NOWPAP (Northwest Pacific Action Plan)

1. NOWPAP Mechanism NOWPAP (Northwest Pacific Action Plan) Established in 1994 by China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Russia as a part of UNEP Regional Seas Programme • Special Monitoring and • Coastal Assessment Japan - Data and Information Network China - Marine Environment Emergency Preparedness and Response Korea - Pollution Monitoring Russia

2. Ultimate Goal of NOWPAP Northwest Pacific Action Plan Wise use, development and management of the coastal and marine environmentso as to obtain the utmost long-term benefits for the human populations of the region, while protecting human health, ecological integrity and the region’s sustainability for future generations. Geographic coverage 33-52oN, 121-143oE

3. The publications prepared under activities of UNEP NOWPAP RACs, namely National Reports and Regional Overviews prepared by NOWPAP POMRAC, and National Reports and Integrated Report prepared by NOWPAP CEARAC, were the major sources of information for this SOMER. • The results published in the scientific papers and reports of the international projects, programs and organizations, including GPA, GIWA, YSLME, PICES, were also used.

4. Goals & Objectives of NOWPAP SOMER • To assess the current state of the marine environment in the northwestern Pacific, with focus on recent changes in environmental conditions and on human impacts on the marine environment and coastal areas • To identify regional concerns and emerging issues • To identify gap and needs related to these issues and the ways to address them in the region • To summarize actions and measures suggested by different programs / projects in a way that assists decision makers meet the challenge of addressing environmental concerns and issues at both national and regional levels.

5. Contents of SOMER • Geographical features of the region and the peculiarities of the human pressure in different countries • Current environmental issues - Atmospheric pollution - Pollutant inputs with rivers and waste waters - Red tides and eutrophication - Oil spills - Coastal hot spots and land based sources (LBS) - Biodiversity and changes in biological communities • Emerging environmental issues - Marine litter - Persistent toxic substances (PTS) - Hazardous and noxious substances spills - Marine invasive species - Other issues related to land-based sources of pollution - Aquaculture, microbiological pollution, biodiversity, protected areas • Assessment and Recommendations

6. The main gaps and needs related to atmospheric pollution and atmospheric deposition issues: • Each country conducts its own air pollution monitoring. However, for some pollutants, especially trans-boundary ones, identifying their sinks and sources, as well as their environmental impacts, is difficult without an integrated, regional monitoring network; • The environmental impacts of acid deposition require long-term monitoring and observation that should be based on regional initiatives; • Monitoring parameters, methodologies and technical standards/criteria based on national studies need coordination. The lack of coordinated methods limits joint efforts to address atmospheric deposition of contaminants in the region; • Trans-boundary movement of air pollutants such as dust and sand storms, especially in China, Korea and Japan, is a critical issue in the region. Additional joint research is needed to predict and to assess dust and sand storms; • Information sources and data on atmospheric deposition of contaminants into marine and coastal environments in the region continue to be very limited. National data focus mainly on general information about air pollution. Regional joint research and efforts are necessary on the investigation of atmospheric deposition of contaminants.

7. Main gaps and needs related to water pollution issues: • There is some discrepancy in the list of parameters have to be monitored: - In China nitrate content is not a parameter monitored in river water; - Oil products content in water is monitored in China and Russia, but in Japan and Korea is not used in the routine monitoring of surface water quality; - Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) are used broadly for the assessment of water quality in all countries except Russia. Discussion is necessary for measures to overcome this discrepancy. • Another issue is an use of unfiltered samples at the surface waters monitoring in China, Japan and Korea. In Russia filtered samples are used for dissolved forms of nutrients (N, P) and metals. • There is a group of problems connected with determination of micro pollutants within routine monitoring of water quality. For the time being the reliable data on dissolved forms of trace metals and persistent organic pollutants (PCBs, PAHs, pesticides like DDTs and HCH) in the surface (river) waters of region are scarce. It does not allow to carry out correct evaluation of regional level of concentration of many of these substances, or to assess their input to the sea at the regional and subregional level.

8. The role of atmospheric deposition in the cycles of chemical substances • A comparison between atmospheric and river inputs at the whole basin level clearly indicate that for Sea of Japan atmospheric sources dominate for all components, including the water itself; • In Yellow Sea the situation is different and atmospheric input dominates for water and Pb only. For nutrients, dust (suspended solids) and Cd the fluxes through atmospheric input to this sea area (north part of Yellow Sea) vary from 26 to 42% of total input; • Unfortunately, data on the concentration of other pollutants (like trace organics) in atmospheric precipitation are too rare to assess atmospheric flux unambiguously; • The key feature of atmospheric input is its non-point nature and the precision of the relative assessment is depend on the size of the area assessed. Relative role of atmospheric input (blue) and river input (other colors)

9. Recommendations for future regional activities and priorities related to water pollution monitoring • 1) To harmonize methodologies and procedures of monitoring of water quality by the study of relationships between parameters partly unconsilient for the time being: for example, CODMn/CODCr/TOC, and TN/NO3, and TP/PO4. This research could be done through training courses, and analysis of existing data. The use of data obtained by automatic stations in China and Korea for this purpose are very desirable. • 2) To take into account the influence of unfiltered/filtered samples use for the data observed and evaluation of river input for the contaminants bound to the particulate matter. • 3) To enhance effort for the obtaining of reliable data on micro pollutants (dissolved forms of some metals and persistent organic pollutants) in the river and coastal waters at the national and regional levels. • 4) To initiate joint research projects on the use of micro pollutants as indicators of the initial stage of anthropogenic activity influence on the water quality, and on the influence of their flux via big rivers on the coastal waters. • 5) To promote the cooperation and information exchange between different environmental programs in region (NOWPAP, WEPA, NARBO, TEMM, PICES etc.)because to decide issues (1)-(4) are possible only through the close regional and international cooperation.

10. Red tides and eutrophication(Harmful Algal Blooms) • Red tides are an event of vastly increased phytoplankton growth accompanied by water discoloration, deterioration of water quality and occasionally fisheries damage. Red tides are observed in all countries of the region, but they are concentrated along the coast of northern Kyushu (Japan) and the southern coast of Korea • Red tides in the region usually extend less than 100 km2but in Chinese Bohai Sea often exceed 1000 km2 • Most red-tides events last 7 to 10 days, although some have lasted from 1 to 2 mouths • The damage caused by red tides depends on what coastal resources are being used.Minimum in Russia, but can reach 38 M $ in China in 1989, 95 M $ in Korea in 1995 or 7 M $ in Japan in 1999.

11. Eutrophication processes in the Yellow Sea • Eutrophication processes were observed in Bohai Sea throughout the last 25 years of the 20th century. • Eutrophication is expressed as an increase in nitrogen and a decrease in phosphorus and silica. • The annual mean of DIN (sum of nitrite, nitrate and ammonia) from 1976 until 2000 increased by 0.041 mgN/l with a temperature increase of 1.7ºC (Lin et al., 2005) • Thus, the averaged rate of nitrogen increase was 0.0017 mg N/l/year, and phosphorus decrease was 0.00012 mg P/l/year. • Reduction of dissolved oxygen was also observed.

12. Oil spills • The volume of tanker shipped oil in the region is rapidly increasing. • The risk of accidents is increasing with oil exploration off Sakhalin Island and in the upper Yellow Sea. • However, the region has a relatively low level of oil spill response (Moller, 2002). • Severe accident last fall in Incheon (Korea) has showed the need to continue efforts to enhance the preparedness – activity carried out by NOWPAP MERRAC. • MERRAC was established in 2000 at MOERI/KORDI (Korea) aiming to build strong relationships among NOWPAP members and to carry out specific activities to develop regional measures that address oil spill response in the Northwest Pacific region. This work is being carried out within the framework of NOWPAP, with professional support from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU).

13. Types of coastal environmental hot spots

14. Emerging environmental issuesMarine Litter • Marine litter became a serious problem in the second half of 20th century due to: 1) hazards to marine animals and birds 2) economic impact on commercial fisheries; 3) lost aesthetic value of beaches; 5) threats to human health from medical and sanitary wastes; 6) navigational hazards for ships; 7) damage to vessel and power station cooling systems. Marine litter takes various forms, but 90-95% are plastic, metal and glass that persist for decades and longer.

15. Distribution of marine litter on beaches in different parts of the region as measured by weight (left, g/100 m2), and by quantity (right, pieces/100m2). Source: Adachi, 2006. • Sea currents appear to be a key factor in the distribution and concentration of marine litter along certain parts of the coastline. • Northwest Kyusyu and some locations along west Honshu are the most contaminatedthough some areas along west coast are very clean • The root cause of the problem is poor management of human activities and a lack of human awareness of the consequences of their behavior and actions.

16. Persistent Toxic Substances (PTS) • A special feature of NOWPAP region with respect to PTS is the combination of highly industrialized countries like Japan and Korea that used PCBs extensively in the 1970s and 1980s and China's rapid growth where, until 1983, DDT and HCH were widely applied as pesticides. Temporary and limited application of DDT to fight malarial insects is still allowed. • There is deficiency in the reliable monitoring data on the of dissolved forms of PTS in the river and sea waters. • Data on PTS concentrations in sediments and aquatic biota are more readily available. Elevated POPs concentrations have been detected in a wide range of environmental media and aquatic biota (Iwata et al., 1994; Monirith et al., 2003). • Change in the frequency of % non-zero results) of different PTS in fish and shellfish in Japan. Source: UNEP Chemicals/GEF, 2002.

17. The way forward (PTS): • The existing data on PTS level are far below EQS (WQS, MPC) in most cases, and from this point of view situation seems satisfactory. • But reliable data on “background” concentration of these substances will allow to trace and to assess the anthropogenic influence on the surface waters at the initial stages of pollution. • This will help to predict the environmental problems with water quality in future and to elaborate measures for diminishing of damage. • The possible approach to decision of this problem is a cooperation and using of scientific research results within and abroad region. • The project “East Asian POPs Monitoring Network” (initiated by NIES) could be the platforms for such cooperation.

18. Other environmental problems: • Physical alteration and destruction of coastal habitats – loss of habitats by different reasons ( fires, poaching, poor infrastructure in Russia, farming, loss of wetlands, urbanization in China, land reclamation and land filling for construction and industry in Japan and Korea); • Marine Invasive species – damage for fishing, aquaculture, indigenous species and biodiversity; • E-waste – contamination of fresh waters by chemicals, including heavy and toxic metals; • Aquaculture - habitat loss, damage to indigenous species, risk of bioinvasion, contamination of water and bottom sediments by nutrients • Microbiological pollution – related with summer swimming and closely connected with wastewater discharge via rivers or directly.

19. Assessment of current situation • A summary of environmental conditions across the entire region is very difficult to compile given the diverse nature of the countries and their environmental problems; • Key environmental stressors affecting marine and coastal areas in the region include coastal modification, land-based sources (LBS) of pollution and oil spills; • LBS include direct discharge of domestic sewage and industrial effluents from major cities and industrial complexes into marine environment as well as river and atmospheric inputs.

20. Recommendations: • Two issues have been identified by UNEP NOWPAP as key to improve environmental conditions in the region: 1) coordination with efforts of other international projects/ programs/ organizations to develop a common set of indicators that can be used to assess changes in environmental conditions; 2) development of integrated management approaches.