Shipping in the north-east Atlantic : identifying spatial and temporal patterns of change
Abstract
Maritime traffic is increasing globally, with a four-fold increase in commercial vessel movements between 1992 and 2012. Vessels contribute to noise and air pollution, provide pathways for non-native species, and collide with marine wildlife. While knowledge of shipping trends and potential environmental impacts exists at both local and global levels, key information on vessel density for regional-scale management is lacking. This study presents the first in-depth spatio-temporal analysis of shipping in the north-east Atlantic region, over three years in a five-year period. Densities increased by 34%, including in 73% of Marine Protected Areas. Western Scotland and the Bay of Biscay experienced the largest increases in vessel density, predominantly from small and slow vessels. Given well-documented impacts that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is crucial that this situation continues to be monitored – particularly in areas designated to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems which may already be under pressure.
Citation
Robbins , J R , Bouchet , P J , Miller , D L , Evans , P G H , Waggitt , J , Ford , A T & Marley , S A 2022 , ' Shipping in the north-east Atlantic : identifying spatial and temporal patterns of change ' , Marine Pollution Bulletin , vol. 179 , 113681 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113681
Publication
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0025-326XType
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Description
This work was supported by a faculty PhD bursary from the University of Portsmouth. Work was supported by the Marine Ecosystems Research Programme.Collections
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