Managing the Environmental Sustainability of Ports
for a durable development
Roadmap on Sustainability Criteria:
Guidelines for Port Environmental Management
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Executive summary The protection of the environment and the prevention of pollution scenarios are
important competitive features for the whole Mediterranean basin.
According to the general objectives of the ENPI CBC MED Programme, MESP project
(Managing the Environmental Sustainability of Ports for a durable development) aims
to reduce air, noise and water pollution in ports and nearby areas ensuring
environmental -both natural and urban- sustainability of harbor activities and high
level of life quality in surrounding territories.
In this way, MESP aims to reach the identification of best practice and of procedures
which can help the management authorities and the users of the port areas and
infrastructures to reach an higher level of sustainability and to decrease the pollution
level for what concern air and noise and water. The project aim is also the
reproducibility of its results in order to create practices and procedure easily
applicable in both side of the Mediterranean Sea.
The following document Roadmap on Sustainability Criteria: Guidelines for Port
Environmental Management represents the synthesis of this selection process and is
intended to provide directions and advices for correct use and application of
improvement methods to all Mediterranean Ports wanting to ensure a higher
environmental impact of port activities and significantly improve life quality of the
local populations.
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Table of contents
MESP project .............................................................................................................................. 4
Aim of the document .................................................................................................................. 7
Pollution in ports and surrounding areas ................................................................................... 9
Approach criteria ...................................................................................................................... 12
Law and standard regulations. ............................................................................................. 13
Methodologies: general approach ........................................................................................... 15
Methods, skills and procedures ............................................................................................ 15
Approach to pollution problems .......................................................................................... 16
Methodologies: specific sector approach................................................................................. 18
................................................................................ 19
Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 22
Basic measurement equipment ............................................................................................ 24
Technical standards of measurements ................................................................................. 24
Measurement methodologies .............................................................................................. 26
Individuation of most critical sources ................................................................................... 29
Reports.................................................................................................................................. 30
............................................. 32
Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 35
Basic measurement equipment ............................................................................................ 38
Technical standards of measurements ................................................................................. 41
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Measurement methodologies .............................................................................................. 44
Individuation of most critical sources ................................................................................... 45
Reports.................................................................................................................................. 45
...................... 47
Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 50
Basic measurement equipment ............................................................................................ 50
Technical standards and methodology of the measurements ............................................. 51
Reports.................................................................................................................................. 56
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MESP project Managing the Environmental Sustainability of Ports for a durable development
ENPI CBC MED Cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme 2007-2013 Priority 2 Promotion of environmental sustainability at the basin level Measure 2.1 Prevention and reduction of risk factors for the environment and enhancement of natural common heritage Project in brief The intensification of maritime traffic, both in terms of goods and passengers, needs
to be accompanied by an environmentally sustainable management of port areas so
to reduce harmful consequences for local populations.
MESP addresses the reduction of water, air and noise pollution deriving from port
activities through the implementation of a multidisciplinary approach, which
encompasses technological, regulatory and administrative solutions. The
reinforcement of cooperation between port authorities, scientific organizations and
public administrations will foster the diffusion and transfer in the Mediterranean area
of sustainable management model of port areas developed by MESP project.
Partnership
Beneficiary University of Genoa - CRUIE Research Centre in Town planning and Ecological Engineering (Genoa, Italy)
Physical Oceanography Marine Science Station (Jordan, Al-Aqaba)
La Spezia Port Authority (Italy, Liguria)
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Al-Manar University of Tripoli (Lebanon)
Municipal Enterprise For Planning & Development of Patras (Greece, Peloponnisos)
Exploitation Office of the Port of Tripoli (Lebanon)
Associated Partners
Jordan Environment Society
Urban Community Al-Fayhaa
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Specific objectives
To reduce pollution in concerned ports and nearby urban areas
To reinforce the skills of public-decision makers and local administrators
To develop certification tools, which allow to assess the level of environmental sustainability of port areas
Expected results
Identification of technologies for reducing and monitoring air, water and noise pollution due to port activities
Definition of a standard model to improve the sustainable management of ports and application in 4 pilot areas
Reduction of water, air and noise pollution in selected ports
Improvement of the life quality of port users and local populations
Harmonisation of procedures, methodologies and approaches in the Mediterranean Basin
Target groups
Public administrations staff
Port authorities managers
Scientific community
Final beneficiaries
Local populations
Port operators
Tourists Duration 36 months (starting from June 1st 2012)
Total budget: 1.388.695,72
Programme contribution: 1.249.826,15 (90%)
Project co-financing: 138.869,57 (10%)
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Aim of the document
Many ports, especially in the Mediterranean area, are in very close proximity to the
urban populated area and, often, are integral part of the city.
It is well known that port areas contain sources of pollutants in different sectors (spill
operation of large ships, merchandise handling to and from the port, cargo and
passengers transport, large ships powering, sludge and sewage, goods handling inside
the port) strongly impacting the environment of the surrounding area and, as a
consequence, local population, port workers and tourists as well as both terrestrial
and marine ecosystems.
To contrast the poor knowledge about existing technology and procedures applied
outside each partner territorial contest, preventing an homogeneous development of
port infrastructures in Mediterranean basin and, above all, hampering the entry of
new methodology and technologies which can absolve works with a large savings of
energy and a substantial environmental pollution abatement, MESP project propose
a roadmap on methodologies, good practices and measurements assessment for the
environmental sustainability of ports.
These guidelines aim to:
Provide regulatory systems and procedures for environmental local port
governance processes
Offer simple and best-practice approaches to a sustainable management of
harbors, especially in the Air, Noise and Water sectors
Offer efficient methodologies and technologies for the environmental
pollution reduction;
Identify suitable criteria and indicators for verifying the environmental
sustainability of Mediterranean ports
They are addresses to:
professional figures of Mediterranean basin port public administrations or
responsible of harbor territorial management,
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scientific, operative and technical expertise on environmental pollution, in the
specific about Air, Noise and Water
scientific experts of the territorys governance and common development
strategies.
The document describes:
The approach criteria of the proposed methodologies aimed to the
environmental sustainability
The basic principles to be followed for the pollution management of in port
areas
Specific procedures for the use of indicators, technical equipment and monitoring methods within the three sectors: Air, Noise and Water.
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Pollution in ports and
surrounding areas European ports represent today the main door of access to enter Europe and Middle-
East territories for transports from all over the world. The strengthening of the
motorway of the sea strategy by the EU aims to consider them not only as the main
commercial platform, but also the main communication hub of the near future.
In this sense, ports areas and authorities have to manage a situation more and more
critical both from the point of view of sea and land traffic flows. Besides, the
increasing of commercial traffics induces to a consequent implementation of land
processing on goods while the increase of people traffics brings to several problems
concerning with the parking of big cruise boats.
The growth of sea traffic introduces critical points in terms of environmental
sustainability concerning harbors as central location of import/export traffic removed
from the road. Ports represent in this sense the most important and critical transit
area between the sea and the city. The impacts of trade, industrial and construction
activities as well as the auxiliary services concentrated in coastal areas, often on the
border of a town center, can produce negative effects both to the natural eco-system
and to the near resident urban population.
Ports are characterized by a higher degree of complexity and variety of operations in
comparison with other logistic nodes. The diversity of cargo types, the large range of
activities, products and services taking place within the port zone, the multiple use of
the areas and infrastructure have a deep impact on the urban and natural
environment. In fact, in several cases port areas are situated in close juxtaposition to
urban areas and may even be bounded by, or include, areas of special environmental
significance due to the presence of protected habitats and ecosystems.
All the activities carried out in harbors (industrial, trade, passengers and pleasure
crafts) are actually relevant sources of pollution strongly affecting port areas and
their users as well as bounding urban areas, which mostly in the Mediterranean basin
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result to be extremely close. Different fields are involved such as air, noise, water,
lighting pollution, land use and landscape impact. Air, noise and water are the
environmental components resulting most affected by the pollution caused by port
activities and need to be strongly taken into consideration for a sustainable
development of harbors.
Concerning air sector, fine particles, fumes and gases from ship drains, auxiliary
engines, truck emissions, harbor craft, terminal equipment are released in the
atmosphere and carried inland by the wind. This affects the health of port workers
and people living nearby causing health disease such as respiratory and
cardiovascular issues.
About noise pollution, the analysis results complicated due to the presence in the
same area of several types of sound sources with different characteristics from each
other, such as ferries, ships and trade operations, industrial and shipyards activities
and well auxiliary services. In this way, noise pollution can produce negative effects
both to the natural eco-system and to the urban population, causing negative effects
and damages on human health (effect on hearing, cardiovascular disturbances, high
blood pressure, sleep disturbance, reduction in efficiency, annoyance, mental stress,
lack of concentration).
Regarding water, port activities can have a strongly negative impact on the marine
environment, causing long term significant damage and a critical effect both on
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marine wildlife and human health. Quality of sea water is affected form ballast and
industrial wastewater, waste from ships, leaking oil from machinery and other toxic
substances from vessels, litter, gaseous air pollutants, dust, hazardous materials,
devastating to the aquatic ecosystems.
In this sense, through these guidelines, MESP project aims to provide procedures and
tools allowing objectively to value the sustainability of ports in order to reduce
pollution sources in the Air, Noise and Water sectors and give back to citizen, tourist
and workers an healthier and usable environment.
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Approach criteria In building the document Roadmap on Sustainability Criteria: Guidelines for Port
Environmental Management specific cross-cutting criteria have been chosen in
order to approach the environmental and sustainable improvement and
management suitable for all ports areas.
In fact, beyond the peculiarities of the different pollution fields, there are actually
some essential key concepts at the basis of the procedures in common among all.
These criteria, indeed, relate to the general approach to the pollution issue and can
be applied a priori to any port context.
The selected criteria are listed as follows:
1. Simple attitude. As a first approach to the environmental issue,
especially in a complex environment such as a port area, the vision
to face the problem must be particularly simple in order to
straightly focus on the target goal and achieve it in the clearest
way.
2. Simple methodologies. Similarly to the previous point, the
methodologies should be simple as well, by following the use of a
simplified EMS (Environmental Management System), limiting the
staff involvement, the time consumption and the budget
resources. In-depth technical activities may be useful in an
advanced stage of the analysis, namely if the pollution scenarios
cannot be solved otherwise or environmental issues are originated
by particular contexts.
3. Simple indicators. The indicators, which are the means by which
the level of environmental pollution assessment can be evaluated
and the strategies for the analysis and the control of pollution can
be estimated, in the first steps do not have to be complex and
must show a general scenario snapshot of the port context.
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4. Effective examples. Methodologies, technologies and practices
will have to be based on a database and a catalogue of examples
and best practices concerning pollution values abatement and
port environment management.
5. Interference within the port area. Measurements or interventions
for the environmental pollution reduction must not disturb and/or
interfere with the normal operation of port activities.
6. Identification of dominant environment issues. Before defining
any kind of method and procedures it is necessary to identify all
the environmental problems affecting the port area. The
evaluation process should face the effects induced both globally
and on each single environmental component (i.e. air, noise and
water) identifying the main sources as well as the main areas
exposed and the responsible subjects for priority actions. For a
more accurate environmental analysis, it could be useful
considering additional information for the evaluation of the
environmental impact concerning the characteristics of nearby
areas (urban, peri-urban, sub-urban, etc.) and the frequency
and/or periodicity of certain specific activities as tourism
(passenger cruise) and pleasure crafts use which strongly depend
on the season.
Laws and standard regulations. The methodologies to be applied in the assessment of the environment pollution
impact should first of all respect the national laws scenario. The regulatory
background in which the monitoring activities have to take place is essential to obtain
an holistic approach in the evaluation and management of environment quality in
order to:
identify the objectives for environment quality designed to avoid, prevent,
reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment as a whole;
assess environment quality on the basis of common methods and criteria;
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collect information on environmental quality as a basis for identifying the
measures to be taken to fight pollution and the harmful effects of it on human
health and the environment and to monitor long-term trends;
maintain of environment quality if itis good;
guarantee to provide public opinion with accurate information on ambient air
quality.
In pollution monitoring, first of all local or national laws and
standards need to be identified and selected in order to clearly
define the limits of pollutants and measurement procedures.
If the subjects country is an EU member state, specific EC
requirement are needed either for measurement methods or
for the equipment needed.
If the subjects country is not an EU member state, the
standards of reference are represented by the available
worldwide regulations from international standards
organizations (e.g. US-EPA in case of air, ISO standards in case
of noise, etc.).
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Methodologies: general
approach
Methods, skills and procedures As for the criteria previously described, some common method, skill and procedure
features for the environmental improvement of port contexts have been identified
for the three topics and, eventually, have been analyzed in a unique way, as
described as follows:
Assessment of current pollution context within the harbor
area -and in the surrounding urban territory- including land-
based and vessel operations through measurements campaign
(see below), site visits and interviews with port officials, port
operation managers, on-site inspection of the port area,
interviews with the local involved institutions (Port Authority,
Municipality, Government, etc.), stakeholders and ship
captains.
Collection of useful information such as GIS map of the area,
geographical boundaries of the project, proximity of residential
and industrial areas from harbour pollution sources, historical
meteorological data, complaints from population and harbour
workers, medical records (e.g. health issues, diseases, etc.),
companies and other noise sources like transport, ship moored,
installations, etc.
Identification of different pollution sources and their
generation mechanism, in order to better focus on the
reduction actions trough environmental monitoring actions
allowing at the same time.
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Environmental monitoring actions as an essential tool for a
sustainable development of ports and other productive urban
areas by evaluating the respect of fixed normative limitations.
In addition, they could give constant and update information on
pollution level values concerning all different components (air,
noise, water, etc.). Monitoring activities have a crucial role in
the success of an action or process especially in the long-term
period, as a key point for the sustainable development.
Operator skills. Measurement for the evaluation of the
pollution level of the port scenario have to be carried out by
environment specialists with a complete knowledge of the use,
measurement procedures and calibration of the equipment in
order to ensure the accuracy of the results.
Approach to pollution problems In the same way, a common approach to the pollution problems can be followed
within the different sectors. In fact, the line methodology for Air, Noise or Water
sectors generally includes the following steps:
Scope: Evaluation of the goals and purpose.
Methodology: Planning and development of the approach in the pollution reduction.
Action: Implementation of activities.
Check: Verification of target achievements and/or correction if needed.
Particularly, the pollution reduction procedures contain multiple steps:
Identification of the pollution problems within the port area
and determination of indicators limits according to national
and international standards.
Pollution assessment through monitoring campaigns, in order
to identify pollution sources, detect pollution trends and find
out critical areas exposed to pollution levels higher than
standard values.
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Evaluation of the sensitive objects (hospital, school, etc.) and
number of exposed people.
Priorities establishment, by ranking pollution sources taking
also into consideration the risk on human health, aquatic life
and wildlife, the public interest and the importance of the port.
Pollution abatement action plans, to be developed from the
monitoring survey results, containing target activities to
implement in order to decrease the pollution levels. If possible,
pollution and conflict map should be drawn up to better
achieve the abatement goals. Additional actions may be:
training on pollution awareness for port workers, improvement
of the infrastructures (surface design and maintenance) and
protection devices for employees where necessary.
Assessment monitoring in order to evaluate the effectiveness
of the action plan measures and determine whether pollution
standards have been attained or more stringent controls should
be applied.
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Methodologies: specific
sector approach
Specific key elements related to its own sector have to be focused, as shown in the
following pages, on the analysis of different aspects of the specific topic issues: Air,
Noise and Water.
For each pollution sector, the following aspects are specified:
definition of the most significant indicators to be considered and evaluated
basic measurement equipment to use in order to carry on proper
measurement campaign
technical standard and procedures of measurement to be followed
measurement methodologies to adopt for the pollution sources identification
individuation of the most critical sources
reports containing information on the collected data.
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Port activity, especially when providing the handling of bulk goods, produces
unavoidable impacts on air quality within the surrounding area, due to the dispersion
of powders -especially fine particles- fumes or gases.
Strict monitoring programs about air conditions are already being implemented in
several harbors, in order to identify possible violations of law-limits related to
concentrations of fine particles, whose adverse health effects have been proved.
Some of the actions to be taken and continuously implemented in order to reduce
adverse effects on environment and health can be represented by projects regarding
reduction of road traffic in favor of railway, improvement of combustion processes in
combustion engines and progressive replacement with electric motors or low
emission of harmful gases (NO2, CO, CO2, etc.), frequent cleaning of the streets and
squares with appropriate sweepers, continuous monitoring of concentrations of
particulate matter and total dust in air.
Therefore, projects facing control, scientific and standardized parameters of air
quality must find the support and active participation of all the institutional bodies
and business that are involved in the handling of goods, in order to identify new and
more effective measures to prevent and mitigate the spread of dust in the
environment, within a framework of sustainable development of ports.
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The first step in the identification of the most suitable methodologies to be
applied to improve the environmental sustainability of ports within the Air topic
should consider the following actions:
The assessment of:
- Dry bulk storage and handling
- Liquid bulk storage and transfer (Loading/Unloading)
- Non-bulk chemical storage and handling
- Port cargo handling equipment and truck operations powered by diesel
engines
- Vehicle and equipment fuelling
- Management of hazardous and non-hazardous waste
- General operations that can impact surrounding urban areas
- Buildings and grounds maintenance
The determination of the pollutants mostly affecting the environmental
sustainability.
The consideration of emissions (air pollution, odour originating from a facility
or source) and immissions (defined as effects of air pollutants on plants,
animals, on human beings and on the atmosphere).
The second step foresees the collection of useful resources and data that can be
helpful during the analysis and the evaluation of the action to be implemented.
Specifically, the needed information is:
Concerning the reduction of the negative impacts of port general operations
(such as, e.g., dust from dry bulk storage piles, cargo loading/unloading and
maintenance/use of dirt/gravel roads on port):
- Type, quantity, duration of storage and frequency of piles
- Port road information: length, surface, coverage material, etc.
- Current road projects
- Equipment used within the port
Concerning the pollutants from diesel exhaust emitted by land-based
equipment and vessels and vapours from transfer of liquid bulk products:
- CORINAIR or EPA Standards
- Type of equipment and related impact
- Frequency of vessels in the port
- Type of diesel used
- All other information required by standards
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Concerning trash from port activities, dumped outside port area by visitors,
service providers, employees, others:
- Activities generating trash
- Nature
- Quantity
Concerning traffic congestion from truck queuing, security checks, service
deliveries, etc.:
- Port operation schedule
- Number of trucks entering the port/queuing in front of entrance
- Any past data or statistics regarding trucks
In order to ensure the proper execution of measures campaigns and monitoring
activities, some information on the measurement methods, on the investigated
parameters, on data collection and on the technical equipment to be used in the
topic Air are required. A good approach in this area is, in fact, essential in order to
obtain valid results and, thus, to ensure the maximum accuracy in the subsequent
intervention actions.
Definitions Particulate Matter (PM10): Particulate Matter (PM) is a mixture consisting of solid
and liquid particles having different chemical and physical characteristics small
enough to be suspended in the atmosphere. In particular, PM10 means particles up
to 10m in size. Particulate Matter comes either from natural sources (such as, fire,
soil erosion, evaporated sea spray etc.) or anthropogenic sources, mainly urban
traffic and combustion processes. It can be emitted directly into the atmosphere
(primary pollutant) or develop from chemical reactions or condensing processes. The
length of time the particulate matter remains in the atmosphere depends on the
particle size as well as finer particles tend to be suspended for a significant amount
of time, therefore, to spread evenly on vast areas.
Nitrogen Dioxide: mainly, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a secondary pollutant which
develops from oxidation of nitrogen oxide (NO) these two compounds are globally
known as Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx). The Oxides of Nitrogen are emitted directly into
the atmosphere following high temperature combustion processes (heating plants,
car engines, industrial combustion, power plants, etc.) due to oxidation of the
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atmospheric nitrogen and - only at a small extent due to oxidation of the nitrogen
compounds contained in fuels.
Concerning road traffic, the highest amount of these pollutants is detected when the
vehicles are running at full speed or accelerating, since the NOX production increases
with the increase of the air/fuel ratio, to say, when there is the largest amount of
oxygen available for combustion. Upon emission, most Oxides of Nitrogen are NO,
with a NO/NO2 ratio definitely in favor of the first compound (in the emissions, the
NO2 content is approx. 5 to 10% of the Total Oxides of Nitrogen) which is then
oxidized in the atmosphere by the oxygen and more quickly by the Ozone, thus
forming Nitrogen Dioxide.
Nitrogen Monoxide is not regulated, since at the typically-measured ambient air
levels it has no harmful effects on human health and/or the environment.
Nevertheless, its levels are measured because through its oxidation into NO2 and its
involvement into other photochemical reactions it plays a role in the production of
Tropospheric Ozone (O3).
Ozone: the Tropospheric Ozone (O3) is a secondary pollutant formed from chemical
processes that occur in the atmosphere driven by ozone precursors, namely, Oxides
of Nitrogen and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Such reactions are facilitated by
intense sunlight and high temperatures and result into the formation of different
pollutants (photochemical smog). Typically, Ozone pollution occurs in summertime,
with highest concentrations detected in the afternoon at suburban areas located
downwind from urban industrial zones.
Carbon Monoxide: Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a gas emitted from vehicle tailpipes or
propulsion systems where an incomplete combustion of fossil fuels occurs. The main
sources of CO emissions include cars, trucks, motorcycles, and some industrial
processes. High concentrations can be found in enclosed spaces, such as garages,
poorly-ventilated tunnels or along the roads affected by heavy traffic.
Other pollutant: further standard air pollutants that can be analyzed in compliance
with European Community standards can be:
BTX
SOX
PM2.5
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Basic measurement equipment
A complete air pollution monitoring equipment set must contain, at least:
Carbon Monoxide Analyzer
Ozone Analyzer
Nitrogen Oxide Analyzer
Air sampling unit (to be placed 4.5m above the ground)
Automatic Calibration System by means of low-concentration
cylinders
Automatic Analyzer for continuous monitoring of airborne
particulate, equipped with a PM10 sampling head (to be placed
approximately 5m above the ground) and a microprocessor to
control a sequential sampling unit
Stand-alone Pump equipped with a microprocessor to control a
sequential sampling unit
Sequential Sampling Unit, to control the filters in auto mode
Weather Transmitter, mounted onto a telescopic pole mast of
10m approximately
Data Acquisition system, (PC, Ethernet Switch, GSM modem for
sending data to the Master Control Station)
Sampler
Automatic Analyzer for continuous monitoring of airborne
particulate, equipped with a PM10 sampling head (approximately
5m above the ground) and a microprocessor to control a
sequential sampling unit
Technical standards of measurements For the determination of the different parameters of air quality it is suggested to
adopt quality objectives and to detect appropriate reference methods and any
equivalent methods in order to ensure maximum comparability in measurements( for
example, the methods used in La Spezias sites are described in the following).
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However, given the heterogeneity of the participants in the MESP project, it is
considered appropriate to achieve shared methods in order to ensure the
comparability of results and, where they are non-reference methods, it is important
to acquire a demonstration of equivalence.
Reference method for nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen
The reference method for the measurement of nitrogen dioxide and oxides of
nitrogen is that described in EN14211:2005 Ambient air quality Standard method
for the measurement of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen
monoxide by chemiluminescence.
Reference method for PM10
The reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM10 is that described
in EN 12341:1999 Air Quality Determination of the PM10 fraction of suspended
particulate matter Reference method and field test procedure to demonstrate
reference equivalence of measurement methods.
Reference method for PM2,5
The reference method for the sampling and measurement of PM2,5 is that described
in EN 14907:2005 Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination
of the PM2,5 mass fraction of suspended particulate matter.
Reference method for Carbon Monoxide
The reference method for the measurement of carbon monoxide is that described in
EN 14626:2005 Ambient air quality Standard method for the measurement of the
concentration of carbon monoxide by non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy.
Reference method for Ozone
The reference method for the measurement of ozone is that described in EN
14625:2005 Ambient air quality Standard method for the measurement of the
concentration of ozone by ultraviolet photometry.
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Measurement methodologies Data quality objectives
In order to have proper populated dataset, it is suggested the adoption of quality
objectives which provide for the validation of the collected data a minimum number
of samples and the determination of the uncertainty on the same.
As an indication, the following table lists those required by current Italian regulations
for indicative measurements (i.e. not fixed monitoring sites, like in this monitoring
project) and applied in the course of these campaigns.
Nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide
Particulate matter (PM10/PM2,5)
Ozone
Measurements indicative error
25% 50% 30%
Minimum data 90% 90% 90%
The minimum requirements for the collection of valid data and the minimum time
coverage do not include losses of data due to the regular calibration or the normal
maintenance of the instrumentation, where such activities are conducted in
accordance with the quality assurance programs.
Identification of monitoring parameters and points
The rules to define measurements clearly depend on polluting and on the source to
be monitored. It should also be pointed out that the minimum number of
measurement points is not in itself a guarantee of the ability to adequately represent
the state of air quality, and is therefore a necessary but not sufficient condition for a
complete monitoring of the situation in a the area. The intent is in fact trying to
define a minimum level of evaluation, rather than a maximum level.
Two main areas can be identified, as a result of the boundary conditions in terms of
morphology topography, characteristics of the settlement, and level of complexity of
the port site:
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Macro scale. The measuring stations must be located as to be as much
representative as the sampling ones. including those not located in the
immediate vicinity. Hence, air quality assessment conducted in the
sampling site, can be considered to be representative of air quality even in
similar areas..
Micro scale. The measuring stations is suggested to apply the following
criteria on micro scale siting that are dictated by the rules of common
sense.
- the flow around the inlet sampling probe shall be unrestricted (free
in an arc of at least 270) without any obstructions affecting the
airflow in the vicinity of the sampler (normally some metres away
from buildings, balconies, trees and other obstacles and at least 0,5
m from the nearest building in the case of sampling points
representing air quality at the building line;
- in general, the inlet sampling point shall be between 1,5 m (the
breathing zone) and 4 m above the ground. Higher positions (up to 8
m) may be necessary in some circumstances. Higher siting may also
be appropriate if the station is representative of a large area;
- the inlet probe shall not be positioned in the immediate vicinity of
sources in order to avoid the direct intake of emissions unmixed with
ambient air;
- the samplers exhaust outlet shall be positioned so that recirculation
of exhaust air to the sampler inlet is avoided.
The following factors may also be taken into account:
interfering sources,
security,
access,
availability of electrical power and telephone communications,
visibility of the site in relation to its surroundings,
safety of the public and operators,
the desirability of co-locating sampling points for different pollutants,
planning requirements.
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Documentation and review of site selection
The procedures for selection of fixed sampling sites should be fully documented, for
example by photographs of the surrounding environment in the direction of north,
south, east, west, and detailed maps. The selection should be reviewed at regular
intervals with repeated documentation to ensure that selection criteria remain valid
over time.
Operational measures for mitigating the impact of port activities
A number of possible actions have been identified, some of a more general nature,
and others to be activated, for example, to the overcoming of the threshold values
and critical levels (to be defined for each site and for each parameter) of the air
quality.
use of renewable energy where possible;
use of environmental friendly technologies and alternative materials to
conventional (for example with the use of bases with the photo catalytic
titanium dioxide);
application of environmental engineering and green building techniques
where possible;
cold ironing, thanks to which the vessels are plugged into the dock does not
have to keep their engines running to power the auxiliary generators on
board, resulting in substantial savings in terms of emissions and also strong
reduction of noise pollution;
creation of portals spray, real gaps with dust extraction systems of transport
in and out of the harbour;
reduction of dust including the harbour refitting by wind through a systematic
and organized action of cleaning the roadways and yards and treatments with
biological fixing products that, thanks to an active enzyme consists of natural
organic molecules with a high molecular weight, are able to trap fine dust;
use of fuels with low sulphur content;
identification of actions to limit emission and dispersion of dust from
powdered goods (e.g. improvements buckets, conveyor belts);
reducing the impact of heavy traffic and private, through interventions both
regulatory and structural traffic (use of rail transport);
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adoption of best available technologies for collecting and reducing emissions
from activities as painting and sandblasting;
apply a specific dispersion model that identifies the areas of greatest impact
due to the sources listed in the register of emissions.
Weather Parameters
Meteorological parameters must measure the following factors:
Wind speed and direction
Rainfall
Atmospheric Pressure
Temperature
Relative Humidity
The technologies used for measuring each parameter could be the following::
Wind: Wind speed and direction sensors must detect the horizontal speed
and direction of wind, with measuring range for wind speed from 0 to 60 m/s
and wind direction measurement range from 0 to 360 degrees.
Rainfall: Acoustic based measurement can be adopted. Detecting every
individual raindrop as it impacts on the sensor surface, the system analyze the
signal generated by raindrop impact, proportional to the volume of the
raindrop itself. Then the signal from each raindrop can be converted into the
accumulated quantity of rain.
Atmospheric Pressure: The Atmospheric Pressure sensor must have minimal
hysteresis and repeatability features. The measuring range must be from 600
to 1100 hPa.
Temperature: it must have a measuring range from -50 to +60C.
Relative Humidity: it must feature long-term stability in a wide range of
environmental conditions and negligible hysteresis and have a measuring
range from 0 to 100%RH.
Analysis of most critical sources In the framework of the activities of air quality management and limits the emissions
of pollutants into the atmosphere, it is important to obtain qualitative and
quantitative information on emissions from different types of sources.
30
In this context, the emissions inventory is intended as a collection, made in
accordance with procedures and methodologies verifiable, updatable information
and technological, economic, territorial data, which allows to identify the sources of
pollution, their location with provincial and municipal disaggregation and the amount
and type of pollutants emitted.
The methodology suitable for the realization of an emission inventory provides the
direct quantification, by means of measurements, of all emissions of different types
of sources for the area and the period of interest. The "analytical" approach,
however, is effective only for certain specific types of pollutants (e.g. Sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide) and of sources, typically large industrial plants
(e.g. power plants, incinerators, cement plants) whose emissions are generally very
relevant and controlled through this system of continuous monitoring.
It is therefore necessary to resort to the approach used by most emission inventories,
which estimate emissions on an indicator that characterizes the activity of the source
and an emission factor specific to the type of source, process and industrial
purification technology adopted. This method is therefore based on a linear
relationship between the activity of the source and the issue.
Within an emissions inventory could be divided into the following types:
spread, distributed over the territory, estimated through the use of
appropriate indicators and emission factors;
spot, geographically localized pollution sources, estimated from the
measured data collected through a special inventory, for some pollutants,
non-monitored, emissions can result from estimation carried out as above;
linear such as roads, estimated through the use of appropriate indicators and
emission factors, usually via methods of detail.
Reports The results should be presented in a separate report containing:
a description of assessment carried out activities;
the specific methods used, with references to descriptions of the method;
31
the data collected and presented in summary form with graphical
comparisons with any series (including other neighbouring stations
correlated);
analysis of the limits of the activity and the difficulties encountered.
32
33
Ports and harbors are characterized by very several and complex operations,
especially if compared with other logistic nodes. This make them an important source
of pollution mainly when ports are localized very close to urban areas. Particularly,
noise pollution analysis is complicated due to the presence in the same area of
several types of sound sources with different characteristics from each other. Noise
from ports areas, in fact, come not only from ferries and ships and trade operations
(engines and ventilation systems, embarking-disembarking actions) but also from
industrial and shipyards activities (repair shipyards, noise from operations on hulls in
dry docks) as well auxiliary services (such as transshipment containers and trailer
trucks handling noise, in particular due to the impacts during positioning, cranes
sound warning devices, power plants) localized in the piers and docks of the port
area. In this way, noise pollution can produce negative effects both to the natural
eco-system and to the urban population, causing negative effects and damages on
human health.
To assess and manage the environmental port noise, several actions and solutions
have to be studied and applied, in order to allow the development of trade without
compromising the quality of life in port cities. Since in ports there are several noise
sources typologies, the noise characterization in this ambit should be optimized
through environmental acoustical monitoring plans that assume in this context a
relevant role especially considering the effects induced on the near residential area.
Monitoring plans, in fact, should be developed in order to identify through
phonometric measurements the most critical noise zones and recognize the causes
that have produced them, to acoustically characterize the sound sources (sound
power, spectral characteristics, duration) and evaluate what kind of measurement
methodology to use for characterizing them and the number of people harmfully
effected. Then, the knowledge of the specific territory should allow the activation of
operative actions with the aim of improving the acoustical comfort of critical areas. A
particular importance has the choice of acoustic descriptors and indicators, useful to
correlate the sound pressure level measurements, the percentage of persons who
have negative effects on their health and to assess the damage caused by noise in the
exposed population.
Therefore, only in this way, management actions against noise in port areas can be
planned and developed by improving procedures, policies, tools and intervention
priorities can be fixed.
34
As seen for Air topic, as a first step different actions for the identification of the most
suitable methodologies to be applied to improve the environmental sustainability of
ports within the Noise topic have to be considered:
The assessment of:
- Port services and facilities,
- Vehicle noise: engine, exhaust, trucks, cranes, ships,
- Loading/unloading equipment
- Construction activities
- Maintenance activities
- Scrap merchandise
- Management of hazardous and non-hazardous waste
- General operations that can impact surrounding urban areas
- Building and grounds maintenance
The second step foresees the collection of useful resources and data that can be
helpful during the analysis and the evaluation of the action to be implemented.
Specifically, the needed information is:
Concerning the reduction of the negative impacts of port general operations
(such as, e.g., Cargo loading/unloading and maintenance/Vehicle
noise/Construction and Maintenance activities):
- Intensity and duration of all sources generating noise at the Port
- Current road projects
- Equipment used in the port
Concerning the traffic congestion from truck queuing, security checks, service
deliveries, etc.:
- Port operation schedule
- Number of trucks entering the port/ queuing in front of entrance
- Any past data or statistics regarding trucks
It must be highlighted that it is particularly important, for the Noise topic, to consider
during the measurement the evaluation of the multiplicity of sources generating
noise within the harbour area (different noise pattern, sound power level, intensity
35
and time duration) and the background noise deriving from, e.g., highways, urban
roads and railways.
In order to ensure the proper execution of measures campaigns and monitoring
activities, some information on the measurement methods, the investigated
parameters, data collection and the technical equipment to be used in the topic
Noise are required. A good approach in this area is, in fact, indispensable in order to
obtain valid results and, thus, to ensure the maximum accuracy in the subsequent
intervention actions.
Definitions Specific source: identifiable sound source that is the cause of potential noise
pollution.
Reference time (TR): period of the day in which the measures are performed. The 24
hours are divided into two parts: from 06:00a.m. to 07:00 p.m. (day), from 07:00 p.m.
to 10:00 p.m. (evening) and from 10:00 p.m. to 06:00 a.m (night).
Long-term time (TL): sufficiently large period within the TR in which significant values
are evaluated. The TL duration is related to the factors variations of that could
influence the noise level on the long term.
Observation time (TO): time period included in the TR in which occur the noise
conditions to be evaluated.
Measurement time (TM): within the TO, one or more TMs -with duration equal to or
less than the TO- are identified, depending on noise characteristics and variability, in
order to have representative measures.
A weighted sound levels: LAS, LAF and LAI. These sound levels are the logarithmic
mean effective values of the A weighted sound pressure level LPA, referred to the
slow, fast and impulse time constants.
A weighted maximum sound levels: LASmax, LAFmax and LAImax. These sound levels are
the maximum values for the A-weighted sound pressure level LPA, referred to the
slow, fast and impulse time constants.
36
A-weighted Equivalent Sound Level (LAeq): energy average A-weighted sound level
occurring over a given time interval (t1 - t2).
A-weighted Equivalent Continuous Sound Level (LAeq,T): energy average A-weighted
sound pressure level of a constant sound that, in a specified period T, has the same
quadratic average pressure of a known sound with T variable level.
where:
pA(t) is the instantaneous value of A-weighted sound pressure level in Pascal (Pa);
p0 = 20 Pa is the reference sound pressure.
A-weighted Equivalent Continuous Sound Level in the long-term time TL (LAeq,TL): it
can be referred to:
a) the average value over the whole period:
where:
N are the considered reference times
The individual period in the TR. In this case, it identifies a 1 hour wide TM
inside the TO in which the phenomena in exam takes place. The LAeq,TL
represents the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level resulting from
the sum of the Ms TM measurement slots. It is the level to be compared with
the limits and is expressed by:
where:
i is the single 1 hour period in the ith TR.
37
13-hour day-time A-weighted Equivalent Sound Level (LD): the acoustic describer
referred to the period from 06:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
3-hour evening-time A-weighted Equivalent Sound Level (LE): the acoustic describer
referred to the period from 07:00 p.m.to 10:00 p.m.
8-hour night-time A-weighted Equivalent Sound Level (LN): the acoustic describer
referred to the time period from 10:00 p.m. to 06:00 a.m.
Day-evening-night A-weighted Equivalent Sound Level (LDEN)
Sound exposure level SEL (LAE): it quantifies the total A-weighted acoustic energy
integrated over a time interval for a given acoustical event. Simplifying, the SEL of an
event is described as the hypothetical equivalent sound pressure level enduring for a
period of one second that would have the same amount of acoustic energy as the
specific transient event for which the SEL was measured and is expressed by:
where
t2 and t1 is a period sufficiently wide to enclose the event;
t0 is the reference duration (1 s)
Environmental Noise Level (LA) is the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound
pressure produced by all the noise sources in a given place and in a certain period.
The environmental noise is made up of residual noise and of specific disturbing
sources, with the exception of the well identifiable unusual events. It is the level to
be compared with the maximum limits of exposure:
1) in the case of differential limits, is reported to the TM 2) in the case of absolute limits is referred to the TR
Residual Noise Level (LR) is the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure
detected when the specific disturbing source is excluded. It has to be measured with
the same methods used for the measurement of environmental noise and must not
contain atypical sound events.
38
Differential Noise Level (LD): it is the difference between the Environmental Noise
Level (LA) and the Residual Noise Level (LR):
Emission level: it is the A-weighted equivalent continuous pressure sound level due
to a specific source. Its the level to be compared to the emission limits.
Correction factor (Ki) is the correction in dB(A) which consider impulsive, tonal or low
frequency components:
presence of impulsive components Ki = 3 dB
presence of tonal components Kt = 3 dB
presence of low frequency components in Kb = 3 dB
The correction factor is not applied to transport infrastructure.
Presence of non-continuous noise: the presence of non-continuous noise is
considered -only during the day TR- in case of noise duration equal or less than one
hour. If the noise duration is less than one hour, the value of environmental noise,
measured in Leq(A) must be reduced by 3 dB(A); if it is less than 15 minutes the Leq(A)
must be reduced by 5 dB(A).
Corrected Noise Level (LC) is defined by:
Basic measurement equipment
Measuring system
The measuring system should be chosen in order to satisfy the specifications established for class 1 in EN 60651/1994 (replaced by EN 61672-2/2003) and EN 60804/1994.
The data of equivalent level must be carried out directly with a sound level meter according to class 1 of EN 60651/1994 and EN 60804/1994. Class 1 provides the required accuracy for the measurement of environmental noise.
39
Filters and microphones
Filters and microphones used in the measures must satisfy EN 61260/1995 (IEC 1260) and EN 61094-1/1994, EN 61094-2/1993, EN 61094-3/1995, EN 61094-4/1995.
Calibrations
Calibrators must be conform to CEI 29-4. The full measuring system must be controlled with a class 1 calibrator according to IEC 942/1988 before and after each measuring cycle.
Acoustic measurements are valid if the gap before and after each measurement cycle is less than 0.5 dB. In case of recording and playback, the calibration signals must be recorded.
Tools and measurement systems shall be provided with a certificate of calibration and checked at least every two years to verify compliance with the technical specifications.
Other
In case of use of other elements to complete the measurements and everything else not specified, it must be ensured that said elements respect limits of tolerance for the class 1 mentioned above.
Accessory elements
Tripod
Microphone windscreen
Data collection form (as shown in the following picture)
40
2 Data File Name :
3 Measure position :
4 Adress - City/Town :
5 Date - Time - Day :
6 Reference time :
7 Measurement technician :
8 Air Velocity - Temp. - Humidity : m/s C %
9 Sound Level Meter model :
10 Leq :
11 L 90 :
12 L 95 :
13 L 99 :
14 L I max :
15 L S max :
16 Notes :
17 Leq Noise Spectrum 18
Position no.:
dB(A)
dB(A)
dB(A)
Picture of the measurement
position
Noise Measurement Campaign
[Insert here the name of the place you are
having measurement]
dB(A)
dB(A)
dB(A)
41
Technical standards of measurements Prior to any measurement campaign, it is necessary to acquire all the information
that may affect the choice of the method, times and locations of tests.
The noise measurements should consider variations in the emissions and the
propagation of sound sources. All the data leading to a description of sources
affecting the environmental noise in the investigated area have to be collected. If
recognizable, it is important to indicate the major noise sources, the sound level
variability and any tonal and/or impulsive and/or low frequency components.
The measurement of A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level in the
period of reference (LAeq,TR):
can be performed:
a) Continuous integration method. The LAeq,TR value is obtained by measuring the
environmental noise during the whole reference period, with the possible
exception of time slots in which anomalous conditions occur, being not
representative of the area.
b) Sampling method. The LAeq,TR is evaluated as the average of the A-weighted
equivalent continuous sound pressure level values, related to the time of
observation (TO). The value of LAeq,TR is given by:
The measurement methodology records value of LAeq,TR representative of the
environmental noise scenario in the TR, the studied area, the source type and noise
propagation. The measure must be rounded up to 0.5 dB.
In free field measurement campaign, has to be oriented towards the source of noise.
If the source is not localizable or there are multiple sources, a microphone with
random incidence must be used. The microphone should be fixed on a support and
42
connected to the sound level meter with cable long enough to allow operators to
stay at least at 3 m away from the microphone.
In case of buildings with faade flush with the road, the microphone should be placed
at 1 m from faade. Otherwise (not flush or buildings in open spaces), the
microphone should be placed inside the building and, in any case, not less than 1 m
from the faade.
The height of the microphone should be chosen in agreement with the actual or
assumed position of the receiver. When measuring in free field, the microphone
should be at a height of 1.5 m above ground surface. When measuring at 1,5m above
the ground surface then corrections are needed (1 dB).
The shielding of local objects that can affect the outcomes of the noise measurement
carried out at a short distance must be taken into account.
Noise monitoring campaigns could be implemented as grid points (Colenbrander
Method). The measurements should be conduct on the grid points with distance less
than 0.2 d (d = the largest diameter of the objects situated in the matrix).
If a point of the grid noise measurement cannot be carried out because not (objects,
buildings, etc.) the value of the virtual point should be determined by means of
extrapolation or interpolation taking into account that noise levels are logarithmic
(not linear) values.
The measurement campaigns have to be done in absence of rainfall, fog and/or
snow; the wind speed must not be more than 5 m/s and the microphone must be
provided of windshield. The measuring system must be compatible with the weather
in which measurements are made and in any case according to CEI 29-10 and EN
60804/1994.
Impulsive events instrumental survey
In order to identify impulsive event, LAimax and LASmax levels for a suitable time have to
be measured.
43
Noise is considered having impulsive components when:
the event is repetitive;
the difference between LAimax and LASmax is more than 6 dB;
the event is less than 1 s at -10 dB from the value LAFmax.
The impulsive event is repetitive when occurs at least 10 times per hour during the
daytime and at least 2 times per hour during the night.
The repetition shall be demonstrated through graphic recording of LAF during the
measurement time. The LAeq,TR level is increased by a correction factor KI as earlier
defined.
Tonal components identification
In order to detect presence of tonal components in the noise (CT), a 1/3-octave
frequency bands spectral analysis has to be performed. Only stationary in time and
frequency CT are considered.
If sequential filters are used, the minimum of each band with fast time constant has
to be determined. If parallel filters are used, the level of the stationary spectrum is
highlighted by the lowest level in each band. In order to highlight a CT located at the
crossover frequency of two filters at 1/3-octave, filters with greater selective power
or alternatives crossover frequencies can be used.
The analysis has to be carried out in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
A CT occurs if the minimum level of a band exceeds the minimum levels of the
adjacent bands for at least 5 dB. The correction factor KT is applied, as earlier defined,
only if the CT touch an isophonic curve equal or higher than the highest reached by
the other components of the spectrum.
Low frequency components
If the performed frequency analysis reveals a CT and the corrective factor KT in the
frequency range between 20 Hz and 200 Hz has to be used, the corrective factor KB as
earlier defined has to be applied, exclusively during the night time period.
44
Measurement methodologies Measurement is a very important phase to know the airborne noise radiated from a
ship, according to its operating condition.
In order to deduce useful information to characterize the noise within a port context,
the measurement campaigns must be articulated as follow:
long time (whole day/evening/night, preferably on several days) monitoring,
in a significant site for the port noise immission, so as to have a wider
overview and to possibly highlight both discontinuity and repetitiveness or
frequency of the noise on the long-term.
measurements on short time (e.g. 30-45 min) in different days and time slots,
day and night-time, both in the same site (as in the continuous monitoring)
and other sites in the study area, which provide information on the short-time
noise level at different times and with different port scenarios. The number of
measurements depends on the variations: if, after measuring 3 or 4 times at a
grid point, the average noise levels does not alter anymore the value, the
number of measurements is sufficient. If the average noise level alters more
than 1 dB, then additional measurements are recommended.
The microphone should be placed at a distance of 1 m from the buildings faades
exposed to the higher noise and at least 4 m from ground. In absence of buildings,
the microphone should be placed in the position of sensitive receivers.
The output data required for the measurement campaign is:
the sound pressure levels A-weighted, LAeq, measured in octave or even in 1/3
octave bands;
the maximum sound pressure level weighting A and with time weighting Slow,
LpASmax;
the percentile levels, L90 L95 L99;
the spectral analysis (if available) of 1/3 octave bands, also in order to detect
the presence of tonal and impulsive components;
the background level, to verify that the sound level measured in the current
source is 10 dB higher than the background noise. If yes, the error due to the
45
neglecting background noise is less than 5.0 dB. If not, measured sound levels
has to be cleanse from the background noise by means of:
where
Ls is sound level of the sound source;
Lm is total measured sound level (sound source + background noise);
Lb is measured background noise;
i is referred to the ith frequency band
The values obtained should be compared with the maximum levels established as
limit.
Analysis of most critical sources Once the monitoring activities have been conducted, it is
necessary to identify the most critical of the sound sources. They can be identified through:
Sound pressure levels from the source
Sound emission spectrum (if available)
Sound emission day period
The sound pressure level, depending on the source sound power, and the spectrum are
features of the sound source. The higher is the sound pressure level and the more it is
concentrated in the most sensitive human hearing frequencies range, the more the sound
source will be critical. The sound emission day period is important because the noise
produced by a given plant can be covered by the noise from other activities in the
surrounding areas.
Reports The results of the measurements shall be recorded in a report which contains at least
the following data:
Date, place, time of detection and description of weather conditions, wind
speed and direction;
Reference, observation and measurement time;
46
Complete measuring cycle, in particular focusing on the used equipment, its
accuracy and calibration certificate;
Noise levels detected;
Results and conclusions;
Names list of the observers/samplers who attended the measurement;
Identification and signature of the acoustic competent technician who
performed the measurements.
47
48
Seawater supports a multitude of functional coastal ecosystems and facilitates the
distribution, abundance and life of organisms. Coastal water quality is very important
from the environmental, economic and societal point of view and is deeply
influenced by the surrounding land use including the quantitative and qualitative
exploitation of agricultural/industrial use and urbanization including port activities.
These actions may reduce water quality by increase sedimentation rates, nutrients,
metal traces and hydrocarbons.
Ports facilities are highly concentrated industrial areas which contain a variety of
activities including container terminals, shipyards and cargo facilities. Indeed, these
activities may have a direct and indirect high impact on water quality and it is
therefore necessary to assess the impact of port operations quality in receiving
waters in and around ports areas.
To this extent, long term water quality monitoring projects results to be very
important and shall be designed to complement, and in some cases expand, existing
monitoring programs for some marine organisms. These plans aim to gain
information on the quality of receiving waters through a structured long term
sampling actions by implementing the port activities in order to minimize impacts on
receiving waters.
49
The first step for the Water topic is the same of the previous cases, Air and Noise: in
the investigation of the methodologies to be applied in the improvement of the port
environment scenario several actions have to be firstly implemented:
The assessment of:
- Storm water runoff
- Ships discharges (bilge and ballast water)
- Sewage
- Oil spillage
- Anti-fouling paints
- Liquid bulk storage and transfer (loading/unloading activities)
- Non-bulk chemical storage and handling
- Leaching and run-off of contaminants in stormwater
- Port services and facilities
- General operations that can impact surrounding urban areas
The determination of the water pollutants that mostly affect the
environmental sustainability.
The consideration of the chemical, physical and microbiological aspects of
water pollution in the Port.
The second step foresees the collection of useful resources and data that can be
helpful during the analysis and evaluation of the action to be implemented.
Specifically, the information to be needed is:
Concerning the reduction of the negative impacts of port general operations
such as sewage/ships discharges
- Time and Frequency of arrival of ships to the port
- Type of open air stored bulk material: fertilizer, other materials
- Water Spraying operation to bulk storages
- Cleaning of trucks and other equipment (cement, ready mix concrete,..)
- Type of merchandise loaded in incoming ships
In order to ensure the proper execution of measures campaigns and monitoring
activities, some information on the measurement methods, on the investigated
parameters, on data collection and on the technical equipment to be used in the
topic Water are required. A good approach in this area is, in fact, indispensable in
50
order to obtain valid results and, thus, to ensure the maximum accuracy in the
subsequent intervention actions.
Definitions
Nutrients: are minor constituents of the sea water, essential for marine
phytoplankton growth and health. They include mainly inorganic nutrients such as
ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and silicate. Unit of measurement: mole/l.
Chlorophyll a: a particulate organic compound necessary for the primary productivity
in the sea water. It is abundant in all plants. Unit of measurement: g/l.
Hydrocarbon: the measurement of any oil pollution in seawater. Unit of
measurement: mg/l.
Transparency: the measurement of water clarity-turbidity.
Secci disk: a tool for transparency measurement.
Basic measurement equipment The instrument used for monitoring should be chosen to include all the needed
measurements for the port monitoring.
Principally the monitoring system should include:
Spectrophotometer, measuring nutrients and chlorophyll a in the water
Spectroflourometer, measuring chlorophyll a and hydrocarbon and
chlorophyll a in the water.
pH meter, measuring pH
Oxygen meter, measuring dissolved oxygen.
51
Technical standards and methodology of the
measurements Measurement has to be distinguished between short and long term.
Short term measurements
Conductivity
Temperature
Salinity
Turbidity
pH
Dissolved Oxygen
Long term measurements
Determination of nutrient and chlorophyll a
Analysis proceedings
All nutrients, and hydrocarbon has to be measured according to Grasshof et al.
(1999). Chlorophyll a has to be measured according to Elizabeth and Gary (1994).
Generally nutrient analysis have to be made in duplicate. Absorption has to be
measured in a 4 cm cell using a Pye Unicam. Sp6-550 UV\VIS spectrophotometer.
Chlorophyll a has to be measured flourometically using a Turner designs TD-700
flourometer.
Determination of ammonia
Reagents
Citrate buffer: 120 g of trisodium citrate dihydrate and 20 ml of 0.5M
NaOH to be dissolved in 500 ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Phenol-soduim nitroprusside: 19 g of phenol and 0.20 g of disodium
nitropursside dihydrate to be dissolved in 500 ml of fresh deionized
distilled water.
52
Soduim hydroxide-hypochlorite: a solution containing 0.15 g chlorine in
100 ml of 0.5M NaOH has to be prepared by diluting 6ml of commercially
vailable (2.5% chlorine) hyopchlorite to 100 ml with 0.5M NaOH.
Stock standard solution of ammonia nitrogen (5000 M): 0.066 g of
ammonium sulfate to be dissolved in 500 ml of fresh deionized distilled
water.
Analysis proceedings
25 ml sample has to be transferred into a 50 ml screw cap test tube, followed by
sequential addition of 1 ml of reagents 1, 2 and 3 using an Eppendorf pipette.
The reaction mixture has to be well shaken after each addition. The tube has to
be closed and kept in the dark at room temperature overnight. After a minimum
of 16 hours, the absorption has to be measured in a 4 cm cell at 630 nm.
Determination of nitrate and nitrite
Nitrate reduction cadmium column
The known method is made for the reduction of nitrate (60) except that two
modifications which are decreasing the column length to 10 cm instead of 30 cm
and keeping the Cd granules untightly packed. These modifications have three
major advantages:
1) save analysis time (elution of the samples takes only one minute instead
of five in the old method),
2) decrease the sample size from 100 to 50 ml and
3) increase the reduction efficiency to exceed 98%.
Reagents
Buffered concentrated ammonium chloride: 100 g of ammonium chloride
and 1 0ml of ammonium hydroxide to be dissolved in 500 ml of fresh
deionized distilled water.
Un buffered concentrated ammonium chloride: 50 g of ammonium
chloride to be dissolved in 25 0ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Dilute ammonium chloride: 25 ml of reagent 2 to be diluted to 1000 ml
using fresh deionized distilled water.
53
Sulphanilamide: 5 g of sulphanilamide to bedissolved in 50 ml of
concentrated HCl and 300 ml of fresh distilled water and made up to
500ml with fresh deionized distilled water.
Naphthylethylenediamine dihydrochloride: 0.50 g of N-1-
naphthylethylenediamine dihydrochloride to be dissolved in 500 ml of
fresh deionized distilled water.
Nitrate stock standard solution (5000 M): 0.1002 g of potassium nitrate
to be dissolved in 100ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Nitrite stock standard solution (5000 M): 0.0345 g of sodium nitrite to
be dissolved in 100ml of fresh deionized distilled water. Reagents 4, 5 and
7 have to be used for both nitrate and nitrite, while the other reagents
have to be used for nitrate determination only.
Nitrate analysis proceedings
At every nitrate determination session, the nitrate reduction column has to be
cleaned and efficiency has to be checked, by eluting the column with 100-150 ml
of dilute ammonium chloride (reagent 3) followed by running blanks and
standard. Efficiency of the column has to be maintained above 98%. For reducing
the nitrate content of the sample to nitrite, 50 ml samples have to be transferred
into Erlynmayer flasks followed by the addition of 2 ml of buffered concentrated
ammonium chloride (reagent 1). The flasks has to be then well shaken and the
content of each flask was eluted through the nitrate reduction column. Elution
has to be carried out in the manner described in Strickland and Parsons (60).
25 ml of the eluted sample has to be collected in the original Erlynmayer flask,
followed by the addition of 0.5 ml of sulfanilamide (reagent 4). The reaction
mixture has to be shaken and after 2-3 minutes, 0.5 ml of
naphthylethylenediamine dihydrochloride (reagent 5) has to be added. After 10
minutes the absorption of the sample has to be measured in a 4 cm cell at 540
nm. Suitable aged sea water has to be used as a blank for nitrate.
Nitrite analysis proceedings
25 ml samples have to be transferred into 50 ml screw cap test tubes and treated
in the same way as the reduced nitrate sample. Aged sea water has to be used as
a blank.
54
Determination of phosphate
Reagents
Diluted sulfuric acid (4.75M): 126.5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid to be
diluted to 500 ml with fresh deionized distilled water.
Ammonium molybdate: 18 g of ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate to be
dissolved in 200 ml of fresh deionized distilled water. The reagent to be
stored at room temperature.
Potassium antimony tartrate: 3.25 g of potassium antimony tartrate to be
dissolved in 100 ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Ascorbic acid: 17.5 g of ascorbic acid to be dissolved in 250 ml of fresh
deionized distilled water. The reagent has to be stored in a deep freezer.
Mixed reagent: 100 ml of this reagent to be prepared by mixing 40 ml
reagent 1 + 9.0 ml of reagent 2 + 1.0 ml of reagent 3 + 25 ml of reagent 4.
This reagent has to be prepared fresh just before use.
Stock standard solution (5000 M): 0.068 g of potassium dihydrogen
phosphate to be dissolved in 100 ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Analysis proceedings
25 ml samples has to be transferred into screw cap test tubes, followed by the
addition of 2 ml of mixed reagent (reagent 5). The tubes have to be then covered
and well shaken. After 10 min the absorption has to be measured in a 4 cm cell
at 885 nm. Aged sea water has to be used as a blank.
Determination of silicate
Reagents
Diluted sulfuric acid (2.65M): 71 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid to be
diluted to 500 ml with fresh deionized distilled water.
Ammonium molybdate: 35 g of ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate to be
dissolved in 250 of deionized distilled water. The reagent has to be stored
at room temperature.
Oxalic acid: 11.25 g of oxalic acid to be dissolved in 250 ml of fresh
deionized distilled water. The reagent has to be stored frozen.
Ascorbic acid: 3.15 g of ascorbic acid to be dissolved in 250 ml of fresh
deionized distilled water. The reagent has to be stored frozen.
55
Molybdate reagent: 40 ml of this reagent to be prepared by mixing of 20
ml of reagent 1 and 20 ml of reagent 2. Prepared fresh just before use.
Acid reagent: 50 ml of this reagent to be prepared by mixing 25 ml of
reagent 3 and 25 ml of reagent 4. Prepared fresh just before use.
Stock standard solution (5000 M): 0.094 g of sodium silico fluoride to be
dissolved in 100 ml of fresh deionized distilled water.
Analysis proceedings
25 ml samples have to be transferred into screw cap polyethylene bottles, followed
by the addition of 1 ml of molybdate reagent (reagent 5). The bottle has to be then
closed and well shaken. After 8-10 min 2 ml of acid reagent (reagent 6) has to be
added, and the bottle closed and well shaken. After 1-2 hours, the absorption has to
be measured in a 4 cm cell at 810 nm. Deionized distilled water has to be used as a
blank.
Determination of Chlorophyll a
Apparatus and Equipment
Fluorometer: Turner designs, td-700 equipped with high intensity blue
lamp or daylight white lamp, red-sensitive photomultiplier, and filters for
excitation (436nm) and emission (680nm).
Centrifuge, capable of 675 g.
Tissue grinder.
Aluminum foil.
Glass test tubes (13 mm) for the fluorometre.
Cellulose membrane filter (0.45 um).
Reagents
Acetone (90%): 900 ml acetone to be diluted to 1000 ml with fresh
deionized distilled water.
Chlorophyll a stock standard solution: obtained from commercial
supplier.
Analysis proceedings
Chlorophyll a determination has to be carried out flourometrically as described by
Elizabeth and Gary (62). One liter of sea water has to be filtered through a cellulose
56
membrane filter. The filter has to be then placed in a glass tube wrapped shield with
aluminum foil. 10 ml of 90% acetone has to be added into the test tube. The
membrane filter has to be ground using a tissue grinder and then kept in a
refrigerator at 4C over night. The mixture has to be then centrifuged for 5 minutes at
5000 rpm, and Chlorophyll a content has to be measured in a 13 mm glass test tube
using the direct concentration calibration (sec. 2.4.2) method. 90% acetone has to be
used as a blank.
Determination of Hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon has to be measured according to Grasshof et al. (1999).
Analysis proceedings
One liter of sea water samples has to be extracted with 25 ml n-hexane using a
separatory funnel or other appropriate preparatory methods to obtain necessary
quantitation limits. 25 ml of supernatant part has to be retrieved from separatory
funnel. The analysis of the 25 ml sample has to be conducted with the
spectroflourometer using 1 cm cell by applying a wavelength excitation of 310 nm
and emission of 360 nm.
Reports The results of the measurements shall be recorded in a monthly report which
contains following:
Date, place, and time of detection;
Reference, observation and measurement time;
Results and conclusions.
For further information please contact: Corrado Schenone University of Genoa DIME Via allOpera Pia 15/A - 16145 Genova (ITALY) Tel: +39 010 353 2577 Fax: +39 010 311870 e-mail: [email protected]
www.mesp.org
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