ‘remediation’ area include:
- Cleaning up plastic from the beach
- Cleaning of oil after a spill
- Removal or control of invasive species
End Activity Text Version
References
Beaumont, N. J., Austen, M. C., Atkins, J. P., Burdon, D., Degraer, S., Dentinho, T. P., … & Zarzycki, T. (2007). Identification, definition and quantification of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity: implications for the ecosystem approach. Marine pollution bulletin, 54(3), 253-265.
Cimon, S., & Cusson, M. (2018). Impact of multiple disturbances and stress on the temporal trajectories and resilience of benthic intertidal communities. Ecosphere, 9(10), e02467.
Gibson, R. N., Atkinson, R. J. A., & Gordon, J. D. M. (2007). LOSS, STATUS AND TRENDS FOR COASTAL MARINE. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An annual review. Volume 45, 45, 345-405.
Halpin, P. N., Read, A. J., Best, B. D., Hyrenbach, K. D., Fujioka, E., Coyne, M. S., … & Spoerri, C. (2006). OBIS-SEAMAP: developing a biogeographic research data commons for the ecological studies of marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 316, 239-246.
Hawkins, S. J., Gibbs, P. E., Pope, N. D., Burt, G. R., Chesman, B. S., Bray, S., … & Langston, W. J. (2002). Recovery of polluted ecosystems: the case for long-term studies. Marine environmental research, 54(3-5), 215-222.
Lotze, H. K., Lenihan, H. S., Bourque, B. J., Bradbury, R. H., Cooke, R. G., Kay, M. C., … & Jackson, J. B. (2006). Depletion, degradation, and recovery potential of estuaries and coastal seas. Science, 312(5781), 1806-1809.
Piola, R. F., & Johnston, E. L. (2008). Pollution reduces native diversity and increases invader dominance in marine hard‐substrate communities. Diversity and Distributions, 14(2), 329-342.
Sauve, A. M., Fontaine, C., & Thébault, E. (2016). Stability of a diamond-shaped module with multiple interaction types. Theoretical Ecology, 9(1), 27-37.
Sheaves, M., Waltham, N. J., Benham, C., Bradley, M., Mattone, C., Diedrich, A., … & Newlands, M. (2021). Restoration of marine ecosystems: Understanding possible futures for optimal outcomes. Science of the Total Environment, 796, 148845.
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (United Nations Environment Program-World Conservation Monitoring Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature). (2020). The lag effect in the World Database on Protected Area. Protected planet. https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/news-and-stories/the-lag-effect-in-the-world-database-on-protected-areas.
