Wnter 2008 Coastal INdustry

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TheedgeTh e m ag a z i ne o f C oa st Ne t Winter 2008

Coastal industry

Structures and

materials

Aquaculture in

Nicaragua

Shipping and

climate change

Coast and marine

interpretation


2/162 The edge Winter 2008

CoastNet breathing newlife into coastal matters

Winter 2008

Coastal Industry

The edgeis a quarterly magazine,sent out to all CoastNet members.

CoastNet is an internationalnetworking organisation thatworks with all coastal interests topromote the exchange of ideas,information and expertise to findlong term solutions to coastalproblems that benefit all. Ourmission is to safeguard the worlds

coast and those communities ofpeople and wildlife that dependupon it for their future.

Editor: Lesley [email protected] by: Cottier & SidawayPrinted by: Swan Print

Submissions

To submit an article for publication, pleaseemail to the editor saving your submissionas a word document. Alternatively, send tothe address below. Letters can be sent to theeditor but we are unable to acknowledge

receipt. The editor reserves the right to editsubmissions.

CoastNet: The Gatehouse,Rowhedge Wharf, High St,Rowhedge, Essex, CO5 7ET.Tel/Fax: 01206 728644Email: [email protected]: www.coastnet.org.uk

CoastNet is governed by an independentBoard of Management and serviced by aSecretariat.Registered charity no 1055763

Registered as a company limited byguarantee, company no 3204452

The opinions expressed in the magazine arenot necessarily those of CoastNet. CoastNet, 2008

3 Editorial

4 News

6 Industrious coast

From mineral extraction to marine

renewables, its all happening on the coast.

8 Protecting the environment from shipping

The International Maritime Organization

highlights the work being carried out to

reduce shipping pollution and emissions.

10 Shrimp farming in Nicaragua

An historical look at the development of the

shrimp farming industry in Nicaragua.

12 PEOPLE Jaws wide open

Our new people section sees Paul Cox,

Aquarium Manager at the National Marine

Aquarium get to grips with the business of

communicating the complexities of marine

use and the impacts of climate change to

the public.

14 Climate change, materials and materials use

A look at how climate change is affecting

materials and their structures.

Contents

6

8

10


3/16The edge Winter 2008 3

localism and the volume of trade

will increase. For the UK in

particular, being an island, this

will create continuing demands

for port expansion.

The energy sector is also animportant user of the coast,

traditionally for coal, gas and

nuclear power stations, which

need access to large volumes of

water for cooling turbines. The

future will almost certainly feature

tidal, wave and offshore wind

generators. As we have become

more dependant on energy from

outside Europe, energy security

has risen up the agenda and we arelikely to experience an ever-

increasing industrialisation of the

sea to feed our energy needs.

The challenge, of course, is to

find the right balance. This will

not be achieved through market

mechanisms this we know.

Given the scale of infrastructure

required to support some of these

industrial activities, nor will it be

achieved by local, regional or even

national planning. We must work

at a regional sea scale to plan for

marine and coastal development.

Editorial

Only in this way can we ensure

that the environment is not

damaged unnecessarily through

the development of overcapacity

in the ports sector for example.

Similarly, we must ensure that

energy infrastructures are put tothe most efficient and effective use

and not duplicated in adjacent

territorial waters. Finally, sediment

supplies must not be disrupted

to the detriment of the wider

ecosystem processes.

To some this will sound

reminiscent of the command

economy approach of the Soviet

era. However, sustainabledevelopment requires government

intervention as a counterbalance

to market forces. My argument is

simply to plead that these

interventions be made at the most

appropriate geographical scale,

rather than be hostage to

administrative boundaries.

Alex Midlen,

Strategic Director

Much of the debate regarding

the coast during the past two

decades has rightly been

environment led, as the protection

of the environmental resource

is fundamental to sustainable

development. However, thisenvironment focus has been at

the expense of a thorough

understanding of the coasts social

and economic dimensions. In this

issue of the Edge, we consider the

coast as a place for industry.

The coast is important for many

industries and absolutely essential

for some. Thus, it is inevitable that

we must give up some of ourcoastal environment to industrial

development. We cannot protect

it all.

I was struck by a visit to

the port of Dunkerque some years

ago. A huge outer basin was

the location for a whole host

of industrial processes that

required bulk goods, which of

course came by sea. Surely a

more environmentally and more

economic route than by road, or

even rail? For the foreseeable

future globalisation will out-play

Industry



News

News in brief

q Norway plans world's first ship

tunnel

Norway has drawn up plans to build

the worlds first shipping tunnel in the

area of Stad on the southwest coast of

Norway. The tunnel is predicted to save

time and money for vessels passing

through a coastal area known for its

dangerous seas.

(Source: www.enn.com)

q Fisheries summit is a fair deal says

UK Fisheries Minister

UK Fisheries Minister Jonathan Shaw

has said the 2008 fishing quotas

finalised at the annual summit in

Brussels is a fair settlement.

Originally, the European Commission

had sought a 25 per cent cut to fishing

days off the west coast of Scotland,

and a 10 per cent reduction to fishing

days in the North Sea. But a deal was

reached to make cuts of 18 per cent

and 10 per cent respectively, with an 11per cent rise in the North Sea cod

catch. Crews will also be given back

days at sea for helping conservation

measures.

q Businesses warned over coastal

flood risk

A major new report from the

Organisation for Economic Cooperation

and Development (OECD) has warned

that the risk of coastal flooding will

soar over the next 50 years and claims

US$35 trillion of assets will be at risk

from coastal floods by 2070 unless

businesses and governments embrace

smarter development.

q Group petitions EPA to address

threat of ocean acidification

In December, the Center for Biological

Diversity formally petitioned the US

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

to confront the threat of oceanacidification. The petition calls upon the

EPA to strengthen the water quality

standard for ocean pH and to publish

guidance to help states protect US

waters from carbon dioxide pollution.

Minister says protection of our seas

is greatest environmental challenge

after climate change at Novembers2007 APPG meeting.

At a packed November meeting of the

All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

on marine and coastal issues,

Jonathan Shaw MP, Minister

responsible for the Marine Bill and

ICZM, referred to the protection of our

seas as the greatest environmental

challenge after climate change..

They may seem insurmountable

issues. They cannot be. We must face

up to the challenges.

Other speakers at the meeting

reflected a range of marine users from

the ports, submarine cables, and

recreational angling sectors.

Peter Barham of ABP, and

representing the Sea Users

Development Group, said its membersrecognised the need for change. We

need to protect the environment, and

greater protection is needed.

However, he reiterated calls for

government to adopt a light touch

and risk-based approaches to

regulation, cautioning that over-

regulation and duplication of efforts

caused frustration and uncertainty.

Bob Greenfield, of the UK Cable

Protection Committee, expressed

cautious support for the Marine Bill,

but stressed that the industry would

resist the zoning of corridors for

telecommunications cables. He drew

attention to the value of e-commerce

to the UK, which depends entirely on

this submarine cable infrastructure.

Leon Roskilly, of the Sea Anglers

Conservation Network, strongly

criticised the current management

regime, referring to the slow andcumulative effect of years of poor

management. He emphasised the

importance of the reform of sea

fisheries committees to the success of

the Bill.


5/16



Industrious coastFor the construction industry,

addressing its huge impact, in terms of

emissions, on climate change and thematerials used in construction will be

important for the future. There are

small signs that some areas of the

industry are making progress. The

Make it Right project, for example,

supported by movie star Brad Pitt, is

now rebuilding 150 coastal homes in

New Orleans following the devastation

caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005

utilising the most sustainable

construction practices possible.

Sebastien Dupray from HR

Wallingford discusses the impact of

climate change on materials used in

both natural and man made

structures on page 14.

Marine renewablesMarine renewables, in the form of

wave, tidal and wind energy, have the

potential to contribute significantly toworldwide energy demand.

Our oceans and coastal landscapes are home to a huge array of industries competing

for the use of the sea. These range from fishing, aquaculture, coastal tourism, maritime

transport and extractive industries such as oil and gas and marine aggregates.

With so many industries vying for the

right of coastal and/or marine space, a

massive challenge for the proposed EUIntegrated Maritime Policy will be to

address those competing uses of the sea

in a way that ensures a sustainable

future.

Mineral extraction andconstructionMineral extraction from the seabed is

big business. The UKs marine

aggregate industry alone provides

around 20 million tonnes of sand and

gravel each year for construction uses

in the UK and Europe. Primarily used

to manufacture concrete, it is also used

for general building and in beach

replenishment.

The construction industry is

responsible for an incredible 40 per

cent of global greenhouse gas

emissions and demand for building

and construction continues to grow.

Coastal construction remains aspopular as ever, even though the

associated effects of climate change

(storms, flooding, erosion) continue to

hit the coast the hardest.


7/16

The edge Winter 2008 7

Kyoto Protocol and remain largely

unregulated. According to a recent

report in The Independent, the global

shipbuilding industry is in the midst

of its biggest boom ever with the

numbers of tankers and bulk carriers

expected to increase by 50 per cent by

2012.

There seems little indication that the

shipping industry, and by association

ports, will do anything other than

grow over the new few years. This is

not surprising given that ships and

tankers (around 90,000 in total)

currently transport over 90 per cent of

all goods traded worldwide.

The International Maritime

Organisation gives its perspectiveon shipping on page 8.

Tourism and leisure industryTourism is one of the largest industries

in the world and the coastal zone is, for

many countries, the focus of their

tourism industry. Climate change and

its associated impacts: increased

storminess, flooding, sea level rise,

heatwaves and coastal erosion will all

have an impact on the coastallandscape and the tourism industry.

Some small island states, almost wholly

dependent economically on tourism,

are particularly at risk from the threat

of climate change.

Coastal tourism also presents an

opportunity to engage the public on

issues related to the marine and coastal

landscape. Marine conservation has

typically been a focus, but increasingly

more integrated issues, such as the

impact of climate change and coastal

industry on the oceans, as well as the

part lifestyle choices can have on both,are being explored.

Paul Cox, from the National Marine

Aquarium in Plymouth, UK discusses

marine interpretation in this wider

context. On page 12.

FishingOverfishing, pirate fishing, quotas,

marine protected areas, sea pollution

and now global warming are just

some of the absolutely crucial issues

surrounding the fishing industry today.

With more than 75 per cent of all

fisheries either fully exploited or

heading for meltdown according to a

report by the UN Food and Agriculture

Organisation (FAO), the long suffering

marine fishing industry in 2002 still

represented 63 per cent (84.4 million

tonnes) of total world fish production.

What has changed is the increasingshare of world production by marine

and inland water aquaculture.

AquacultureBy 2004, according to the UN FAOs

State of world fisheries and Aquaculture

2006, aquaculture accounted for

approximately 43 per cent of total world

fish production. The same report also

put the aquaculture industry as the

fasting growing animal food-producingsector, with a worldwide average growth

rate of 8.8 per cent per year since 1970.

China is by far the largest region,

accounting for nearly 70 per cent of

total production in 2004, but there are

many other countries that have begun

to develop an aquaculture industry.

One such country is Nicaragua and

Agns Saboro Coze, Director of

the Centre of Aquatic EcosystemsResearch, takes an historic look at the

development of sustainable shrimp

farming in Nicaragua. See page 10.

With climate change concerns

reaching a critical mass, the pressure

on marine spatial planning to

accommodate demand from this

sector is likely to grow significantly in

future years. Projects, such as the one

led by the Department of Trade and

Industry (DTI), to quantify and

spatially map the potential wave, tidaland offshore wind resource at a

regional scale across the UK

Continental Shelf, should help to

assist decision makers in licensing

marine renewable technologies.

Offshore oil and gasSixty per cent of the worlds petroleum

production comes from global offshore

operations. The International Energy

Agency in its World Outlook seriespredicts world energy demand will

increase by up to 50 per cent by 2030

and with such an increase in energy

demand, offshore operations are

moving into deeper waters, some

reaching depths of over 8,000 feet.

This continues to have impacts on the

marine environment as demand

makes extraction in less accessible

places a profitable concern.

Shipping and portsCarbon emissions from shipping,

traditionally seen as small in

comparison to other forms of

transport, are growing fast although

these are not yet included in the

Ship building



Theres no avoiding the fact that the modern world is utterly dependent on

motorised transport systems that run largely on fossil fuels. Their use inevitably

carries an environmental burden, primarily through the emission of greenhouse

gases. These emissions are now widely accepted as being significant contributory

factors towards global warming and climate change.

agency with responsibility for safety

and security at sea and prevention of

marine pollution by ships. Since it began

in 1959, the IMO has adopted 50international treaties which include a

wide range of measures to prevent and

control pollution caused by ships and to

mitigate the effects of any damage that

may occur as a result of maritime

operations.

The International Convention

for the Prevention of Pollutionfrom Ships

The International Convention for the

Prevention of Pollution from Ships,

universally known as MARPOL, was

adopted by IMO in 1973 and today,

much expanded and updated, remains

the most important international

convention covering the prevention of

pollution by ships, whether from

operational or accidental causes.

MARPOLs six annexes set out

regulations dealing with pollution from

ships by oil; by noxious liquid

substances carried in bulk; harmful

substances carried by sea in packaged

form; sewage, garbage; and the

prevention of air pollution from ships.

In conjunction with other measures,

MARPOL has laid the foundation for

substantial and continued reductions in

pollution from ships despite the massive

increase in world seaborne trade.

The IMO is currently undertaking a

review of the existing MARPOL Annex

VI, which sets limits on sulphur oxide

Protecting the

environment fromshippingWith shipping responsible for transporting more than 90 per cent of the worlds

trade, Natasha Brown, from the International Maritime Organization, looks at

the industries efforts to limit its pollution and emissions.

The shipping tradeRail and road transport, aviation and

shipping all produce emissions. These

different modes of transport performdifferent functions, with the primary

function of shipping being to transport

huge volumes of cargo, unitised or in

bulk, across the worlds oceans. In fact,

the shipping industry is responsible for

the carriage of more than 90 per cent of

world trade and is arguably the life blood

of the global economy.

Without shipping, it would simply not

be possible to conduct intercontinental

trade, the bulk transport of raw materials

or the import and export of affordable

food and manufactured goods. The

United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD) estimates that,

over the last four decades, total seaborne

trade has more than quadrupled, from

less than six thousand billion tonne-

miles in 1965 to over 27 thousand

billion tonne-miles in 2004. Today,

world trade continues to grow and the

international shipping industry hasresponded to the demand for its services.

The International Maritime Organisation

(IMO) is the United Nations specialised

The average number of

ship-source oil spills over

700 tonnes has shrunk

from over 25 annually inthe 1970s to just 3.7 per

year in the 2000s.



included in the revised Annex VI. It is

anticipated that the revised Annex VI

would enter into force in 2010.

Concurrently, IMO has an action plan

to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases

from ships, particularly carbon dioxide

(CO2), which is not covered in the

current Annex VI. It is cooperating

closely with international shipping and

other relevant UN bodies, in particular

the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) Secretariat, in this work, to

ensure that the issue is tackled on a truly

international level, thereby avoiding

unhelpful unilateral action on a

regional or national level.

Greenhouse Gas Indexing

SchemeIn the first years of the new millennium,

the MEPCs work focused on the

development of a GHG Indexing

Scheme for ships, in order to establish a

common approach for trials on

voluntary CO2 emission indexing, to

enable shipowners to evaluate the

performance of their fleet with regard to

CO2 emissions. As the amount of CO2emitted from a ship is directly related to

the consumption of bunker fuel oil, CO2indexing will also provide useful

information on a ships performance

with regard to fuel efficiency.

The MEPC has now received results

from hundreds of trials conducted over

several years and, at its 56th session in

July 2007, decided to establish a central

database to make the huge volume of

CO2 indexing data accessible for

comparison and further studies by

Member States and the shipping

industry.

The MEPC has observed that identical

ships in seemingly similar trades

produce different results. The difference

may result from different weather

conditions or from operational

differences concerning the specific

utilisation of individual ships involvedin the trials. Issues such as the length of

time spent waiting in port areas, the

length of ballast voyages, and whether

the ship is fully laden or not, can all

make a difference. The central database

will be accessible to the public in the

first part of 2008.

Enhancements in the efficiency of

engine and propulsion systems and

improved hull designs have already led

to increased fuel efficiency. Larger ships

and a more rational utilisation of

individual vessels have also contributed

significantly to reducing the amount of

energy needed to transport a given unit

of cargo. Nevertheless, IMO continues

to work on further reducing harmful

emissions from shipping, a transport

industry vital to world trade and

development. There is today a growing

concern for our environment and a

genuine fear that, if we do not changeour ways, the damage we will inflict on

our planet will render it incapable of

sustaining the economy we have grown

accustomed to.

Emissions reductions fromshipping

A cross government/industry scientific

group of experts, established by IMO

Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos

in July 2007 has reviewed the

environmental, human health and

shipping and petroleum industry

impacts of applying any of the proposed

fuel options to reduce SOx and

particulate matter generated by

shipping and the consequential impact

on other emissions, including CO2emissions from ships and refineries. The

final report was completed in mid-

December 2007 and submitted to the

Marine Environment ProtectionCommittee (MEPC) and the Bulk

Liquids and Gases (BLG) Sub-

Committee, so that its conclusions can

aid the decisions on what should be

(SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx)

emissions from ship exhausts; prohibits

deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting

substances; provides regulations for

emissions of volatile organic

compounds (VOCs) from tankers and

puts a global cap on the sulphur content

of fuel oil. When its revision is

completed, the Annex will also cover

particulate matter.


10/1610 The edge Spring 2008

The noughtiesBy 2001, the industry increased yields

through the use of new production

systems, both technically and

economically. At the beginning of the

1990s, semi-intensive culture increased

the stocking rate between 8 and 10 post

larvae per square metre, with a 10 per

cent daily renewal of water. After the

white spot virus outbreak, water

stopped being pumped into the ponds

and stocking rates increased.

Some farms have undertaken intensive

culture with aeration / ventilation and a

harvesting rate of 50 post larvae per

square metre, obtaining good results.

Some enterprises have also started using

aerators and increased and improved

water filtration. All these changes

translate into larger and better

productive results.

Trend moves towards larger

producers

The shrimp industry has continued to

grow since 2001 although there has

been a decrease of small producers and a

tendency to concentrate productive

areas between few large producers. The

Agns Saboro Coze, Director of the Centre of Aquatic Ecosystems

Research of the Central American University, takes a historical look at the

development of a sustainable shrimp farming industry in Nicaragua.

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

988 Study looks at land suitability

or shrimp farming on the Pacific

oast.

1990 Potential of shrimp farming in

Nicaragua attracts both national and

foreign investment.

1998 Hurricane Mitch hits Nicaragua

devastating the fledgling shrimp

industry losing 25 per cent of

productive shrimp farming land.

1999 Outbreaks

virus though Centra

Nicaraguan shrimp

reducing productio

Estero Real

Gulf of

Fonseca

Padre Ramos

HONDURAS

COSTA RICA

NICARAGUA

Rio Tamarindo

1980sIn 1988, with support from the UN Food

and Agricultural Organization, the first

evaluative approach of adequate land

for shrimp farming activity along the

Pacific coast was implemented. The

results indicated an area of

approximately 39,250 hectares, of

which 72 per cent (28,150 hectares) was

concentrated in the Estero Real, close to

the Gulf of Fonseca. The rest of the land

was distributed close to the Esteros of

Aserradores, Padre Ramos and RoTamarindo (Tamarindo River) in the

Pacific coast. These numbers were

verified by a second study in 1992 and

in 1994 with the support of Pradepesca,

an EU project.

During the first half of the eighties there

were a few isolated shrimp growing

initiatives in salinas and enclosing

systems that were abandoned because of

political instability and technical

problems. It wasnt until 1987 that some

cooperatives managed to develop 100

hectares of rustic ponds. By 1990, these

increased to an area of around 1,000

hectares, obtaining a yield of 250

pounds per hectare per year.

1990s

Since 1990, the thriving shrimp activityworldwide increased national and foreign

investor interest in shrimp farming, with

some investors applying for land

concessions. At the begining of 1998

there were 8,299 hectares in production.

However, in October, the tropical storm

that hit Nicaragua as a result of Hurricane

Mitch, reduced productive hectares by

25 per cent, equalling a loss of 2,108

hectares that year.

In 1999 shrimp farming, already reduced

due to the previous years effects of

Hurricane Mitch was further hit by an

outbreak of white spot virus, harmless to

humans but with devastaing effects on

shrimp populations.

Shrimp farming

in Nicaragua



reasons for this are diverse: the

disruption caused by Hurricane Mitch,

the appearance of various diseases

that required a certain degree of

management and technical knowledge

as well as the low market price of

shrimp.

By 2006, 68 per cent of land wasmanaged by businesses with 32 per cent

still in cooperative hands. Production

areas stood at:

52.5 per cent semi-intensive

27.1 per cent extensive

21 per cent artisanal.

Estero Real Management Plan

In 2006, the Estero Real Management

Plan was approved by the Government

of Nicaragua, declaring the area where90 per cent of all shrimp farms are

located a Protected Area and an

International Ramsar Site. The plan

outlines a commitment by the shrimp

farming industry and the government

to create a Good Practice Management

Guide to regulate cultivation.

In 2007 the government, shrimp

producers and the Central American

University extended the proposal

and the Technical, Social and

Environmental Code of Responsible

Conduct for shrimp farming in

Nicaragua was approved. The code

outlines good practices for each part of

the shrimp production chain,

considering food health, human rights,

workers rights and environmental

protection. Additionally it establishes

the monthly monitoring of water

quality of the entire Estero Real.

Shrimp production has been increasing

anually, with the exception of 1998 due

to the effects of Hurricane Mitch, from a

production of 415,000 kilos in 1990 to

23,893,000 kilos in 2006.

Larger producers, however, now

dominate. The shrimp cooperatives,

for example, represented 100 per cent

of production at the end of the 1990s,

33 per cent in 1995 but only four per

cent by 2006.

Exports are the mainstay for the

industry with USA receiving 42 per cent

of production, the European Union

(mostly to Spain, France, Germany and

the UK), 54 per cent and four per cent

to Central America.

Comparing shrimp culture with shrimp

fishing in both oceans the results are

very revealing. While shrimp farminghas grown in the past few years by 144

per cent in volume and 89 per cent in

value, shrimp fishing has decreased in

the same period by 30 per cent in

volume and in value. These numbers

highlight the great value that

aquaculture now has in Nicaragua, as

an activity that generates food,

employment and foreign currency if we

develop it in harmony with people and

the environment.

Agns Saboro Coze is currently

Director of the Centre of Aquatic

Ecosystems Research of the Central

American University.

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

white spot

erica, affects

stry, further

2001 New production techniques are

introduced, such as improved

water filtration and the use of aerators,

improving shrimp harvest rates.

2006 A shift towards large producers

shifts percentage of land in cooperative

hands to 32 per cent with 68 per cent of

land managed by large enterprises.

Government approves the Estero Real

Management Plan, protecting the area

where 90 per cent of all shrimp farms

are located.

2007 Technical, Social and

Environmental Code of Responsible

Conduct for Shrimp Farming in

Nicaragua approved.

The Latin American contextThe cultivation of marine shrimp

in the region dates back to the 1960s

and is now cultivated in over 18

countries in and the Caribbean. A

large percentage of shrimp farmed in

Latin America is produced for export,

primarily to American markets, butincreasingly to Europe and Japan.

Initially shrimp farming affected

mangrove areas in countries such as

Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and

Ecuador but now some mangrove

recovery has taken place due to better

regulatory frameworks and incentives

for restoration through replanting and

maintenance measures.

There have also been efforts in

the Central American countries to

improve the management of fisheries

and aquaculture according to specific

regional objectives, principles and

strategies which reinforce their

integration policy.

In Brazil a Code of Conduct for

Responsible Fishing and good practices

for handling shrimp was introduced.

Elsewere, initiatives include: goodpractices in aquaculture production

in Colombia; qualification in good

practices on handling and quality

assurance of hydrobiological products

in Costa Rica, and Environmental

Regulation for Aquaculture (RAMA) in

Chile.

Source:Regional review on aquaculture development:

Latin America and the Caribbean, 2005. UNFAO.



If you take the sharks away, you may as

well close down the aquarium, Paul

Cox jokingly replies when asked to

name the biggest draw of Plymouths

National Marine Aquarium. The shark

challenge we face is to take the

excitement that these creatures generate

and turn it into interest in other marine

animals and ocean life, he adds. As for

the sharks, Cox says, In the time Ivebeen here, Ive seen a real change in the

way kids see sharks. Theres now a lot

more understanding of the more benign

nature of these animals as well as the

threats they face.

This development of understanding is,

of course, what Plymouths National

Marine Aquarium is all about. From

sharks to sea urchins, climate change to

coastal industries, cutting through the

misunderstandings, developing greater

knowledge and making the connections

between oceans and visitors, are the

communication challenges for much

marine interpretation.

These other issues are now making their

way increasingly on to the agendas of

aquariums and maritime museums

everywhere. As part of two European

projects the Aquarium has been able

to take the issue of climate change,pretty much a constant in the

media now, and look at it from two

different perspectives; one looking at

bridging high science with common

understanding, and the other bringing

climate change back to the individual

level with clear practical applications.

High science, commonunderstandingThe EUR-OCEANS network of excellence

is first and foremost about getting

scientists working on climate change

to communicate with each other,to share knowledge, equipment and

data. Perhaps an obvious idea, but by no

means easy to implement, the project,

set up by the European Commission in

2005, involves around 500 scientists

from 60 research institutions in 25

European Countries.

The project work is long term, fairly

laborious in nature, often about

building complex ecosystem models

and making them more and more

predictive and, initially uninteresting to

the public. Thats where the Aquariums

outreach group comes in, of which

Pauls team at the Plymouth Aquarium

is part. Were one of eight aquariums

working on the public outreach side of

EUR-OCEANS, Paul says. Were

charged with trying to disseminate to

the public what EUR-OCEANS is about

and get them engaged in the concept of

climate change.

The outreach projects aim is to

establish a baseline of understanding ofthe work going on by providing first

hand accounts of the research through

the production of a series of films.

Our team went to Svalbard in the

Arctic, invited by the Norwegian Polar

Institute, Paul explains. We spent

about seven days on the research

vessel Lance travelling from the

capital Longyearbyen up the west

coast, talking to scientists, looking at

what they were doing; essentially

looking at the effect of changing water

temperature on plankton and how the

effects work their way up the food

chain. One of the main things we

An arcade style exhibit

looks at the impacts of

marine aggregates andlinks to construction.

Paul Cox, Aquarium Manager of the National Marine

Aquarium in Plymouth, talks to Lesley Smeardon about

the Aquariums work in communicating climate change

and the complexities in the way we use ocean resources.

Jaws wideopen

Jaws wideopen

Paul Cox

People

People



Climate change is now on everyones

radar but this comes with much

misunderstanding. I had a conversation

with a 10 year old the other day who

told me that the Gulf Stream was going

to shut down because of global

warming. But then, after demonstrating

such sophisticated knowledge, children

can often make completely unrelated

links between ozone and climatechange. Climate Lab is about presenting

the basics, showing there is uncertainty,

but most importantly showing children

what they can do individually to reduce

their own impact.

An ocean resourceAnother area of communication work at

the National Marine Aquarium is to

explore the many conflicting uses that

the oceans are being used for and the

need to find a balance between all of

these. Take marine aggregates for

example an industry, that in the UK

alone, takes out 20 million tonnes of

sand and gravel used in construction

and building.

We set up a recent aggregates

exhibition as part of a project called

Mineral Wealth, Seabed Health. This

looks at the connectedness of land and

sea, demonstrating to children howaggregates dredged from the marine

landscape end up being used in the very

fabric of our every day life; in our roads,

buildings and even our football

wanted to get across to the public was

the importance of research longevity;

the need for scientists to keep coming

back to accumulate long term data. The

film we made tried to get this point

across.

The great thing about presenting this

information at the aquarium is that

people are often already very receptive.The shark factor comes into play once

again. Were able to engage people

quite easily at the aquarium, says Paul.

Once weve got peoples attention,

theyre pretty receptive and we can talk

about a number of different subjects.

Up front and personalAlong with the perhaps more difficult

job of communicating EUR-OCEANS,

the team started work on building a

unique web-based teaching resource,

Climate Lab, which came out of a

project (PENCIL) whose aim was to

strengthen links between science centres

and schools. The project started in 2002

when interest in climate change was not

so intense. Now of course there is a

danger that the public are suffering from

climate fatigue, believing they know

enough about the subject, with already

very firm opinions on the subject.

The interesting thing is how much

people think they know about climate

change compared to how much they

actually do know, Paul explains.

The climate kitchen, aimed at

Key stage 2-3, shows children

how they can minimise their

own impact on climate change.

As well as marine aggregates, the aquarium also has a floor

dedicated to renewable energy looking at the potential power

and energy of the sea. The ocean power exhibition gives students

a chance to try and harness tidal power, among other things.

stadiums a very important fact for

eight year old boys! Paul comments.

It also highlights some of the dangers

of dredging and the marine areas that

might be most vulnerable to this.

A second phase of the project is due to

start in January 2008, taking a roadshow

out to local schools looking specifically

at sustainability and the connectednesswe all have to the sea. Its important

to show how the issue is a balancing

act with development, growth and jobs

on one hand, and the need to safeguard

the marine environment on the other,

Cox adds.

Such a project also helps children realise

that there are naturally grey areas in life,

with no clear right or wrong approach.

So how do the children cope with the

grey areas? Children are pretty

receptive, accepting there are different

opinions on issues, Paul replies. That

said, though, they always want to have

answers. They kind of need to come

down on one side of the fence.

While sharks may be the initial draw for

anyone visiting aquariums around the

country, its very likely that the public

will leave with a lot more understanding

about the ocean than how long sharkshave lived on the planet for or how

powerful their jaws are. Unable to resist,

thats 400 million years and the most

powerful on the planet!

People

People


14/16

climate change. There will also be

impacts of climate change on the

structures themselves in terms of their

future stability and performance.

Selecting the most appropriate

maintenance strategyThe concept of performance-based asset

management (widely supported at HR

Wallingford) means that selecting the

most appropriate maintenance strategy

is strongly emphasised.

The do nothing option critically

relies on the hypothesis made

regarding long term material

properties and deterioration.

The repair option may be required

to ensure further deterioration

of the material does not occur,

but would generally require

detailed consideration of material

compatibilities especially when

older structures are repaired with

products of a newer generation. The

composition of cementitious product,

for example, has dramatically changed

over the centuries and the use of

recent repair products should be

considered with care.

The upgrade or demolish andbuild new option would in some

cases be an option to address sea

level rise in particular in low lying

coastal areas. Due to the, sometimes

intensive, use of space in coastal areas,

many works would be limited to the

footprint of the previous structure.

This may require the use of innovative

forms of construction, as well as

material types such as composites. In

addition, combination of soft andhard types of approaches would

certainly be increasingly frequent to

limit the use of the scarcer materials to

places where it is the only alternative.

Materials in the coastalenvironmentThe relationship between structure

and material is complex and has

been attracting the attention of

coastal engineers and materials

specialists for years. The followingkey considerations for materials

in the coastal environment with

regards to climate change might be

considered: availability, impacts of

transport, durability, buildability,

adaptability, environmental balance.

These considerations may apply both to

natural coastal material (such as

sand/pebble/cobbles on beaches or

from dredging), to raw conventional

construction materials (such as naturalquarried rock, timber, concrete, steel,

binders) as well as to recycled/

secondary materials.

The effect of climate changeon materialsClimate change will directly affect

materials. The increase in air and water

temperature will definitely modify

bacteriological and chemical reaction

processes leading to increased

deterioration of some rock minerals,

corrosion of steel, alteration of

concrete, for example. It would also

modify the biological environment of

these materials, allowing populations of

marine borers to develop in new areas

where previously they presented no

threat for timber structures. Although

these trends have been identified, the

challenge is now to assess their degree

and geographical extent.

The impact of materials onclimate changeAs important as the impact of climate

change is on materials, materials

Sbastien Dupray and Jonathan Simm from HR Wallingford look at howclimate change is affecting materials and their structures

Climate changematerials and materials use

Climate change is now a recognised

phenomenon that will significantly

affect the coastal environment. It is not

exactly clear, however, how this

phenomenon and materials in the

coastal environment relate to one

another, in particular the effects of sealevel rise, changing storm severity and

changes in water temperature on

materials. What is known is that

material properties and behaviours are

influenced strongly by the form of

structures in which they are embodied.

StructuresStructures taken in a broad sense, ie

artificial structures such as sea defences

or natural structures such as beaches,

may be looked at by the function for

which they are designed or they

naturally display. The primary functions

of sea defence, coast protection or

beach, for example, might include

limitation or control of overtopping,

protection from the aggressiveness of

the sea, along with environmental and

amenity functions. As a consequence,

their position, their geometry, their

components and their materials deserve

specific consideration since they control

the stability and the performance of the

existing or planned structure. Theanticipated material deterioration rates

are an important consideration,

especially in situations where normal

deterioration rates may be affected by

14 The edge Winter 2008


15/16

This may require designers to consider

supply-based design approaches rather

than more conventional demand-based

design approaches. Northern Europe has

shown that such approaches are

possible, but this may require innovative

design approaches for some coastal

structures.

A possible drawback is that local or

recycled materials may be of poorer

durability. Deterioration rates and

anticipated changes of properties with

time will therefore need to be considered

in the design as well as in the asset

management scheme to allow for regular

and easy repair.

Location, location, locationIn many cases, poor durability of

structures is due, not to the material

quality itself, but to inadequate

consideration of the aggressive nature ofthe dynamic coastal environment in

which structures are to be built and

maintained. Early consideration of

buildability during design is essential

to ensure that materials will be placed

and used in conditions that allow

them to perform at their best. The

risks of structure/material degradation

use during extraction, design and

construction also has an impact on

climate change.

For both artificial and natural structures,

there is concern about the availability of

suitable materials to allow structuresstability and performance. A large

number of glacial relic beaches around

the UK coasts, for example, are made of

stone sizes which are no longer available

from marine sources. The sustainability

of maintaining these beaches as

defences should be studied with

reference to various scenarios of

sourcing including the use of dredged

materials, raw or recycled/secondary

materials.

Shortages of beach sand/pebble can be

overcome by using local quarried stone

or even local stabilised wastes, such as

glass cullet or tyre balls, instead of

further exploiting marine sediments.

While carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

are associated with materials

production, studies have shown that

the majority of emissions associated

with construction relate to the transportof materials to the site. A hierarchy

of sourcing (available/reclaimed or

recycled/primary) and transport (on

site/locally sourced/transported from

further afield by train, ship or road)

options is generally used to compare

supply scenarios.

associated with climate change (or not)

would then be limited, also limiting the

amount of repairs.

The environmental balance of the

material in use, as well as its use in

construction, has now become an

indicator as part of the decision making

process, in particular with reference to

CO2 emissions. The awareness of the

industry as well as its efforts to reduce

the CO2 footprint of material production

and construction have been increasing

although better understanding of these

issues is still needed.

ConclusionClimate change will affect structures and

materials. Some anticipated effects on

material deterioration have already been

identified although further research is

still required to define them in

engineering terms. More challenging iswithout doubt the need to consider in

more depth, the material aspects of

construction during the design. In

particular, the holistic study of materials

should grow and take into account

availability, impacts of transport,

durability, buildability, adaptability and

environmental balance aspects.

Dr Sbastien Dupray is senior civilengineer of the French Institute for

Maritime and Fluvial Works (CETMEF),

currently seconded as a project

manager to HR Wallingford.

Jonathan Simm is Technical Directorfor Engineering at HR Wallingford.

HR Wallingford provides analysis,advice and support in engineering and

environmental hydraulics and in the

management of water and the water

environment.

The edge Winter 2008 15


16/16

CoastNet events

CoastNet emails:

Alex Midlen; [email protected]

Theresa Redding; [email protected]

Lesley Smeardon; [email protected] de los Rios; [email protected]

Christine Punter; [email protected]

Events; [email protected]

General; [email protected]

This publication is partially funded

through the Corepoint project under

the Interrreg 3B Programme. Corepoint

aims to establish North West Europe

as an internationally recognised

region of excellence in coastalmanagement by encouraging full

implementation of ICZM, highlighting

best practice, providing education by

influencing national spatial policies

for further details please see

http://corepoint.ucc.ie

Conferences

Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment

Location: The Resource Centre,LondonDate: Thursday 28 February 2008

This conference sets out to answersome of the pertinent questionsthroughout the EU surroundingStrategic Environmental Assessmentincluding: How do we deal with in-combination

and cumulative impacts? What is SEA and what does, or can

it achieve? Is it a truly holisticapproach?

Does SEA provide betterenvironmental performance?

Does SEA have a role to play inproviding more integrated planningin marine and coastal regions?

Is SEA enough, or is a morecentralised planning processrequired, such as holistic spatialplans for the coastal zone?

Do we have the information and

tools required to properly undertakeSEA in coastal regions? Fromexperience to date what difficultieshave been encountered, and whatare future needs?

Is there or should there be crossborder cooperation in SEA inmarine regions, for example in theNorth Sea, Irish Sea or EnglishChannel?

Do we have anything to learn fromapproaches elsewhere?

For further details or to book, please contact Christine Punter on 01206 728644,

or by email: [email protected]

NB There will also be opportunities for exhibition stands please contact us for further information.

Wnter 2008 Coastal INdustry

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