Land-Based Industries

The release of pollutants to the marine environment poses an extreme threat to oceans and seas worldwide. Toxic substances are found in seawater, sediments and marine organisms and excess organic substances and nutrient input threatens aquatic life. Land-based industries are significant contributors to this pollution. Looking at data from the North-East Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the relevant contaminants and main industrial sectors become evident. It can be shown, that implementing pollution control measures for relevant industrial activities leads to substantial reduction of their emissions and discharges. Therefore regulating land-based industrial sites is a central issue for the protection of the marine environment.