RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS RESOURCE – THE BLACK SEA AND CASPIAN SEA ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION CENTER ( HTTP://PIMS.ED.ORNL.GOV)

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 371-374
Author(s):  
Marian K. (Kay) Thompson ◽  
Melissa V. Lapsa ◽  
Robert B. Shelton ◽  
Kim R. Grubb

ABSTRACT Prevention of oil spills and effective action in the case of a spill are crucial to protecting and maintaining the environment. Up-to-date, reliable, and easily accessible research and information are extremely important and help to ensure a united front of preparation and to facilitate remedial action should a spill occur. The better the information available, the better the chance for prevention and, in the event of a spill, efficient and effective cleanup. The Interspill 2004 conference in Trondheim, Norway, hosted a U.S.-Russian Workshop on Oil Spill Prevention and Response. The workshop, which focused on dispersants, was the culmination of agreements signed by U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Russian Minister of Energy Igor Yusufov to discuss energy issues of interest to both countries and to implement the oil spill prevention and response agreement developed between the United States and Russia. To assist the participants and in concert with the workshop, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea Environmental Information Center (http://pims.ed.ornl.gov) posted relevant material from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Coast Guard. Although this web site offers information on region- and country-specific initiatives, its usefulness is far-reaching—the Center's information on oil spill prevention and response, research and development, and communications and related technologies have worldwide applications. Indeed, more than a hundred organizations from all over the world have registered, and interested organizations are encouraged to do the same to promote their technologies, services, or research activities. The site is being accessed at roughly 1,000 hits per day from 115 countries all over world. During July 2004, there were more than 40,000 hits on the web site. The oil industry strongly supports the information center and has representatives participate in all of its workshops. The Center is intended to be used as a tool to provide a comprehensive source of information:It publishes results and lists participants of several workshops.It hosts online “real-time” meetings that allow participants to plan structured meetings at an optimal time across different time zones.It provides information on oil spill prevention, cleanup, monitoring, and related commercial technologies and offers on-line discussions of these issues.It provides information about the laws, regulations, and standards of various countries relating to the environmental condition of the sea.It posts relevant published scientific papers.It publishes lists of participants working on Black Sea and Caspian Sea environmental issues.It is home to a growing database of historical pollution-testing data from research institutes in the region.

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 873-876
Author(s):  
Marian K. (Kay) Thompson ◽  
Melissa V. Lapsa ◽  
Robert B. Shelton ◽  
Kim R. Grubb

ABSTRACT A U.S. interagency committee (including representatives from the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, Commerce, and State, and others) was formed to deal with Black Sea and Caspian Sea environmental issues. Oil tanker traffic is expected to increase significantly on the Black and Caspian Seas in the coming years, and the United States decided to address this issue, with the Department of Energy's (DOE s) Office of Policy and International Affairs taking the lead. The goal is to facilitate cooperation among the countries of the region to develop contingency plans should a spill occur. This is being done through a series of workshops held in the Black Sea countries and Kazakhstan and through the establishment of a regional information and communications center. The activity has strong support from the oil industry, whose representatives participate in all of the workshops. The Black Sea and Caspian Sea Environmental Information Center web site (http://pims.ed.ornl.gov), created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for DOE, facilitates information flow and dialog between the countries of the region. The web site is intended to provide a comprehensive source for information onoil spill cleanup, monitoring, and related commercial technologies;scientists requests for research partners;the laws, regulations, and standards of various countries relating to the environmental condition of the seas;publication of scientific papers, and on-line discussions of these issues; andlists of individuals and companies working on Black Sea and Caspian Sea environmental issues. The web site also provides a real-time chat capability where meetings are organized. Several meetings among regional officials and scientists have been conducted by this means. The web site is also host to a growing database of historical pollution testing data from research institutes in the region.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1119-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Thompson ◽  
Melissa Lapsa

ABSTRACT The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of International Affairs has been joined by an interagency task force to undertake a program in the Black Sea region called the “Black Sea Environmental Initiative.” The objectives of the task force are to support the countries of the region to address significant Black Sea environmental issues, including oil spill response and prevention. Working with delegates from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine, DOE and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) coordinated a workshop on a regional oil spill emergency response system for the Black Sea on September 14–17, 1999 in Odessa, Ukraine; DOE and the National Academy of Science, Ukraine cosponsored the workshop. The “Black Sea Environmental Information Center” Web site was unveiled at the Odessa workshop. Created by ORNL, the Web site ( http://pims.ed.ornl.gov/blacksea) facilitates information flow and dialog between the countries of the region. The Web site is intended to provide a comprehensive source for information on: Oil spill cleanup, monitoring, and related commercial technologies Scientists' requests for research partner Various countries' laws, regulations, and standards relating to the environmental condition of the Black Sea Publication of scientific papers and on-line discussions of these issue Individuals and companies working on Black Sea environmental issues The Web site also provides a real time chat capability where meetings are organized. Several meetings among regional officials have been conducted and planning is underway for the first real-time training session, which will be held in the next few months. The Web site also is host to a growing database of historical pollution testing data from research institutes around the Black Sea.


Author(s):  
Tatia Kuljanishvili ◽  
Levan Mumladze ◽  
Bella Japoshvili ◽  
Namig Mustafayev ◽  
Shaig Ibrahimov ◽  
...  

The South Caucasus (SC) region is recognized for its high biological diversity and various endemic animal taxa. The area has experienced many fish introductions over the years, but the overall information about non-native fishes in the three SC countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia did not exist. Although these three countries belong to the Kura River drainage, Caspian Sea basin (only the western half of Georgia drains into the Black Sea), the legislative framework for each country regarding introduction of non-native fish species and their treatment is different and poorly developed. The goal of the present study was to make an initial inventory of non-native fish species in the three SC countries, and summarize the existing knowledge as a basis for future risk assessment models and formulation of regional management policies. Here, we present a unified list of 27 non-native species recorded in the wild in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Among these 27 species, eight were translocated from the Black Sea basin to the Caspian Sea basin. Out of these 27 non-native fishes, 15 species have become established (three of them being considered invasive) and six fish species could not survive in the wild.


1979 ◽  
Vol 1979 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Alan P. Bentz ◽  
Stanley L. Smith

ABSTRACT In several recent court cases, evidence of an oil “fingerprint” has been used to identify the source of an oil spill. As a result, those responsible for the spill have been required to pay a civil penalty and to reimburse the United States for the cost of cleaning up the oil. The use of such evidence in court supports the conclusion that the U.S. Coast Guard's oil spill identification system is both scientifically and legally sound.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 635-638
Author(s):  
William C. Rogers ◽  
Jean R. Cameron

ABSTRACT Oil shipping companies operating on the West Coast of the United States are subject to international, federal, and state oil spill prevention and response planning regulations. Many companies wrote separate plans for each jurisdiction with the result that tank vessels carried several different plans on board and parent companies faced an administrative burden in keeping plans current. In June 1996, oil shipping company representatives proposed that the States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force work with them to develop a format incorporating West Coast states' and U.S. Coast Guard contingency planning requirements. A workgroup comprised of representatives of the Task Force, industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard, working cooperatively, eventually proposed a voluntary integrated plan format based on the key elements of the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Response Plan. This format allowed correlation with state planning requirements as well as with the Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) required by international regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, and all West Coast states have subsequently documented their agreement to accept vessel plans in this format, to coordinate review as needed, and to allow references to public documents such as Area Plans.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-192
Author(s):  
Stacey L. Crecy ◽  
Melissa E. Perera ◽  
Elizabeth J. Petras ◽  
John A. Tarpley

ABSTRACT #2017-373 Federal agencies involved in oil spill response in the U.S. are required to comply with several environmental compliance laws. Where a Federal agency is operating in a way that may affect endangered species in the area, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the agency to “consult” with the two Federal agencies responsible for protecting those species and habitats – the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, nonprofit organizations filed several lawsuits against the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (the “Action Agencies”) for failure to comply with the ESA during oil spill contingency planning. In one case, a settlement required the Action Agencies to consult with the NMFS and USFWS (together, called the “Services”) on the plan to use oil spill dispersants in California waters. Perhaps responding to these developments, several Regional Response Teams across the country initiated or made plans to review the status of their ESA Section 7 consultations. These efforts have varied in cost, scope, composition of agency representatives involved, and success in completing a consultation for a variety of reasons. There have been numerous challenges for USCG and EPA in meeting the ESA Section 7 consultation requirements for oil spill planning. First, the most recent framework for cooperation between the Action Agencies and the Services regarding consulting on oil spill planning and response activities is contained in an Interagency Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed in 2001. Although the agreement is still valid, some parts have been identified as outdated or in need of clarification. Secondly, there are no direct funding mechanisms or dedicated personnel assigned to the Action Agencies to work on pre-spill ESA Section 7 consultations. Third, recommendations and consultation outcomes can vary between Service agencies as well as internally within each Service agency due to a high level of regional autonomy. In 2015, the National Response Team (NRT) formed a new, interagency subcommittee to improve the Federal Action Agencies’ ability to comply with environmental laws such as the ESA with respect to oil spill response and pre-spill planning. A workgroup of the NRT Subcommittee was formed to specifically address pre-spill ESA Section 7 consultation processes. The workgroup includes regional and national representatives from the Action Agencies and the Services. In addition to strengthening relationships and understanding among the participating agencies, the workgroup has identified gaps in the 2001 MOA and is in the process of developing tools and templates on how to conduct pre-spill ESA Section 7 consultations to help fill some of the existing gaps. The workgroup ultimately hopes to facilitate the development of updated, complete, efficient, and consistent ESA Section 7 consultations across the nation.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Kaplin ◽  
A. A. Svitoch ◽  
O. B. Parunin

14C chronology of Late Pleistocene paleogeographical events in the Black Sea–Caspian Sea region shows that the following transgressions partly correlate with each other: Karangat and Khazarian; Neo-Euxinian and Khvalyn; Holocene and Neo-Caspian. The main climatic events were synchronous in intercontinental Siberia. In the far eastern region, the Middle-Wisconsinan transgression is reflected by Chukotka and western Kamchatka terraces and by submerged ancient shorelines in Primorye.


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