Development of marine environmental observation platform deployed on ferryboats, and observation of marine pollution with hazardous chemicals in coastal region of Japan

Abstract

We developed a continuous-extraction system for sampling of hazardous chemicals in seawater, suitable for mounting on a merchant vessel. By mounting this system in the ferry "Kurosiwo" which navigated between Osaka Port and Naha New Port from December 1996 to Februry 1998, and the ferry "Sunflower Ivory" which navigated the Seto Inland Sea from December 1998 to March 2000, we observed the concentrations of hazardous chemicals in seawater and confirmed the usefulness of the system. Using these observations, we analyzed the dynamics of hazardous chemical pollution in seawater. From these results, it is clear that frequent observations are indispensable to gain a grasp of the dynamics of marine pollution by hazardous chemicals. By observing their concentraions at various times and locations, it was possible to estimate the dominant origins of HCHs and chlordanes.