Quantifying and mitigating three major vessel waste streams in the northern Bering Sea

• Main Authors: Ahmasuk, A. (Author), Compagnoni, B. (Author), Norris, A. (Author), Parks, M. (Author), Rufe, R. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2019
• Subjects: Bering sea; Bering Sea; Bering strait; Bering Strait; environmental risk; Indigenous perspective; indigenous population; mitigation; Mitigation; Pacific Ocean; traffic congestion; vessel; Vessel traffic; Waste; waste management
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 More and larger vessels are operating in the Arctic's northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait and their associated waste streams pose a growing risk to the ecosystem. These collective risks are particularly concerning to Indigenous people in the region, whose culture and subsistence hinge upon preservation of a pristine marine environment. This article describes the ecological and cultural significance of the northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait waters to Indigenous people, and then discusses the risk to these waters from increasing vessel traffic and associated waste streams. The article then quantifies the amount of three principal waste streams – oil, sewage, and grey water – currently being discharged in these waters, and concludes with a discussion of ship- and area-based options to reduce the waste's impact to the region. © 2019