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A Chesapeake Bay Evaluation of Deoxygenation as a Ballast Water Treatment to Prevent Aquatic Invasions
One of the most important mechanisms for the introduction of aquatic nuisance species is transport in ship ballast waters. Although several ballast tank treatments to prevent transport of aquatic organisms appear promising, all existing approaches will result in significant costs to the shipping industry. The implementation of ballast water treatment measures would be hastened by providing the shipping industry with economic incentives for doing so. Our previous work suggests that deoxygenation may be such a treatment with benefit for ship owners by reducing corrosion, while simultaneously limiting the number of aquatic organisms surviving transport in ballast tanks.
This proposed work will provide the information required to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of deoxygenation as a ballast water treatment to prevent aquatic invasions. In addition to quantifying the removal of organisms as a result of the Venturi Oxygen Stripping, we will explore in more detail the ability of deoxygenation to significantly reduce ballast tank corrosions. Combined with results of our previous work, critical information will be available to determine if ballast water deoxygenation meet the needs of an environmentally friendly technique that is effective at reducing introductions and yet also acceptable to the shipping industry in terms of safety, time, and cost. The results of this work will also provide the basis for a final definitive shipboard study that we plan to initiate upon completion of this investigation.
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Mario M. Tamburri
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Gregory M. Ruiz
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
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