Analysis of the Prevailing Weather Conditions Criteria to Evaluate the Adoption of a Future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea

Appendix III of MARPOL ́s Annex VI sets out the criteria and procedures for designating an emission control area (ECA).This criteria includes: a clear delineation of the proposed ECA; land and sea areas at risk; emission quantification and impact assessment; prevailing weather conditions; data on marine traffic; and land based measures concurrent with the ECA adoption. This paper analyses one of these parameters: prevailing weather conditions to evaluate the adoption of a future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea. Results will demonstrate how marine emissions will impact the sea and land ecology in the Mediterranean area. Figure 1. Global ship density map of all class A vessels. Source (Eiden, 2010) Figure 2. Concentrations of PM2.5 with ICOADS data in micrograms per cubic meter. Source: Winebrake, et al. 2009 On the other hand, as can be seen in Figure 2, the Mediterranean ship emissions appear important probably due to the more shipping (and ship emissions) along coastal routes frequented by containerships along coastal shipping, particularly in the Europe and Mediterranean areas.