Marine environmental contaminant issues in the North Pacific: What are the dangers and how do we identify them? Robie W. Macdonald1, Brian Morton2, Richard F. Addison1 and Sophia C. Johannessen1 1 Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Rd, Sidney, B.C., Canada V8L 4B2. E-mail:
[email protected],
[email protected] 2 The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d’Aguliar, Shek O, Hong Kong. E-mail:
[email protected] Introduction and sediment loadings, climate change, over- fishing, habitat disruption and the introduction of A little over a decade ago, Waldichuk (1990) exotic species. For the most intensively utilized reviewed the state of industrial and domestic enclosed seas of East Asia, e.g., the South China pollution of the North Pacific and concluded that Sea, projections are indeed grim (Morton and interfaces (e.g., air-water, water-sediment, Blackmore 2001). shorelines) and coastal areas, especially those surrounded by dense population and industry, Here we discuss the major threats human activities were most at risk. His list of critical contaminants present to North Pacific marine ecosystems with – hydrocarbons and polynuclear aromatic chemical contamination as a central theme. We hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine compounds, discuss briefly concurrent issues of climate metals, radionuclides, and persistent solids – change, disruption of CNP (carbon, nitrogen, remains valid today. phosphorus) cycles, and predation, because these factors confound chemical contamination, both in Although toxic effects of contaminants have long terms of its effects and in the way chemical been known, it was only during the past decade contaminants pass through marine systems.