Development, Testing and Intercalibration of Reference Methods for Pollution Studies in Coastal and Estuarine Waters

Abstract

Following the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated a Regional Seas Programme in 1974. At present the Programme involves ten regions and has over 120 coastal states participating. It is conceived as an action-orientated programme having concern not only for the consequences but also for the causes of environmental degradation and encompassing a comprehensive approach to combating environmental problems through the management of marine and coastal areas. Each regional action plan is formulated according to the needs of the region as perceived by the governments concerned. The overall strategy of the programmes was defined by UNEP's Governing Council as:Promotion of international and regional conventions, guidelines and actions for the control of marine pollution and for the protection of management of aquatic resources.Assessment of the state of marine pollution, of the sources and trends of this pollution, and of impact of the pollution on human health, marine ecosystems, and amenities.Co-ordination of the efforts with regard to the environmental aspects of the protection, development and management of marine and coastal resources.Support for education and training efforts to make possible the full participation of developing countries in the protection, development and management of marine and coastal resources. One of the basic components of the regional action plans is the assessment of the state of marine pollution. For this purpose a set of Reference Methods for marine pollution studies is being developed. The paper describes the development of Reference Methods for use by participants in Regional Seas Programmes, where they are intended to ensure that the data can be compared on the world-wide basis and thus contribute to the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) of UNEP. Also, the basis for the Reference Methods as a basis by which countries can adopt comparable methods of assessing the extent of marine pollution in the event of inter-governmental disputes is explained. The Reference Methods being developed cover a wide range of pollutants, e.g. trace metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, tar, bacteria, etc., as well as providing guidelines for sampling strategies, preparation of samples, toxicity tests, data handling and evaluation. In addition, they include information on how basic oceanographic parameters are to be assessed and used to supplement the data on marine pollution. The paper draws on particular aspects of the development and testing of some individual Reference Methods to illustrate the problems and philosophy adopted for a project which represents a world-wide attempt to promote the detection, understanding and control of coastal and estuarine pollution. The scientific criteria for method selection and application emphasize the pragmatic approaches which are being adopted to fulfil this ambitious project.