ChapterS
Quality Status, Appropriate Monitoring and Legislation
of the North Sea in Relation to its Assimilative Capacity
A.R.D. Stebbing . R.I. Willows
8.1
Introduction
The Nqrth Sea is one of the most heavily polluted marginal seas on earth (Degens 1988),
and used to be one of the most biologically productive. The problems have been slowly
recognized and the eight North Sea states are committed to « ••• the principle of safeguarding the marine ecosystem of the North Sea" (Ministerial Declaration 1987), and
regular Ministerial Declarations set out agreed measures to achieve these ends. The
Quality Status Reports provide the scientific basis for the Ministerial Declarations, and
with associated research programmes (see Quality Status Reports for the North Sea
1987,1990,1993), demonstrate that the North Sea is also one of the most intensely studied and monitored in the world. The example must therefore provide an instructive
case study for those enclosed seas where the need to achieve a sustainable environment may be in conflict with the economic growth of bordering states.
Our aim is to consider the North Sea from the perspective of its assimilative capacity for wastes and effluents. Assimilative capacity is a cross disciplinary concept that
describes a resource of considerable economic value which, if it is exceeded, represents
a limitation on the sustainable use of the marine environment. An integral part of the
argument for accepting assimilative capacity as a resource is that contamination is not
a threat to sustaining, North Sea ecosystems unless it has a biological impact. Thus we
advocate the use of biological techniques to monitor environmental quality, and will
demonstrate that a predominately chemical approach is no longer appropriate.
Currently, monitoring effort and resources are directed to establish compliance with
environmental legislation and regulations, which are expressed mainly in chemical
terms. For example, the effective application of Environmental Quality Standards (EQS)
depends on chemical monitoring of individual contaminants. However, the assumptions that are made in the setting of EQSs raises questions as to their relevance. We
therefore consider North Sea pollution and its control in a cross-disciplinary manner,
centred on the observation that it is the assimilative capacity of the North Sea that we
utilize as an environmental service. It is the extent to which that capacity is exceeded
that represents the threat to the sustainability of ecosystems. Until recently there has
been little reason to consider the assimilative capacity of the North Sea as an entity,
since there has not been much evidence that its overall capacity to dilute, to disperse
and detoxify chemical contamination might be exceeded by contaminant inputs, and
the accumulation of those that persist. Here we consider evidence, using a biological
approach to monitoring, that has developed over the last decade and more, which provides more relevant data, quantifying pollution in terms of its biological impact on
water quality.
Quality Status, Appropriate Monitoring and Legislation
of the North Sea in Relation to its Assimilative Capacity
A.R.D. Stebbing . R.I. Willows
8.1
Introduction
The Nqrth Sea is one of the most heavily polluted marginal seas on earth (Degens 1988),
and used to be one of the most biologically productive. The problems have been slowly
recognized and the eight North Sea states are committed to « ••• the principle of safeguarding the marine ecosystem of the North Sea" (Ministerial Declaration 1987), and
regular Ministerial Declarations set out agreed measures to achieve these ends. The
Quality Status Reports provide the scientific basis for the Ministerial Declarations, and
with associated research programmes (see Quality Status Reports for the North Sea
1987,1990,1993), demonstrate that the North Sea is also one of the most intensely studied and monitored in the world. The example must therefore provide an instructive
case study for those enclosed seas where the need to achieve a sustainable environment may be in conflict with the economic growth of bordering states.
Our aim is to consider the North Sea from the perspective of its assimilative capacity for wastes and effluents. Assimilative capacity is a cross disciplinary concept that
describes a resource of considerable economic value which, if it is exceeded, represents
a limitation on the sustainable use of the marine environment. An integral part of the
argument for accepting assimilative capacity as a resource is that contamination is not
a threat to sustaining, North Sea ecosystems unless it has a biological impact. Thus we
advocate the use of biological techniques to monitor environmental quality, and will
demonstrate that a predominately chemical approach is no longer appropriate.
Currently, monitoring effort and resources are directed to establish compliance with
environmental legislation and regulations, which are expressed mainly in chemical
terms. For example, the effective application of Environmental Quality Standards (EQS)
depends on chemical monitoring of individual contaminants. However, the assumptions that are made in the setting of EQSs raises questions as to their relevance. We
therefore consider North Sea pollution and its control in a cross-disciplinary manner,
centred on the observation that it is the assimilative capacity of the North Sea that we
utilize as an environmental service. It is the extent to which that capacity is exceeded
that represents the threat to the sustainability of ecosystems. Until recently there has
been little reason to consider the assimilative capacity of the North Sea as an entity,
since there has not been much evidence that its overall capacity to dilute, to disperse
and detoxify chemical contamination might be exceeded by contaminant inputs, and
the accumulation of those that persist. Here we consider evidence, using a biological
approach to monitoring, that has developed over the last decade and more, which provides more relevant data, quantifying pollution in terms of its biological impact on
water quality.