Transcript Folie 1

Anthropogenic pollution in the
Yellow and East China Sea
Manuela Köllner
Meike Demgen
Marlene Klockmann
China is a fast growing country, not only in the industrial sector. The population is increasing rapidly. Due to economic advantages
there is a high migration into the urban areas. Most of these are located at the coast. Urbanization is responsible for strong
pressure on the marine ecosystem. Water quality is aggravating and the amount of marine litter is increasing steadily.
I. Urbanization in China
Problems due to urbanization
China's urban population has more than doubled
from 254 million people in 1990 to 572 million in
2005.
Over the past 15 years, migration, city land
expansion and natural growth led to this high urban
population growth. Industrialization, investment and
job creation are largely focused on the urban
centers, so that the people migrate from the inland to
the big cities at the coast. Also, the length of time for
a village to become a city has shortened. Shenzen
was a village with an urban population of 10.000
people in 1980. Today it holds more than 9 million
people. This process took a few hundred years in
Europe.
The current trend will probably continue over the
next 20 years [2].
The pressure created by the urbanization will
intensify.
The demand for energy and water will increase
rapidly and the pollution will be severe (see Fig. 2).
Today almost 60 % of the river water is already
below international potable standards.
China's cities will need to spend millions on social
provisions, infrastructure and finding sufficient
resources against pollution.
Since 1949, coastal wetlands have been reclaimed
by the cities. This leads to habitat modifications in
the large marine ecosystem (LME). China has
planned to reclaim a further 45 % of its mudflats
[4].
Fig. 1) Shanghai 1950 and 2010 [1]
Fig. 2) Total energy consumption in China [3]
II. Water quality
III. Marine litter
About 80% of the ocean pollution is
based on land sources. China has set a
Sea Water Quality Standard to categorize
coastal waters [5].
Marine litter refers to any
kind of solid waste. It is of
anthropogenic origin from
land- and sea-based
sources. It consists of all
kinds of plastics, garbage
and lost or abandoned
fishing gear.
It accumulates in oceanic
convergence zones, on
the seafloor or is washed
ashore [9].
Fig. 3) Hainan Province, China
SWQS Grade >IV [6].
Tab. 1) Sea Water Quality Standard of China (SWQS) [7]
Grade Floating
material
Color and
Smell
Suspended solids
(human induced)
pH
7.8 -8.5
Description:
Suitable for
I
None
None
<10
II
None
None
<10
III
None
None
<100
Fisheries, conservation
area, rare sea life
7.8 -8.5 Aqua culture, swimming,
food industries
6.8 -8.8
Industrial using
IV
Not
visible
Visible
Not disgusting
or annoying
disgusting or
annoying
<150
6.8 -8.8
>IV
>150
Fig. 4) Area comparison of water
quality worse than Grade I of
SWQS along China coastal ocean
in 1990s [5].
Using in harbors and for
marine related industries
Without aquatic life
More than 173.000 km² of the
Chinese coastal waters were of less
than Grade I quality of the SWQS in
2001. 32.000 km² were very heavily
polluted (worse than Grade IV).
These areas are located close to
medium and large cities and
estuaries with high population
densities. At present, contamination
from land runoff is the most
significant contributor to coastal
environment pollution [5].
Fig. 8) Domestic solid waste forming marine litter [6]
Globally, the amount of debris washed ashore is increasing. Although the
use of plastic in Asian countries is still lower than in Western European
countries (20 kg and 100 kg per year and person, respectively) [10], the
levels of pollution in the Yellow and East China Sea are equal to or
exceeding the global average [11].
Marine litter can have sub-lethal
consequences on marine organisms
through ingestion or entanglement.
Plastic is not bio-degradable. It
remains in the water column for
hundreds of years, while it is
defragmented into small particles.
These particles tend to accumulate
toxic substances.
Within the last years, several regional
and international marine protection
programs were started.
But there are several barriers to
overcome, e.g. few available data and
a lack of public interest.
Sea Water Quality in 2006 [8]
> IV
17,4%
I
26,1%
IV
4,3%
III
10,2%
IV
6,1%
I
42,9%
III
8,7%
II
43,5%
Fig. 5) Bohai Sea
II
40,8%
I
6,4%
> IV
36,2%
II
35,1%
IV
16,0%
Fig. 6) Yellow Sea
III
6,3%
Fig. 7) East China Sea
China started a few programs to protect the sea from land-based pollution.
These are for example the Blue Sea Action Plan including a survey of the
environmental situation of the rivers and estuaries, the pollution source
inspection and the monitoring of pollution. Other examples are the
Establishment of Marine Protected Areas and the Global Program of
Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based
Activities (GPA) [8].
Fig. 9) Albatross died of ingestion
of plastic [12]
Fig. 10) Solid waste on the sea
floor, littering a coral reef [6]
References:
[1] http://www.expo2010china.hu/hirkepek/shanghai_today_
and_1950.jpg, 2011
[2] http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/china_urban_
billion/ , 2011
[3] China- Environmental cost of pollution
[4] Large Marine Ecosystem 2009
[5] Daoji, Li and Daler, Dag: Ocean Pollution from Land-based
Sources: East China Sea, China 2004
[6] UNEP. 2007. Land-based Pollution in the South China Sea.
UNEP/GEF/SCS Technical Publication No. 10.
[7] Ministry of environmental protection of the people’s republic
of China: GB 3097-1997
Spezialbereiche der Ozeanographie I - Wintersemester 2010/2011
[8] Report On the State of the Environment In China 2006
[9] UNEP/COBSEA (2009). State of the Marine Environment
Report for the East Asian Seas 2009 (Chou , L.M. ed).
COBSEA Secretariat, Bangkok.
[10] UNEP Year Book 2011: Emerging issues in our global
environment, United Nations Environment Programme,
Nairobi.
[11] UNEP EAS/RCU (United Nations Environment
Programme East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit),
2008. Marine litter in the East Asian Seas Region. United
Nations Environment Programme. 64 p.
[12] http://www.ehrensenf.com/linktipps/tod-durch-plastikmüll