BALLAST WATER POLLUTION RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE BLACK SEA
Abstract
Since the emergence of humanity, the marine environment has provided a safety net in many ways, has fostered socio-economic development, creating links between states, between continents. In the same time, it represents a priority source of food for a considerable percentage of the population. The same marine environment also creates solutions to current global problems, as a potential source of sustainable energy for the future. In recent decades, the stability of this ecosystem has been considerably shaken by the various types of pollution resulting from human activities. The Black Sea is not immune to these results from economic activities, such as the transport of goods by water, which creates the context for the migration of living organisms from one geographical region to another. The threat of ecosystems has been intensified by the process of globalization, by changing the natural food chains following the accidental introduction of non- indigenous marine life by discharging ballast water from ship tanks. Risk assessment to limit the effects of this biohazard problem is the first step in a normal regional chain of action..
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