VERTIMAR 2007 Symposium

, 5-8 June 2007

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs
Ivan Calvez & Loïc Kerambrun Cedre, France

ntre for ocumentation, esearch and xperimentations on accidental water pollutions • Non profit organisation in charge of : – Documentation – Training – Research & Development – Contingency planning – Advice and expertise

More info at www.cedre.fr

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

INTRODUCTION

• Each major oil spill → ecological impact assessment (EIA) • Studies may differ (targets, methods, duration…) from one accident to another:

- Pollution features (e.g. meteo oceanic conditions…); - Ecological concerns (sensitivity, special interest…); - Type of oil (crude vs. fuel); - Research team availability; - Fundings; - Socio-economic concerns; - ...

• different context priorities...

different motivations, different

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

INTRODUCTION

What is required to assess accurately the environmental impact of oil spill: No loss of time, no loss of information • set-up the framework defining initial measures and research that can be implemented as realistically as possible in terms of human, technical and financial resources quickly decide and implement the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) programme What should be surveyed, how and to what end?

•

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

INTRODUCTION

What can we learn from past experience? 3 actions carried out at Cedre :
• management aspects (i.e. funding, setting up, etc.) • technical procedures (i.e. approaches, methods…)
1997 A survey with French scientists (30)

A feedback about the EIA of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill (1978)

A comparative study on EIA of 6 major oil spills A workshop on EIA on marine benthic environments

2003 2005

“How did you proceed? Would you do the same now?”

A literature analysis European experts Round tables

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

THE POST-AMOCO CADIZ SURVEY: “HOW DID SCIENTISTS PROCEED?”

Q: “Which methodology?” The one usually used, with possible adaptations given both the pollution and the emergency context Q: “Would they use the same, should a similar spill occur?” Most of them : Yes, eventually with some set-ups (to take into account any new relevant methodologies and/or tools ) Q: “Why did they stop?” (i) : the end of funding (ii) : the beginning of the biological recovery (iii) : the occurrence of other pollutions The Tanio oil spill (2 years later, same area) + land inputs (eutrophication) Q: “Lacks?” 1st.: baseline/reference data 2nd.: natural fluctuations

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

THE POST-AMOCO CADIZ SURVEY: “20 YEARS AFTER, WHAT WOULD THEY SUGGEST?”

Main recommendations (drawn by scientists from the Amoco Cadiz spill): • “Improve knowledge about re-settlement and recovery processes” • “Setting up of reference (baseline) databases” (pre-spill time series + control sites during the spill)

• “Facilitate multi-disciplinary approaches” • “Using pre-defined methods and procedures / protocols” (standardized data / comparison purposes)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

THE POST-AMOCO CADIZ SURVEY: RESULTS / SUGGESTIONS Defining an impact assessment response framework • Standardised procedures (widely recognized by scientists) at national / international level prior to the spill • Methods fitted for the pollution (size and type) and for the various aims of an EIAP – To prove the impact (i.e. relating fluctuation to the spill) – To quantify the loss – To assess recovery – To argue for cleaning or not, or for stopping cleaning operations – To build a compensation file… etc Creating a national scientific committee (towards better coordination) • Composition : – Scientists (with oil spill knowledge or training) • Missions : – Coordination of the preparative works – Involvement in operational committee (integrated in the decision process) – Management of the EIAP (recommendations, guidelines, coordination, valorisation)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

• Bibliographic analysis of 6 oil spill cases:
- Amoco Cadiz (Brittany, France, 1978) - Exxon Valdez (Alaska, U.S.A., 1989) - Aegean Sea (Galicia, Spain, 1992) - Braer (Shetlands, U.K., 1993) - Sea Empress (Wales, U.K., 1996) - Erika (Bay of Biscay, France, 1999)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY I - Inventory & synthesis (Domains / habitats, species, methods…)
A) Pelagic domain - Plankton (zoo- et phyto-) - Necton (fish) B) Benthic domain subtidal / tidal rocky / soft bottom fauna / flora meio- / macrobenthos approaches C) Terrestrial domain fauna / flora D) Avifauna and mammals

II - Analysis of the studies
Discussion of - Motivations for studies - Targeted organisms / communities - Investigation methods (e.g. sampling strategies, survey duration, reference data...) - Approach scales - Coordination

III - Conclusions

Questioning ? - Difficulties, needs regarding impact assessment ? - Targets, approaches, methods to be recommended ? - Approaches changes along time (ex : Amoco 78→ Erika 99), between countries ?

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Distribution of studies according to various environmental components

35

30

25

20

15

10
Pelagic Benthic subtidal Benthic intertidal Terrestrial Birds Marine mammals

5 0 Sea Empress Erika Exxon Valdez

Amoco Cadiz

Aegean Sea

Braer

Amoco Cadiz Aegean Sea Braer Sea Empress Erika Exxon Valdez

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Main monitored domains

Benthos intertidal 19-58% (natural accumulation zone) subtidal 13-36% (especially when oil is light and naturally dispersible) Pelagos 0-23% (especially commercial fishes) Terrestrial 0-15% (when projections and/or aerosol and botanists available) Birds 0-15% (population size and status) Marine mammals 0-29% (presence/absence)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Overview of main motivations (example shown: benthic studies):

• Main justifications for selecting benthos (as cited by authors) Environmental change indicators Commercial species / public health Functional role Wide distribution (tidal zone)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Main approaches (example shown: benthic studies):

• Contamination: sanitary concerns (commercial species) + relation between biological responses and oil spill • Biology (≤ individual level): toxic expression (e.g. biomarkers) + information on potential impact at upper levels • Ecology (> individual level): integrity / equilibrium of different component of the ecosystem (e.g. population, community…)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Further analysis include methodological aspects:
- Species (bioaccumulating invertebrates, flatfishes…) and compounds (total HC, PAHs, aliphatics, trace metals…) targeted in contamination studies; studies - Methods implemented for impact assessment @ individual level (biomarkers, histopathology, physiology, experimental vs. in situ…); - Methods and parameters selected in ecological studies (communities structure parameters, population dynamics…), level of the approach (communities, functional groups, macrovs. meiofauna…); - availability of reference data; …

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

Workshop held at Cedre (October 2005) “Ecological impacts of accidental marine pollutions on benthic environment”
Is the existing situation satisfactory? What is lacking what is needed What methods for what objectives? Approaches and targets to consider and degree of accuracy required Funding of impact assessments Financial aspect (funding and cost recovery) of monitoring programmes more info at http://www.cedre.fr

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

REFERENCE (BASELINE) DATA = A KEY POINT • Time series would be useful, although not necessarily sufficient in a spill situation (sampling frequency, time of the year, scales of the biological/ecological process vs. spill event time scale, etc.);

• … “recovery” may differ from “pre-spill situation” (e.g. functional integrity vs. specific composition)

WHAT HABITATS? • fine sediments (tidal and subtidal): a general agreement • rocky communities: testing and interpretation is needed regarding the identification of key indicators (e.g. recent review for WFD (EC) and definitions on the MarLin (UK) web site) • complex (highly diverse) and natural heritage habitats (maerl, seagrass beds, etc.) should be assessed.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

WHAT SPECIES TO SELECT ? • Indicator species (known or thought to be sufficiently abundant) • Significant species of nature conservation interest (e.g., from Red List, Biodiversity Action Plans, ...) • Key functional and/or structural species, commercial species • Sensitive species (adversely affected) Notes: • Local knowledge = an important input to species selection process • Previous understanding of the biology of selected species (reproductive cycle, etc.) in order to be able to predict recovery, explain physiological changes, bioaccumulation process, etc.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

… ABOUT BIOMARKERS • Biomarkers provide a biological signal of effects within the organism but extrapolation to the whole individual, population, community level may be problematic • Cause-effect relationships may not be clear (lack of specificity of some biomarkers: responses to environmental conditions and/or other pollutants, physiological changes unrelated to spill,…). So, the question is: “can we use biomarkers to quantify oil effects on ecosystems, or use them to define the area in which organisms have been exposed to contaminants?” Biomarker studies = complementary to other effects studies.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

LEVEL OF ACCURACY REQUIRED • Drivers A wide variety (political, operational, scientific, public, etc.) leading to a wide variety of questions, objectives and methods. Interests are different but not in conflict. • Objective might include: to provide authorities with relevant and scientifically sound information enabling them to: • Inform the public
• Have a swift and general idea of the extent of the impact • Start or stop clean-up • Avoid harmful response techniques/options

- needed from initial rough assessments (simple, rapid methods): id. of sp. & habitats, abundances, site re-location, tabulation of results… - to long-term monitoring (quantitative, statistically robust…)

• Accuracy depends on purposes:

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

MANAGEMENT of EIAP • Need for more co-ordination and multidisciplinary studies (crossed approaches) at common sites • As regards to benthic communities: decreasing availability of taxonomic skills among marine biologists (especially in the near future)

Contamination (HC concentration in sediment and organisms) & Environmental parameters

Biological impact in situ

Analysis of the HC vs. biological response relationship

Toxicity Laboratory measures (experimental)

(adapted from Carballeira, 2003)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

FUNDING OF STUDIES Sources: • From central government plus various other sources (regional, EU, ship-owners, etc.). • should co-ordinate their funding initiatives (avoid duplication) Budget: • Different spill will have different effects and no reference budget can be recommended, neither in relation to the quantity spilled, nor in relation to the response costs. • Necessary/reasonable budget can only be assessed on a case by case basis. Budget assessment may be an iterative process.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

WORKSHOP / Summary of main points

FUNDING OF STUDIES Procedures: • Direct contracting is preferable to open tendering. Contracts can that way be concluded faster, with less risk that an essential study would remain unimplemented To minimise delays: • Pre-identification of ad-hoc laboratories/consultants could be envisaged (included in national contingency planning)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

Perspectives

Recommendations towards filling in the gaps: need for baseline data and guidelines Lack of baseline data: a recurrent observation When not available, ensure sampling of reference/control data: • by selective samples before the arrival of oil slicks (e.g. some locations during the Amoco Cadiz spill) • by using comparable, unpolluted sites in the vicinity of the polluted area: (ideally) assumed to have synchronously assimilated the same seasonal and general changes (e.g. trophic, physicochemical…) as the nearby polluted sites, but their reliability may sometimes be questioned.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

Perspectives

Recommendations towards filling in the gaps: need for baseline data and guidelines Creation of useable pre-spill database assumes: • selecting the most relevant key indicators or targets (species/communities/habitats), agreed by scientists; • sampling frequency must enable natural fluctuations to be integrated (biological cycles, seasonal changes, overall environmental trends); • ad hoc spatial scales (to be defined), taking spatial fluctuations into account;

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

Perspectives

Recommendations towards filling in the gaps: need for baseline data and guidelines Creation of useable pre-spill database: • … could be linked with existing national monitoring networks? – monitoring programmes about chemical and bacteriological quality (water, sediments and tissues) – but very few of them have true observatories for populations / communities • Long term monitoring of species or habitats of special interests exist locally (e.g. in the United Kingdom -used during the Sea Empress event) or are planned (e.g: REBent survey in France)

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

Perspectives

Forthcoming actions by Cedre: EC funded workshop (9-11 October, Brest) Bring scientists together to share experience and agree on recommendations about:
– Use of biomarkers (recent developments) – A number of recognized methods/protocols concerning ecological studies (e.g. benthic communities, functional groups, populations, species…) that proved to be efficient at assessing environmental impact of oil.

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

Perspectives

Guidance regarding ecological monitoring procedures exist in some countries: - to guide the first actions for environmental assessment - to optimise the programme

UK / MPCU (WSL, 199?)

France (Cedre, 2001)

Australia and New Zealand (AMSA, 2003)

Wales /CCW (Moore J. et al., 2005)

To be developed

Post-spill environmental impact assessment: approaches & needs.

CONCLUSION

Authorities may want: • to be able to quickly set up a monitoring programme; • find the resources to do so and avoid forgetting to take any action, particularly in the emergency phase, which they could be criticised for or which could be prejudicial. Are required: • organisation of the scheme (funding, management structure and objectives) • lists of experts and expertise (researchers, laboratories) and guidelines or check lists • availability of the scientists: – financial contractual terms – ad hoc procedures allowing scientists to momentarily stop their studies underway Most of these priorities should be appraised / agreed upon before the accident (= as part of the preparatory stages)