A global systematic map of knowledge of inland commercial navigation effects on freshwater ecosystems.

Inland navigation is one of the most sustainable transport alternatives to help decarbonise the world economy. However, the likely impacts of intensifying inland navigation on freshwater ecosystems are difficult to predict. A global map of knowledge that considers both abiotic and biotic responses to increasing shipping traffic and developing infrastructures is lacking. Deriving general evidence-based assessments is challenging, because most studies on inland navigation impacts are merely descriptive and either consist of local case studies, or address single navigation stressors or specific taxa only. We conducted a systematic mapping of the published literature (1908-2021) to provide a global synthesis of the effects of inland navigation on the biotic and abiotic components of freshwater ecosystems. We show that only half of the reported navigation-related impacts were statistically tested. Navigation itself (vessel operation) had mainly negative effects on native taxa (57%), followed by waterway management (40%), and navigation infrastructures (35%). Navigation has direct negative impacts caused by physical disturbances such as vessel-induced waves, and indirect impacts that facilitate the spread of aquatic invasive species, and altering the abiotic habitat conditions. Thirty percent of the tested relationships showed non-significant impacts on the biotic environment, while in 10% of cases impacts were context-dependent. We identified the main gaps of knowledge, namely (i) impacts of waterway management on communities, (ii) underlying processes of navigation impacts on river ecosystems; and (iii) interactions between multiple navigation factors and cascading effects on multi-taxa responses. These future research directions should improve the diagnosis, mitigate the negative impacts of navigation on rivers and provide guidelines for improving navigated river management.

Predicting habitat suitability for alien macroalgae in relation to thermal niche occupancy.

Invasive species are a major threat to global diversity and can interact synergistically or antagonistically with various components of climate change. Using species distribution models (SDMs) at different spatial scales and resolutions, we determined the main variables affecting the distribution of six invasive macroalgae present on European coasts. We also studied occupation of the thermal realized niche and predicted areas potentially at risk of invasion. The climatic variables related to warming had a greater influence on distribution at large scales, while non-climatic variables related to river influence and maritime transport at regional scale. Invaders often seemed to occupy colder areas than in their native area. The combination of SDMs with thermal niche of species is a useful way of clarifying the invasion process. This approach will help in the development of preventive strategies whereby the responsible authorities can implement early detection systems and respond swiftly to the appearance of biopollutants.

Connectivity reliability evaluation and most reliable shipping route choice in a seaborne crude oil network.

The connectivity reliability of strait and canal nodes in seaborne crude oil networks is uncertain because of various risk factors. Existing studies have mainly focused on road networks and often ignored real-world factors by assuming fixed and identical values for the connectivity reliability of each node, leading to inaccurate estimations. Few studies have considered node reliability when identifying the most reliable routes for oil shipments in response to various external and changing risks. To address these limitations, we first establish new connectivity reliability evaluation methods for both nodes and networks. Then, we develop the α-most reliable shipping route and the very most reliable shipping route models using uncertain programming to dynamically identify the most reliable routes for crude oil, ensuring timely and safe transportation. We apply these models to China's seaborne network of imported crude oil. The results show a network connectivity reliability of 0.6228, which is impacted by unreliable origin-destination pairs in the Middle East. The risk values of the most reliable oil shipping routes vary regionally, with higher values in Africa and the Middle East than in Asia and Latin America. As node risk increases, regional disparities also increase. These findings will aid in the development of energy transportation and import strategies to enhance transportation reliability.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds including non-target and 71 target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in scrubber discharge water and their environmental impact.

Increasing use of scrubbers on vessels for reduction of SOx emissions has led to environmental concerns due to discharge of partly persistent and toxic substances such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) into the sea. A comprehensive analysis of the dissolved and particulate phases of the discharge water from open and closed loop operations on four ships was performed. 71 PAC in the discharge waters varied in concentration and were associated with those of the fuels used, as they mainly originate in unburnt fuel. Closed loop discharge water showed higher PAC concentrations, especially of HMW PAC, which partly explains the larger toxic effects reported for this discharge. Alkylnaphthalenes and -phenanthrenes dominated in dissolved and particulate fractions, respectively. 14 NSO-PAC concentrations were relatively low. Alkylated derivatives of 4H-cyclopenta[4,5-def]phenanthrene and/or phenylnaphthalene were for the first time tentatively identified using GC-APLI-MS. The use of low-PAC fuels could significantly reduce PAC ship emissions.

Lower margins are tied to companies' climate performance rather than to low-carbon assets.

Lenders are likely to face significant financial risks from the shift to a low-carbon economy, but it remains unclear whether such risks are incorporated into their lending practices. The extent of this risk depends on whether banks incorporate such risks into their lending activity and whether financial instruments' tenors are long enough to cover the period when such risks materialize. Using a case study of shipping loans, we combine quantitative data and semi-structured interviews with key shipping debt providers. Our results show that banks, in particular signatories of the Poseidon Principles, a voluntary disclosure initiative in shipping, have started to price in the climate score of shipowners they lend to after the Paris Agreement but on a corporate rather than an asset basis. However, signatories do not differentiate their margins based on a ship's carbon intensity, despite a relatively long loan maturity, reinforcing the limitations of disclosure initiatives to influence investment outlays.

Abundance, characteristics and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in ship ballast water in ports around Liaodong Peninsula, China.

The development of the shipping industry has led to a large volume of ballast water discharge annually. This accelerates pollutants' transfer and dispersion, such as microplastics. Currently, empirical data on microplastics in ballast water are rarely available. This study innovatively investigated the abundance, morphological characteristics (particle size, shape, and color), and polymer composition of microplastics in ballast water from ports surrounding the Liaodong Peninsula. The results revealed that the average abundance of microplastics in 13 ships' ballast water was 6071.30 ± 1313.85 items/m3. Notably, the small microplastics (0.06-2.50 mm) were most abundant, accounting for 94.52 % of the total microplastics. Transparent, fiber, and polyethylene glycol terephthalate were the most prevalent color, shape, and polymer composition of microplastics detected in the ballast water. The risk assessment indicated that these microplastics present ecological risks to organisms. These findings suggest that ship ballast water is the potential "hotspot" for marine microplastics transport.

Readiness and challenges of carbon capture technologies based on the shipping industry.

In the context of carbon emission reduction in the shipping industry, CCUS technology can modify ships to reduce carbon emissions, providing a new direction for the green development of the shipping industry. Based on this, this paper investigates the technology related to carbon capture on ships, firstly puts forward the applicable requirements of carbon capture technology; and analyses the adaptability of the existing carbon capture solutions to the shipping industry; and discusses the development prospect of carbon capture on ships through the three challenges of space utilisation, safety, and economy; and finally analyses the related policies. After analysis and discussion, this paper concludes that the alcohol-amine method is the most suitable carbon capture solution for ships, but there are challenges in economics and space utilisation. The future research direction lies in optimising the performance of the absorber, improving the energy efficiency of the system and solving the CO2 storage problem.

Dilute concentrations of maritime fuel can modify sediment reworking activity of high-latitude marine invertebrates.

Multiple expressions of climate change, in particular warming-induced reductions in the type, extent and thickness of sea ice, are opening access and providing new viable development opportunities in high-latitude regions. Coastal margins are facing these challenges, but the vulnerability of species and ecosystems to the effects of fuel contamination associated with increased maritime traffic is largely unknown. Here, we show that low concentrations of the water-accommodated fraction of marine fuel oil, representative of a dilute fuel oil spill, can alter functionally important aspects of the behaviour of sediment-dwelling invertebrates. We find that the response to contamination is species specific, but that the range in response among individuals is modified by increasing fuel concentrations. Our study provides evidence that species responses to novel and/or unprecedented levels of anthropogenic activity associated with the opening up of high-latitude regions can have substantive ecological effects, even when human impacts are at, or below, commonly accepted safe thresholds. These secondary responses are often overlooked in broad-scale environmental assessments and marine planning yet, critically, they may act as an early warning signal for impending and more pronounced ecological transitions.

Effect of cyclic meditation on anxiety and sleep quality in sailors on merchant ships-A quasi-experimental study.

Background: Sailors undergo anxiety and sleep disturbances due to prolonged journeys and the nature of their work on ships. Earlier studies indicate Cyclic Meditation (CM) being beneficial for managing anxiety and improving sleep quality. Thus, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of CM on anxiety and sleep quality among sailors. Materials and methods: Fifty sailors were assigned to experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups. The experimental group received 45 min of CM, 7 days a week for 3 weeks. Control group continued with their routine activities and were offered CM practice the following 3 weeks. Hamilton Anxiety Scale for anxiety (HAM-A) and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep along with blood pressure and pulse rate were taken at baseline and by the end of 3 weeks. Data were analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM ANOVA) for within and between group effects. Results: Significant differences were found between the groups following 3 weeks for all the variables. Experimental group demonstrated reduced anxiety (p < 0.001) and improved sleep (p < 0.001) along with improvements in blood pressure and pulse rate. The control group did not show any significant changes following 3 weeks. Conclusion: CM could be incorporated as a routine for sailors to manage their anxiety and improve sleep quality during the period on board ships.

Does climate policy uncertainty drive the extreme spillovers of carbon-energy-shipping markets?

In addressing the ramifications of climate change, the shipping industry, reliant on energy, has been integrated into the Emissions Trading System (ETS). This study utilizes the quantile connectedness model to investigate the information spillover mechanisms and extreme time-varying interconnections among carbon, energy, and shipping markets. Whether climate policy uncertainty drives the extreme interconnections is also discussed during both pre- and post-Paris Agreement periods, by using GARCH-MIDAS model. The empirical findings underscore the following key points: (i) the systemic connectedness is highly sensitive to market conditions and major events, increasing significantly under extreme market conditions; (ii) following the implementation of the Paris Agreement, an elevated level of informational interdependence has manifested between the carbon market and the energy and shipping sectors; (iii) the information transfer mechanism between carbon and shipping sectors creates direct and indirect spillover paths, with crude oil market mediating the indirect path; (iv) climate policy uncertainty greatly affects the extreme time-varying interconnections, and this impact has decreased after the Paris Agreement came into effect. These results offer valuable insights for market policymakers and shipping companies in achieving a balance between carbon emission reduction and shipping business, particularly amidst heightened climate policy uncertainty.

Preparing research samples for safe arrival at centers and facilities: recipes for successful experiments.

Preparation of biomacromolecules for structural biology studies is a complex and time-consuming process. The goal is to produce a highly concentrated, highly pure product that is often shipped to large facilities with tools to prepare the samples for crystallization trials or for measurements at synchrotrons and cryoEM centers. The aim of this article is to provide guidance and to discuss general considerations for shipping biomacromolecular samples. Details are also provided about shipping samples for specific experiment types, including solution- and cryogenic-based techniques. These guidelines are provided with the hope that the time and energy invested in sample preparation is not lost due to shipping logistics.

Foreword to the Special Issue on "Seafarer's Mental Health and Well-Being".

This special collection encompasses 10 articles that delve into the pressing aspects of seafarers' well-being, mental health, and the workplace. The articles are categorized into 2 broad topics.The first topic, comprising 6 articles, scrutinizes the contributory factors to seafarers' psychological well-being on board, covering sleep problems, food provisions, sexual abstinence, work-life balance, and psychosocial and work environment factors associated with seafaring. Four of these papers also focus on job satisfaction, work effectiveness, and retention in relation to seafarers' psychological well-being. The second topic includes 4 articles on seafarers' mental health assessment and promotion. These articles examine measurement tools for mental health, well-being, and resilience, as well as formal training and technology, including mobile apps, in seafarers' health promotion and education. The insights gleaned from this special collection have the potential to significantly influence the practices of researchers, policymakers, and shipping companies. By shedding light on the need to enhance seafarers' employment characteristics and address the health, safety, and well-being aspects of their work and life, this research can guide these stakeholders to better support seafarers in their crucial role as "key workers."

Holistic evaluation of the environmental impacts of shipping in the sensitive region of Ria de Aveiro.

Shipping activity can be a substantial source of pollution and impact on the environment, including air, water and ecosystems, as well as adverse health and climatic effects. Due to the distribution of maritime transport activity routes in the EU, a large portion of the population is exposed to shipping pollution throughout Europe. The ongoing European project EMERGE aims to investigate and quantify these impacts over Europe, and in more detail, in specific case studies regions. The Aveiro lagoon region in Portugal is one of these case studies. This region is a Natura 2000 area, and also includes a medium-sized port. Both air quality and water modelling tools were applied to assess the impact of the emissions and discharges from shipping (to air and water) in the region in 2018. Additionally, ecotoxicological impacts were determined by bioassays to evaluate the impact of scrubber-water discharges on the most sensitive stages of marine invertebrates, and on the post-exposure feeding inhibition of crustacean and bivalve species. The results show that there was a substantial increase in atmospheric pollutant concentrations due to emissions attributed to shipping, which was most relevant for NOx and SO2 (up to a 30 % shipping contribution). There was no significant degradation of the water quality, mainly as the ships operating in this area did not have scrubber equipment. The ecotoxicological tests were performed with three samples of scrubber water, including one artificial sample and two samples collected on-board ships. If scrubber water would have been discharged in this area, the results indicated that the majority of the tested species would be exposed to lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) for the different scrubber-water samples, as well as to substantial concentrations of metals, PAHs, and alkylated PAHs.

Offshore habitats of endangered large mobile species in the western Yellow Sea: Quality status under shipping pressure.

Increasing shipping pressure (SP) deteriorates offshore habitats of large mobile species (LMS) and invalidates marine conservation systems, while the threat of SP to the survival of LMS is not well understood. Here, for the 16 endangered LMS in the western Yellow Sea, we quantified their habitat quality in specific sea areas and conservation capacity of marine protected areas (MPAs) under SP, based on AIS (Automatic Identification System) data and an overlay analysis method for SP surfaces and LMS habitats. Results indicate that three specific sea areas have partially lost habitat function, and their MPA networks have also lost 66.7 %, 59.1 %, and 9.2 % of conservation capacity, respectively. To prevent the continued degradation and extinction of endangered LMS, urgent rescue efforts are needed. This study highlights the importance of monitoring offshore shipping pressure and LMS habitat quality, and the findings contribute to the adjustment of marine spatial planning and LMS protection strategies.

Effects of ambient air pollution from shipping on mortality: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Shipping contributes to air pollution causing adverse health effects. We conducted for the first time a systematic review on the health and economic impacts of ambient air pollution from shipping emissions. METHODS: We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO (Medline), and Scopus of all time up to December 2023. We then inter-compared semi-quantitatively the results of the included eligible studies. RESULTS: We identified 23 eligible studies, 22 applying health impact assessment, and 1 using epidemiological methods. These studies used different methods for the evaluation of emissions, dispersion, and exposure, and for the exposure-mortality risk functions for exposure to shipping emissions for 1-2 years. The estimated excess global all-cause mortality from six studies ranged between 1 and 5 deaths per 100,000 person-years. However, the heterogeneity of the methods and critical gaps in the reporting seriously limited the synthesis of the evidence on health and economic effects of shipping emissions. Sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions in both dispersion and exposure modeling, as well as presentation of uncertainties is needed. Health impact assessment should present the results with all the main risk functions and population attributable risks, and the magnitude of the effect should be expressed in excess number per a given person-time or per population size. Economic effects should also cover work productivity, mental well-being, and cognitive functions. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that future studies should properly evaluate and report the uncertainty ranges and the confidence limits of the results. Rigorous studies are needed on multipollutant exposures, exposures from various source categories, and exposures attributed to various particulate matter measures. Studies should report the health impact measures in a format that facilitates straightforward inter-study comparisons. Further research should also specifically report the used grid spacings and resolutions and evaluate whether these are optimal for the task.

Environmental consequences in lifecycle changes of container shipping vessels.

To estimate the average lifespan of container vessels, this study specified their most suitable lifespan distribution function using a comprehensive dataset comprising 2188 container vessels manufactured and retired between 1941 and 2018. The lifecycle CO2 emissions of vessels were estimated under different scenarios with varied average lifespans and average carbon intensity improvements per annum through stock-flow model analysis. The results indicated that a normal distribution best represented the lifespan distribution of container vessels, with an estimated average lifespan of approximately 24 years. Furthermore, scenario analyses revealed that shortening the lifespans of container vessels can effectively reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions. This study demonstrates the synergistic contribution of accelerating the replacement cycle of container vessels and implementing stronger energy efficiency regulations for emissions reduction, highlighting the importance of policies regulating vessel lifespans.

Microbial populations vary between the upper and lower respiratory tract, but not within biogeographic regions of the lung of healthy horses.

Understanding normal microbial populations within areas of the respiratory tract is essential, as variable regional conditions create different niches for microbial flora, and proliferation of commensal microbes likely contributes to clinical respiratory disease. The objective was to describe microbial population variability between respiratory tract locations in healthy horses. Samples were collected from four healthy adult horses by nasopharyngeal lavage (NPL), transtracheal aspirate (TTA), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of six distinct regions within the lung. Full-length 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and microbial profiling analysis was performed. There was a large amount of diversity, with over 1797 ASVs identified, reduced to 94 taxa after tip agglomeration and prevalence filtering. Number of taxa and diversity were highly variable across horses, sample types, and BAL locations. Firmicutes, proteobacteria, and actinobacteria were the predominant phyla. There was a significant difference in richness (Chao1, p = 0.02) and phylogenetic diversity (FaithPD, p = 0.01) between NPL, TTA, and BAL. Sample type (p = 0.03) and horse (p = 0.005) contributed significantly to Bray-Curtis compositional diversity, while Weighted Unifrac metric was only affected by simplified sample type (NPL and TTA vs BAL, p = 0.04). There was no significant effect of BAL locations within the lung with alpha or beta diversity statistical tests. Overall findings support diverse microbial populations that were variable between upper and lower respiratory tract locations, but with no apparent difference in microbial populations of the six biogeographic regions of the lung, suggesting that BAL fluid obtained blindly by standard clinical techniques may be sufficient for future studies in healthy horses.

Evidence from China's shipping sector on the impact of fiscal measures in enabling a low-carbon economic transition.

The Green Economy Initiative aims to achieve economic development while minimizing carbon emissions by implementing a low-carbon economy across all sectors. It is noteworthy that ships play a significant role in global commodity transportation, accounting for approximately 80-90 percent. However, this also leads to a surge in fossil fuel consumption and alarming pollution levels. The data utilized in this article spans from 2010 to 2022 and specifically focuses on the shipping industry, drawing from information collected in 20 different provinces of China. Multiple panel regression models were constructed to analyze the influence of fiscal policies on facilitating the transition toward a low-carbon economy. In addition, a vector autoregression model was employed to examine the interconnected dynamics between low-carbon transition and budgetary guidelines. The findings indicate that tax-based policies demonstrate an inverted U-shaped relationship with low-carbon transition, whereas transfer payment policies exhibit an N-shaped pattern. The shipping sector is actively embracing low-carbon practices, largely due to incorporating digital technologies that mitigate the adverse impacts of fiscal regulations.

Environmental Justice and Systems Analysis for Air Quality Planning in the Port of Oakland in California.

Many frontline communities experience adverse health impacts from living in proximity to high-polluting industrial sources. Securing environmental justice requires, in part, a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators. We incorporate environmental justice and life-cycle thinking into air quality planning to assess fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and monetized damages from operating and maintaining the Port of Oakland, a major multimodal marine port located in the historically marginalized West Oakland community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The exposure domain for the assessment is the entire San Francisco Bay Area, a home to more than 7.5 million people. Of the more than 14 sources included in the emissions inventory, emissions from large container ships, or ocean-going vessels (OGVs), dominate the PM2.5 intake, and supply chain sources (material production and delivery, fuel production) represent between 3.5% and 7.5% of annual intake. Exposure damages, which model the costs from excess mortalities resulting from exposure from the study's emission sources, range from USD 100 to 270 million per annum. Variations in damages are due to the use of different concentration-response relationships, hazard ratios, and Port resurfacing area assumptions. Racial and income-based exposure disparities are stark. The Black population and people within the lowest income quintile are 2.2 and 1.9 times more disproportionately exposed, respectively, to the Port's pollution sources relative to the general population. Mitigation efforts focused on electrifying in-port trucking operations yield modest reductions (3.5%) compared to strategies that prioritize emission reductions from OGVs and commercial harbor craft operations (8.7-55%). Our recommendations emphasize that a systems-based approach is critical for identifying all relevant emission sources and mitigation strategies for improving equity in civil infrastructure systems.

Smart regulations in maritime governance: Efficacy, gaps, and stakeholder perspectives.

The paper explores maritime environmental regulations, analyzing industry perspectives and their operational execution. It critically assesses the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations' effectiveness in mitigating climate challenges within the shipping domain. The central argument is that the evolving and intricate nature of maritime regulations often impedes policy goal realization, enforcement, impact evaluation, and equity perception. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this research gathers, analyses, and interprets data via surveys and interviews. This exploration seeks to evaluate the regulations' impact on reducing shipping's negative impact, especially concerning emissions, waste management, and noise pollution, under the umbrella of smart regulations. The results indicate that the current regulatory approach is neither comprehensive nor immediate, necessitating a more agile, digitally enabled framework to adapt to fast-changing industry conditions.