1. Introduction
When I was first invited to present this paper, the original title was to have been along the theme of marine pollution with a focus on data requirements, needs and products.
Upon reflection, I felt that while I had a fair amount of exposure to marine pollution data acquisition requirements and needs, I would not have as much to offer by way of products associated with these needs. It was also apparent to me that in the field of oceanographic data acquisition, much of the emphasis has really been on physical oceanographic data and much less on chemical measurements which, if done, would be surrogates to an understanding of the state of marine contamination in the region. Having been associated with two major regional programs over the last few years, the ASEAN-Canada Cooperative Programme in Marine Science, Phase II (CPMS-II) and the GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme on the Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas (MPP-EAS), has also provided me a perspective on the problems and issues in assessing marine pollution in the region. Thus, what I will share with you today is precisely this perspective; hence, the revised title of this paper which you now see in the program.
I intend to go about this discussion by first providing a situationer on what I consider the problem in the data and information chain in marine pollution. I will then proceed to point out that the major problem or weakness in the chain is not in the marine pollution data packaging (what may considered the end of the information chain) but marine pollution data acquisition (the start of the chain). This will, in fact, be the focus of the talk. I will then end by offering some thoughts on how we might move forward to improve the situation. Please bear in mind that I speak not as an “expert” but as a participant in the journey of acquiring a better picture of the status of marine pollution in the region. Thus, the perspectives and insights that I will share will not necessarily be original but a distillation of my many co-travellers in this journey.
2. The Situation
Some years ago, I wanted to put together, assess and integrate the more common environmental data on the marine environment from various sources in the East Asian region. The task seemed simple enough, but I was soon faced with having to consider issues on the quality and comparability of marine chemistry data available in the published and grey literature in the region that would have to be taken into account to make a valid regional assessment. It became clear that reliable data was hard to come by and where these were available, the data were often limited.
It was also apparent that, unlike major oceanographic programs where the tradition and practice of acquiring, storing and sharing physical oceanographic data (temperature, salinity, density, currents) is well in place, much less chemical data were being obtained, with the exception of the typical measurements of oxygen and nutrients. Contaminants (inorganic as well as organic) were certainly not being measured to the same degree as physical parameters.
