The remote sensing of oil slicks

Marine Pollution Bulletin Wales, only estuarine classification is being considered for implementation by the NRA. Also, the report asks for the assessment and control of the environmental effects of fish farms--such control is now being implemented in parts of the UK. The report also omits detailed discussion of the coordinating roles for many activities by the Departments of the Environment in England and Northern Ireland and the Scottish and Welsh Development Departments. Similarly, there is no mention of the coordinating roles of the Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group (MPMMG), Oslo and Paris Commissions (OSPARCOM), the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the North Sea Task Force (NSTF). Without mentioning it, the report's discussion of water quality management partly encompasses the topic of integrated pollution control (IPC) as proposed in the 1990 Environment Act. Perhaps the logical extension of this concept towards an Environmental Protection Agency will answer many of the points of concern raised by the respondents. Some errors and omissions in the report are the result of the ubiquitous 'anglocentric' viewpoint--the differing systems in Scotland and Northern Ireland are mis- or under-represented. For example, the longer history of operation and coordination amongst RPBs in Scotland appears to have been overlooked. This viewpoint is unfortunate given that the report makes proposals for the UK. Despite this, it will be welcome by all concerned with coastal management in the UK although one questions whether CZM would be better based on geographical boundaries (British Isles, North Sea, Irish Sea, etc.) than national boundaries, The report interestingly gives many 'statements of concerff identified by the respondents although all are given equal weighting. In giving such statements, the report concisely identifies the problems faced by many users of the coastal environment. Dr Gubbay has accomplished a difficult task in collating the responses although one wonders whether they should be weighted according the type of respondent, for instance, small voluntary organizations and large statutory bodies. (However, it is of concern that Government departments provided a limited input to the survey.) The report deserves to be read widely especially by regulatory agencies. It will be of value to anyone interested in CZM and one hopes that it will stimulate discussion and go some way to confronting anomalies in the present system of coastal management. M1CHA EL EL LIOTT

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Eyes in the Skies The Remote Sensing of Oil Slicks. A. E. Lodge (ed.). Institute of Petroleum/John Wiley & Sons, London/ Chichester, 1989. 165 pp. £69.95. ISBN: 0-47192043-6.

This book records the proceedings of an international meeting organized by the Institute of Petroleum and held in London in May 1988. The contributed papers cover: Review of Remote Sensing Technology; Application of the Technology (in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, and North America); NIFO (Norwegian Industry Association for Oil Companies) Comparative Trials; Monitoring of Operational Discharges from Oil Production Platforms (by the Netherlands, and in the Federal Republic of Germany); The Law and Remote Sensing Evidence; Control of Oil Pollution Response Activities; Spillage from Subsea Pipelines; Laser Fluorosensing of Mineral Oil Spills; The Future Role of Satellites. As you can see, all fairly technical and generally designed for the expert, although the paper from North America gives a good introduction to the various methods of remote sensing, together with some of their advantages and disadvantages. But then, as the preface points out: 'As the remote sensing of oil slicks will become a regulatory monitoring tool, it is important that there should be consistency both in terms of the quality of the data obtained and its interpretation for those involved in the sensing patrols and those being sensed." Much of the debate is about the identificatory power of remote sensing, whether it can ever give quantitative evidence of the amounts present, and the status of the evidence in a court of law when trying to prosecute for illegal discharge. The presence, in a paper from the Netherlands, of the incredible statement that "oil production platforms in the North Sea yearly pollute the North Sea with a quantity of 35 000 m 3 of oil (extrapolated from the 'Tour d'Horizon" results)" indicates the degree to which some methods of quantification from remote sensing are clearly invalid. The report of the discussion sessions provides interesting pointers to the way industry and government interact over research projects, environmental controls, and compliance monitoring. Consider, for instance: "Cooperation [between industry and government I towards establishing appropriate regulations is essential. The industry is concerned about the reluctance of government to come to a judgement on acceptable impact." But, overall, this is a book for the few specialists in the field rather than the average reader or student of environmental science and protection; and the price ensures this. I fail to understand why organizations bother to publish books at such inflated prices that they will have virtually no readership. R. A. A. BLACKMAN