GESAMP Glossary (1)

algal bloom: A rapid increase in the abundance of phytoplankton or benthic algae in a given area.

alien species (also called introduced, exotic, or non-indigenous species): A species that has been transported by human activity, intentionally or accidentally, into a region where it does not occur naturally.

amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). A disease with severe neu-rological effects caused by eating shellfish contaminated with the marine biotoxin domoic acid. The signature symptom is chronic short-term memory loss (see also biotoxins).

anadromous: A form of life cycle in some fishes (e.g., salmon) in which maturity is attained in the ocean, and the adults ascend streams and rivers to spawn in fresh water. (see also catadromous)

anoxia: The absence of oxygen.

anthropogenic: Originating from human activities.

aquaculture: The cultivation of aquatic organisms.

aquifer: A permeable geological formation through which groundwater can flow and from which groundwater can be read-ily extracted. (see also groundwater)

aragonite: A crystalline form of calcium carbonate.

background (level or concentration): Ubiquitous and generally very low concentration of a contaminant in a defined marine area, resulting from historical inputs via multiple pathways, es-pecially through the atmosphere.

ballast water: Water carried by a vessel to improve its stability.

benefit-cost analysis (cost-benefit analysis): A technique to compare the relative economic efficiency of projects or policies. A comparison is made between the gross benefits of a project or policy and the opportunity costs (the highest value a productive resource such as labour, capital or a natural resource could return if placed in its best alternative use) of the action.

benthic organism: Bottom dwelling organism.

benthos: Collective synonym for benthic organisms, but frequently also applied to the floor or deepest part of a sea or ocean.

billion: 1,000,000,000.

biodegradation: The breakdown of a substance by biological activity.

biogenic: Produced by organisms.

biogeochemical cycle: The flow of a substance among different places, environmental compartments (e.g., atmosphere, water column, organisms), and chemical forms as a result of geological, chemical, and biological processes.

biological diversity (also called biodiversity): The diversity of life, often divided into three levels: genetic (diversity within species), species (diversity among species), and ecosystem (diversity among ecosystems).

biomass: The mass of living matter per unit of habitat (e.g., volume of water or area of bottom). Synonyms: standing crop, standing stock.

biotoxins: Naturally occurring toxic compounds produced by certain organisms.

catadromous: A form of life cycle in some fishes (e.g., freshwater eels) in which maturity is attained in the fresh water, and the adults descend streams and rivers to spawn in the ocean. (see also anadromous)

coastal area: An entity of land and water affected by the biological and physical processes of both the sea and land and defined broadly for the purpose of managing the use of natural resources.

conservation: The management of a natural resource for the protection, maintenance, rehabilitation, restoration, and/or enhancement of populations and ecosystems.

contamination (marine): An anthropogenic increase in the concentration of a substance in the marine environment.

coral: Colonial animals in the phylum Cnidaria; [often] those that build reefs. "Coral" is also often used to refer to the hard, calcareous coral skeleton.

coral reefs: Extensive limestone structures built largely by corals. They occur in shallow tropical and provide habitat for a large variety of other marine life forms.

coral bleaching: A phenomenon in which corals under stress (e.g., by elevated water temperature) expel their mutualistic algae (zooxanthellae) in large numbers, or the concentration of algal photosynthetic pigments decreases. As a result, the corals’ white skeletons show through their tissue and they appear bleached.

cost-benefit analysis: see benefit-cost analysis

DALY (disability-adjusted life year): A method of calculating the global or world-wide health impact of a disease or the global disease burden (GDB) in terms of the reported or estimated cases of premature death, disability and days of infirmity due to illness from a specific disease or condition. (see also global disease burden)

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane): A potent, slowly degradable insecticide still widely used in many parts of the world.

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depuration: The process by which pathogens are removed from contaminated live seafood (shellfish in particular) by holding it in clean water for a period of time.

detritus: The particulate, organic remains and waste of organisms. It constitutes a major food source in marine ecosystems.

diarrhetic shellfish poisoning: see gastroenteritis.

diffuse sources of pollution (also called non-point sources): Multiple, not easily identifiable sources of pollution (e.g., agriculture, urban areas).

dimethyl sulphide (DMS): An organic compound containing sulphur that is produced in the ocean by certain phytoplankton species and is a precursor for some cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere.

dinoflagellates: A group of marine phytoplankton, some of which produce biotoxins.

Disability adjusted life year: see DALY

dumping: Any deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other matter, or any deliberate disposal of vessels or other man-made structures.2

ecology: The branch of science studying the interactions among living things and their environment.

economic costs: Reductions of economic value. (see also economic value)

economic externalities: A benefit or a cost not included in the market price of the goods and services being produced, i.e., costs not borne by those who create them and benefits not paid for by those who receive them.

economic value: The sum of the following: direct use values (the net value of any income that can be earned from a resource, e.g., timber, fish, tourism); ecological function values (e.g., flood control, waste assimilation, storm protection); option values (e.g., sources of future drugs, genes for plant breeding); existence values (e.g., satisfaction that the resource exists); bequest values (e.g., inter-generational equity). As far as possible, the economic value is expressed in monetary terms (see environmental valuation).

ecosystem: A community or several communities of organisms together with their physical environment. A conceptual view of interaction within and independence among species and communities emphasising the nature of the flow of material and energy among these parts and the feedback loops from one part to another.

ecotoxicology: The science of poisons and toxic substances occurring in the environment and their effects.

El Niño: A warm current that usually appears around Christmas off the coast of Ecuador and Peru[, often] used to refer to episodic (3-5 year) events when the current is particularly intense and dominates the local population of organisms (the abundance of fish in particular). Such events lead to wider regional or global ocean-atmospheric perturbations whose manifestations range from increased sea surface temperatures in the tropical East Pacific to aberrant rainfall patterns. (see also ENSO).

endemic disease: An infectious disease that is present in the community at all times but normally at low frequency.

endemic species: Species native to and restricted to specific geographic areas.

endocrine disruptors: Substances that interfere with processes controlled by animal hormones (e.g., growth, sexual maturity).

ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation): A cyclical, large-scale changes in atmospheric and ocean patterns in which, among other things, warm surface water in the Pacific moves further to the east than normal. (see also El Niño)

enteroviruses: Viruses that cause disease, mainly in the intestinal tract of mammals. (see also pathogens)

environmental impact assessment (EIA): A process by which the consequences of planned development projects are evaluated as an integral part of planning the project. The analysis of biological, physical, social and economic factors to determine the environmental and social consequences of a proposed development action. The goal of the EIA is to provide policy makers with the best available information in order to minimize economic costs and maximize benefits associated with a proposed development.

environmental valuation: Procedures for valuing changes in environmental goods and services, whether or not they are traded in markets, by measuring the changes in the consumer or producer surpluses associated with these environmental goods.

epidemiology: The study of the factors that influence the frequency and distribution of diseases.

estrogen: A hormone that produces sexual changes or cycles in mammals.

estuary: The region where a river meets the marine environment. It is characterized by variable salinity and often by high biological productivity.

eutrophication: Increased primary production caused by the anthropogenic enrichment of a water body with nutrients. (see also primary production and nutrients).

gastroenteritis: A pathological disturbance of the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., the stomach and intestines), often caused by pathogens and biotoxins found in certain shellfish. (see also pathogens and biotoxins)

global disease burden (GDB): A term used by the World Health Organization to numerically estimate the relative world-wide or global health impact of diseases. The estimate is made in terms of DALYs. (see also DALY)

greenhouse gases: Gases that trap heat radiating from the Earth’s surface, thereby warming the lower atmosphere.

gross domestic product (GDP): A measure of the value added to an economy as a result of human activity. It includes activities carried out in the country by foreign owned companies and individuals and excludes the value of output of goods and services by firms outside the country owned by residents and the remittance of funds to the country from these entities. The measure is "gross" in that it does not include the depreciation of man-made capital nor the depletion or degradation of renewable natural resources.

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gross national product (GNP): A measure of the value added to an economy as a result of human activity. It includes the value of output of goods and services by firms outside the country owned by residents and the remittance of funds to the country from these entities but excludes the value of output of goods and services by foreign-owned firms in the country. Like the measure of GDP, it does not include the depreciation of man-made capital nor the depletion or degradation of renewable natural resources.

groundwater: Water that occupies pores and crevices in rock and soil, below the surface of the Earth. The upper limit of the groundwater is the water table, whose level varies according to the quantity of water entering and extracted from the groundwater. (see also aquifers)

habitat: The physical space where an organism, population or species lives. Habitats are usually categorized by particular physical or biological characteristics (e.g., coral reefs, mangrove forests).

hermaphrodite: An organism that has both male and female reproductive organs.

hypoxic waters: Waters with a low concentration of oxygen.

hydrology: The study of the processes affecting the movement of freshwater, including underground waters. Also often used to refer to the processes and movements themselves.

imposex: A pseudo-hermaphroditic condition in female gastropods (snails) caused by TBT and manifested by the development of a false penis.

institutional integration (as related to integrated coastal management): The process of bringing together separate functions of government at different levels together with other stakeholders to provide a unified approach to interventions in the managed area.

integrated coastal management (ICM): The management of sectoral components (e.g., fisheries, forestry, agriculture, tourism, urban development) as part of a functional whole (a holistic approach to management). In ICM the focus is on the users of natural resources, not on the stock per se of these resources. Frequently used synonyms for ICM are integrated coastal area management (ICAM) and integrated coastal zone management (ICZM).

intertidal zone (often called littoral zone): The part of the shoreline that is submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide.

littoral: see intertidal zone.

mangrove forest (or mangal): A community of salt-tolerant trees and shrubs, with many other associated organisms, that grows on some tropical and sub-tropical coasts in a zone roughly coinciding with the intertidal zone.

mariculture: The cultivation of marine organisms.

market failure: The concept that markets do not reflect the societal costs of all economic activity and, in particular, the economic costs imposed on third parties.

natural resources: May be classified as non-renewable (e.g., coal, oil) and renewable. The latter may be further classified as unconditionally renewable (e.g., solar, tidal or wind energy) and conditionally renewable (e.g., fish, forest products). Conditionally renewable resources will last indefinitely if not over-exploited because that part of the resource that is used can be replaced through natural processes.

nematodes: A group of worms, some of which may cause intestinal and other diseases.

net economic benefit: The economic value of a measure (or measures) less (i) the value of any benefits foregone as a result of the measure(s) and (ii) the cost of measure(s).

neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP): A disease of neurological system caused by ingestion of biotoxins found in certain shellfish. (see also biotoxins)

non-governmental organization (NGO): An organization, usually non-profit, that is not part of the central, local, or municipal government.

non-point sources of pollution (also called diffuse sources): Multiple, not easily identifiable sources of pollution (e.g., agriculture, urban areas).

nutrients: Substances that are essential for the growth of marine organisms that perform primary production (algae, bacteria, and plants). Excess nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, can be major pollutants.

oceanic gyre: A very large, more or less circular, pattern of water circulation in an open ocean basin.

oligotrophic: Waters with low primary productivity because of limited supplies of nutrients.

organochlorines: Organic compounds that contain chlorine atoms (e.g., PCBs).

ozone: A colourless form of oxygen gas with three oxygen atoms in each molecule Stratospheric ozone, which screens out harmful ultraviolet radiation, is generally found between 10 and 50 km above the Earth. Tropospheric ozone is found in lower atmosphere (generally below 10 km above the Earth). Ozone is also commonly found in smog.

paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP): A disease with severe neurological effects, including paralysis and death, caused by eating shellfish that contain the marine biotoxin saxitoxin. (see biotoxins)

pathogens: Organisms that cause (e.g., certain bacteria and viruses).

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls): Highly toxic and durable synthetic organic compounds that accumulate in tissues of organisms.

pelagic organisms: Free-swimming or floating organisms in the water column of the open sea or above the continental shelf.

photo-oxidation: Loss of hydrogen or electron from a chemical compound as a result of interaction with light.

piscivorous fish: Fishes that eat other fishes.

plankton: Organisms, mostly small, that drift or swim too slowly to oppose ocean currents. Plankton that perform photosynthesis are called phytoplankton, those that do not are called zooplankton.

plaque forming unit (PFU): A unit used in the measurement of the concentration of viruses in an environmental sample.

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policy failure: The situation when a policy or policies are inconsistent and militate against the success of other policies (e.g., subsidies on agricultural fertilizers and environmental protection policies).

policy process: An iterative activity consisting of: the determination (usually by government or a government agency) of goals; the development of a strategy for achieving these goals that consists of objectives and policies; and the formulation and implementation of plans (usually at the sectoral level) in which objectives are related to measures, human and financial resources, and the time frame to provide the basis for action.

polluter-pays principle: The principle, adopted by the OECD countries in 1972, requires that the polluter should bear the costs that pollution damage or pollution control impose upon society.

POPs (persistent organic pollutants): A diverse group of chemicals that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. A group of twelve POPs (the "dirty dozen") have been initially selected for international action by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS).

pollution (marine): "Pollution means the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment (including estuaries) resulting in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to maritime activities including fishing, impairment of quality for use of sea water and reduction of amenities." 3

precautionary approach: The essence of the approach is expressed in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration that states that "Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation." The approach is concerned with avoiding risk that has not been assessed, i.e., uncertainty.

primary production: The process in which organisms synthesise organic matter from inorganic materials, or the organic matter itself.

protected area: A geographically defined area that is designed and managed to achieve specified environmental objectives.

PTSs (persistent toxic substances): Substances to which organisms, including humans, have environmental exposures that are of concern because of their potential adverse effects. Thus, in addition to the 12 classes of POPs listed for initial international action, the term encompasses not only all POPs in the generic sense but also less persistent substances to which organisms are chronically exposed over large temporal and spatial scales because of their continuous release by human activities (see also POPs)

red tide: Discolouration of surface waters from blooms of phytoplankton. Strictly refers to blooms that produce a reddish-brown colour but often used for blooms of other colours. (see also algal bloom)

seagrass beds: Benthic communities, usually on shallow, sandy or muddy bottoms, dominated by grasslike marine plants.

siltation: The settling of fine mineral particles to the sea bottom.

stakeholders: Individuals, groups of individuals and non-gov-ernmental and government entities that have either a direct or indirect interest or claim which will, or may, be affected by a particular decision or policy.

standing stock: see biomass

stratosphere: The layer of the atmosphere 15-50 km above the Earth’s surface in which ozone prevents most ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth’s surface.

submarine groundwater: Underground fresh water that has flowed beneath the sea floor.

sustainable development: "There are many dimensions to sustainability. First it requires the elimination of poverty and deprivation. Second, it requires the conservation and enhancement of the resource base which alone can ensure that the elimination of poverty is permanent. Third, it requires a broadening of the concept of development so that it covers not only economic growth but also social and cultural development. Fourth and most important, it requires the unification of economics and ecology in decision making at all levels." 4 The essence of sustainable development is to ensure that society meets its present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; this implicitly requires that development should not compromise the ecological integrity of the environment.

TBT (tributyl tin): A very toxic organic compound containing tin. It is used in antifouling paints on vessels and fixed marine structures.

thalassogenic diseases: Diseases caused by polluted or contaminated sea water or edible marine products.

trillion: 1,000,000,000,000

trophic levels: Successive stages of nourishment as represented by the links of the food chain. According to a grossly simplified scheme the primary producers (i.e., phytoplankton) constitute the first trophic level, herbivorous zooplankton the second trophic level, and carnivorous organisms the third trophic level.

twin-track: A management process in which the setting of objectives and implementation of policies and plans is devolved to the optimum degree. There is a flow of information to policy-makers from the bottom used to revise strategies, policies and plans and in the design of policy instruments and legislation.

upwelling: The slow upward transport of cold, nutrient-rich water masses to the surface from depth. Coastal upwelling is usually induced by surface winds.

valuation: The attachment of monetary value to an object through a consideration of both internalized and externalized costs.

vector organisms: Organisms that transmit certain diseases.

Vibrio cholerae: Pathogenic microorganism causing cholera.

vitellogenin: A variety of primary lipoproteins produced by egg-laying vertebrates, including fish.

1 Sources used for the preparation of the glossary: suggestions and inputs from the members of the Working Group and various publications (e.g.:Norse, E.A. (1993) Global Marine Biological Diversity. Island Press, Washington D.C.; Allaby, M. (1977) A Dictionary of the Environment. The Macmillan Press Ltd., London; Baker, B.B. et al. (editors) (1966) Glossary of Oceanographic Terms. US Naval Oceanographic Office. Washington D.C.; Young, M.D. (1992) Sustainable Investment and Resource Use, UNESCO, Paris and The parthenon Publishing Group, Carnforth, UK; Scialabba, N. (ed.) (1998) FAO Guidelines: Integrated Coastal Areat Management in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. FAO, Rome)

2 as defined by the London Dumping Convention

3 GESAMP’s definition of marine pollution

4 Quote from Gro Harlem Brundtland’s Sir Peter Scott Lecture in Bristol, 8 October 1986