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GLERL 2007 Milestone Reports
< GLERL 2007 Milestone main page
GOAL: Ecosystem
Scientist: Dr. David Reid (GLERL)
NOAA Performance Objective: Access, model and forecast ecosystem resources for management decisions.
Ecosystem Research Program Performance Measure: Develop Technologies and Tools
OAR Performance Measure: Percentage of tools, technologies, and information services that are used by NOAA partners/customers to improve ecosystem-based management.
NOAA Program: Ecosystem Research
Milestone: Complete development of tool for ship engineers and coastal regulators to convert between specific gravity and salinity for sea water sample for monitoring ballast water.
Purpose: To reduce the risk of new aquatic species introductions to coastal ecosystem via the ballast tanks of ocean-going ships, both the United States and Canada have established regulatory and/or policy requirements based on assuring that the salinity of incoming ballast water, including residual ballast water, is 30 ppt or greater. However, common shipboard practice for management of ballast water is to determine the specific gravity of the water, not the salinity. Thus there is a technical disconnect between the information the ship typically records and what the regulatory agencies need. In 1981 a new equation of state for seawater was established, including a highly accurate mathematical relationship between density, salinity, temperature, and pressure. The equation of state for seawater was used to calculate a set of tables relating salinity to density and specific gravity, which were then converted into a related series of graphs, presented in this report. These graphs can be used by ship’s crews and regulators alike to convert between salinity and specific gravity.
Efforts and Results (to date):A NOAA Technical Memorandum was published and made available on the Internet, as well as distributed by mail:
Reid, D.F. (2006). Conversion of Specific Gravity to Salinity for Ballast Water Regulatory Management. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Technical Memorandum GLERL-139. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, Michigan. November 2006. 24 pp.
Customer(s): Commercial international shipping industry, U.S. Coast Guard, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (Canada), Ministry of Transport (Canada).
Cause Factors (if milestone not met):
Milestone was met.
Revised Completion Date (if milestone not met):
Milestone was met.
Last updated: 2007-03-27 mbl