Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
understanding of the marine environment,” “take into account scientific progress which
is considered to be useful for…[such]…assessment purposes and which has been made
elsewhere,” and imposes on the OSPAR Commission duties to “define and implement col-
laborative monitoring programs,” to “approve the presentation and interpretation of their
results” and to “carry out [quality status] assessments,” including in such assessments
“both an evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures taken and planned for the protec-
tion of the marine environment and the identification of priorities for action.”
Key to the fulfillment of these obligations is the series of OSPAR Joint Assessment and
Monitoring Programmes (JAMP) that set out the basis on which the OSPAR Contracting
Parties will work together. JAMP 2003-2010 delivered the holistic OSPAR Quality Status
Report 2010 (http://ospar2010.squizmix.com/content/themes/joint-assessment-and-
monitoring-programme-jamp). JAMP 2010-2014 is primarily orientated to support the
activities of Contracting Parties in respect of the EU MSFD, and has, as its end point,
the establishment of monitoring programs under that Directive. Part of JAMP is CEMP
(OSPAR Co-ordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme http://www.ospar.org/
content/content.asp?menu=00120000000116_000000_000000) addressing coordination
across OSPAR, with the aim of delivering comparable data from across the OSPAR
maritime area that can be used to address specific questions raised in the JAMP. JAMP
regularly produces Guidelines for Contaminant-specific Biological Effects, in turn, sup-
ported by CEMP reports.
A final acronym needs to appear here, that of ICES—the International Council for the
Exploration of the Sea. ICES provides OSPAR with scientific advice and information, and
the ICES Secretariat serves as a data center for JAMP and CEMP. Such data will include
reports of contaminant concentrations in water, sediment, and biota, and the results of
biological effects monitoring.
It is in the guidelines and reports of the likes of JAMP and CEMP that biomarkers appear
(OSPAR Commission 2007; ICES 2011). OSPAR has embraced biological effects monitoring
(OSPAR Commission 2007), addressing such JAMP questions as:
1. What are the concentrations in the marine environment, and the effects of the
substances on the OSPAR list of chemicals for priority action?
2. Are there any problems emerging related to the presence of hazardous substances
in the marine environment? In particular, are there any unintended/unacceptable
biological responses, or unintended/unacceptable levels of such responses, being
caused by exposure to hazardous substances?
To address these questions, biological effects techniques can be deployed (OSPAR
Commission 2007):
1. For investigative monitoring or screening
2. As an exploratory tool for identifying both the effects of contaminants not included
in the monitoring program and combined effects of contaminants
3. As part of an integrated chemical and biological effects monitoring
In short, biomarkers have a role to play, while recognizing that the current deployment
of biological effects techniques in general remains limited. Quality assurance is recog-
nized as an essential component of the biological effects monitoring programs, but is cur-
rently only partially in place for most of the recommended techniques (Table 15.1).
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