Thammasat University students who are interested in ecology, environmentalism, history, sociology, political science, cultural and social anthropology, the allied health sciences, economics, business, and related subjects may find a newly available book useful.
Marine Pollution – Monitoring, Management and Mitigation is an Open Access book, available for free download at this link:
https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/62964
The TU Library collection includes other books about different aspects of marine pollution.
The publisher’s description of the book notes:
The study of marine environments inevitably involves considering the problem of marine pollution, which includes questions that focus on the essential need to ensure the long-term health of these exceptional ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods they support. The open access textbook “Marine Pollution: monitoring, management and mitigation” approaches these questions in a practical and highly readable format. It gives newcomers to the field background and perspective through the first comprehensive, multidisciplinary exploration of the topic. The topic is indeed complex, requiring the integration of the natural sciences and chemistry with management, policymakers, industry and all of us who are users of the marine environment. The textbook was written by leading experts to especially prepare graduates for a career in marine pollution studies. At the same time, it is relevant for anyone invested in the marine environment with a will to reduce their impacts. The chapters can easily be used independently and are also connected through the cross-referencing of related content. The introductory chapter provides a historical account of marine pollution and explores the fundamental physicochemical conditions of seawater. Two full chapters cover the requisite resources for ensuring success in field and laboratory studies. Then, chapter by chapter the book dives into to the various types of marine pollutants. In closing, it discusses the challenges of understanding multiple stressors and presents mitigation and restoration practices, along with a global overview of marine pollution legislation. We envisioned this textbook as being open access for the very reason we created it: this topic calls for global contributions and champions, and financial restraints should not limit access to this knowledge.
The book’s editor. Professor Amanda Reichelt-Brushett teaches in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Southern Cross University, Australia.
The introduction states:
Marine pollution is a challenging field of study requiring a multidisciplinary approach to assessment and management that incorporates social, environmental, economic, and political considerations. Importantly, we must also consider the impacts of pollution in combination with other stressors that affect the health of marine ecosystems, such as over-exploitation and harvesting of marine species, natural disasters, diseases, and exotic species. Each chapter of this book has been touched upon in the above paragraphs, and the more pages you explore the more informed you will become about marine pollution. With 70% of the Earth’s surface covered by oceans, marine pollution is unfortunately a large local and global issue and will be for many years to come. Homo sapiens have inhabited the Earth for around 150,000 years, and over this time our species has vastly influenced chemical, physical, and biological processes. However, the greatest anthropogenic impacts of pollution have occurred in the last 100 years. The fact that our population has more than quadrupled in this time, increasing from 1.9 billion in 1918 to over 8.0 billion today (2023), highlights the scale of human influence. This human population expansion has no doubt contributed to the proposition of a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, which represents the period in Earth’s history dominated by humans, commencing around the start of the Industrial Revolution (Steffen et al. 2007). Our consumption as individuals and communities has inevitably contributed to global-scale demands for raw materials, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and the associated waste production and pollution caused by the way we live in modern society. Indeed, our human footprint varies between different social and cultural circumstances across the globe. On a per capita basis, higher income countries are generally the greatest consumers of resources. At the same time, there is a large increase in consumerism in middle-income countries with the expansion of a middle-class population who have more money to spend on products and services. Low-income countries tend to have a per capita lower contribution to consumption, but also have fewer resources to manage the waste that is produced. Low-income countries also accept waste from high-income countries for payment and recycling, sometimes in working conditions that are harmful to human and environmental health (e.g. e-waste and plastics)
Pollution is not always deliberate; a distinction can be made between intentional, accidental, and uncontrollable pollution. Furthermore, marine pollution may be slow and chronic or sudden and more acute. Sudden pollution events tend to be unintentional, and include accidents and natural dis asters. Chronic pollution is often intentional and controlled, and may have a direct point source or nonpoint sources. There may be many reasons for intentional pollution such as shipping practices, a lack of alternative options (such as the availability of waste collection services for litter in low- and middle-income countries), and simply a disregard for regulations. Intentional pollution can be addressed by creating an enabling environment for change and facilitating pollution reduction measures. Incentive and disincentive schemes (colloquially known as carrot and stick approaches) such as encouraging the development of pollution reduction technologies, creating local- to global-scale law, policy and penalties have been shown to reduce polluting behavior. Accidents are usually caused by factors or events that were unforeseen in risk assessment and/or are a result of inadequate risk minimization strategies. This generally reflects a lack of knowledge and/or poor contingency provisions. Disaster events, such as cyclones/ hurricanes/typhoons (e.g. Hurricane Irma, Cyclone Debbie, and Typhoon Hato all in 2017), foods (e.g. monsoon foods in India and Bangladesh in 2017, flooding and mudflows in California in 2018), and tsunamis (e.g. affecting Thailand and Indonesia in 2004, Japan in 2010, and Haiti in 2010) are largely uncontrollable, but can be major generators of pollution. Extreme events such as these create large volumes of marine debris and cause the breakdown of urban infrastructure such as sewage systems, and waste disposal and storage facilities. Extensive flooding during these events transports polluting substances from activities on land into marine environments. The environmental consequences of pollution do not distinguish between intentional and unintentional causes, but understanding the nature of the causes is important for minimizing future risks and repeated incidences. While humans are the polluters, we also hold the key to solutions and this is where we can focus positive energy and create beneficial outcomes for marine ecosystems and the environment in general. For example, rather than just feeling disappointed about the number of plastic containers washed up on a beach, and rather than just picking up that plastic or doing surveys to measure the amount of debris washed up on beaches, we can develop and implement solutions to reduce the production of litter at the source. Throughout the world, experts and non-experts alike have invested themselves in managing and understanding pollution. Some people’s careers are dedicated to reducing the impacts of marine pollution, and the rise of citizen science and volunteer programs highlights the community interest in pollution reduction. The imagery of pollution evokes emotion and enhances public concern, which in turn drives the demand for clean-up operations, prosecutions (where applicable), and legislative change. Popular science books such as Toxic Fish and Sewer Surfng (1989) by Sharon Beder and Moby Duck (2011) by Donovan Hohn have also contributed to raising awareness of marine pollution issues. We are all part of the problem, but you are also an essential part of the solution. I hope this book provides you with guidance and enhances your passion to make a difference.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)