Below is a brief overview of several quantitative methods for selecting the locations of hydraulic engineering constructions (HEC) to minimize the related environmental costs. These methods were developed and tested by Eco-Express-Service, a company with over twenty years of experience in the industry and extensive expertise in designing HECs. We conduct the following: 1) A multidimensional cluster analysis of the expected human impact; 2) An assessment of the ecological-economic risk in the form of the expected value of the predicted harm to the environment; 3) An express estimation of the expected “environmental cost” of construction activities. Each of these methods is justified, described and illustrated by a specific example. Their use allows to solve such important practical tasks as quantification, classification and the quantitative comparative assessment of the expected impact on the marine environment. This becomes especially important when choosing the optimal location for an HEC and implementing environmental safety measures. An important point is that all of these methods can be recommended for use as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) “instruments”.
The macrophyte thicket ecosystems of higher aquatic vegetation in the Neva Bay (NB) and Eastern Gulf of Finland (EGoF) perform many important roles, including acting as the habitats, nesting sites and migration sites for aquatic and semi-aquatic birds, creating the specific conditions necessary for the spawning and growth of many species of fish, and taking part in the self-purification of the aquatic ecosystems. Many anthropogenic disturbances, hydraulic works in particular, have a significant negative impact on these macrophyte thicket ecosystems. In recent years, the active growth of a new type of macrophyte thicket has been observed in the NB. This is due to the aftereffects of the construction of the Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex (FPFC). It is quite likely that the total macrophyte thicket area in these waters is currently increasing. In the future, it will be necessary to assess the environmental impacts of the hydraulic works on the macrophyte thicket of the NB and EGoF, taking into account the background processes of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the reed beds in the waters in question. To do this, it will be necessary to carry out a comprehensive study of these ecosystems and identify patterns in their spatial and temporal dynamics. The program of the study has been developed and is currently being implemented by Eco-Express-Service, a St. Petersburg eco-design company.
A comparative analysis of various biological objects sensitivity to acoustic effects is being conducted. For many animal species, the frequency range at which sounds are heard is very different from that for humans and may not even intersect with it. The total frequency range at which various animals can hear covers at least eight orders of magnitude (from hundredths of Hz to hundreds of kHz), while for humans this interval is limited to only four orders of magnitude. Thus, the existing anthropocentric standards for permissible noise levels are unsuitable for regulating their impacts on natural ecosystems and it is necessary to develop standards for sound pressure levels in the entire specified frequency range that are acceptable for the most sensitive recipients. For terrestrial and riparian ecosystems and protected areas, natural test subjects are birds, for which noise levels of 35-40 dBA do not cause pathological changes in behavior and physiological processes. This level can tentatively be considered as maximum permissible for man-made noise and for the noise of ports in particular. More reliable results will be given by regulating the permissible sound pressure levels in the entire frequency range based on reactions of the most sensitive recipients in each octave.
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