Description
Book SynopsisRisk assessment is the cornerstone of contemporary environmental protection. You must find the answers to questions such as: what might be the impacts of the new synthetic chemicals, what problems might arise from the normal operations of industry, what are the chances of accidental releases and how will they impact the environment? Understanding and assessing these risks is essential to sound environmental policy and management.
The first book to address the application of the current National Research Council (NRC) risk assessment paradigm to the coastal marine environment, Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment covers topics that range from pollutants of emerging concern to bioavailability and bioaccumulation at the suborganismal through landscape levels. It explores the necessary applications for modifying the NRC paradigm and presents a series of steps to actually accomplish an effective assessment using the modified paradigm. The book highlights the logical framework for assessing causation, and measurement of toxicant fate and effect.
The chapter authors bring together experiences from academia, private consultants, and government agencies, resulting in a rich mixture of experience and insights. Exploring the science of exposure, effect, and risk in coastal and estuarine environments, Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment gives you a building block approach to the fundamental components of risk assessment.
Table of ContentsOverview of Ecological Risk Assessment in Coastal and Estuarine Environments. European Approaches to Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment. Emerging Contaminants of Concern in Coastal and Estuarine Environments. Enhancing Belief during Causality Assessments: Cognitive Idols or Bayes's Theorem? Bioavailability, Biotransformation and Fate of Organic Contaminants in Estuarine Animals. The Bioaccumulation of Mercury, Methylmercury and Other Toxic Elements into Pelagic and Benthic Organisms. Dietary Metals Exposure and Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms: Implications for Ecological Risk Assessment. Endocrine Disruption in Fishes and Invertebrates: Issues for Saltwater Ecological Risk Assessment. The Use of Toxicity Reference Values (TRVs) to Assess the Risks Persistent Organochlorines Pose to Marine Mammals. Effects of Chronic Stress on Wildlife Populations: A Population Modeling Approach and Case Study. Structuring Population-based Ecological Risk Assessments in a Dynamic Landscape. Incremental Chemical Risks and Damages in Urban Estuaries: Spatial and Historical Ecosystem Analysis. Epilogue - Ecological Risk Assessment in Coastal and Estuarine Environments.
