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ReefLink Database

Cruise Ships

Cruise Ships

The Cruise Ship industry utilizes large ships to transport tourists between coastal locations, providing food, entertainment, and accommodation.

CMap

Provisioning services are the products or ecosystem goods obtained from ecosystems, including seafood, genetic and biochemical resources, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources, and water resources. Aesthetic & recreational value pertains to the value derived from the visual beauty and recreational opportunities provided by a natural ecosystem, including an assemblage of diverse, healthy, colorful, or unique species. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Regulating Services are benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that regulate the environment, including erosion regulation, natural hazard regulation, and climate regulation. Resource use management pertains to responses to regulate or limit contact activities that may directly impact coastal species through harvesting or physical damage. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Shoreline Protection is the attenuation of wave energy by reefs that protects coastal communities against shoreline erosion and flooding during storms, hurricanes, and tsunamis that can cause property damage and loss of life. Small Boats includes the provision, maintenance, and operation of small, privately owned boats used for recreation, fishing, tours, or other purposes. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. The Transportation Sector involves comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) The Transportation Systems Sector is segmented into six key subsectors, or modes, which operate independently Transportation management includes policies, regulations, and zoning designed to control the distribution and intensity of transportation networks, including roads and shipping channels, and vehicles, including cars, boats, and ships. Wastewater Discharges are direct discharges of wastewater, including nutrients and chemicals, into streams, rivers, lakes, or coastal waters. Water Transportation pertains to all transportation of people and goods via waterways. Applied chemicals are chemicals applied to lands, vehicles, buildings, or during manufacturing for a variety of purposes, including maintaining pests, improving soil quality, or cleaning surfaces. Atmospheric Emissions include discharges of atmospheric pollutants, including mercury, greenhouse gases, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides, and volatile organic compounds from the operation of factories, vehicles, and other sources. Ballast water discharges by ships can have a negative impact on the marine environment. Boating activities include movement in coastal waters and into ports that can lead to anchor drops or vessel groundings, or damage from trawling and other fishing gear. Cleaners and solvents are used to remove oil, grease, and other contaminants during industrial or household cleaning. The Coastal Engineering sector is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of engineering projects along the coast, including ports, harbors, docks, and marinas needed by boats, ships, and other water transportation, as well as to facilit Commercial Fishing Boats includes industries that operate fishing boats to harvest and transport aquatic species for commercial profit. Contact Uses, such as biological additions, physical damage, and biological harvesting, are activities in which humans create pressures through direct contact with the ecosystem. The Cruise Ship industry utilizes large ships to transport tourists between coastal locations, providing food, entertainment, and accommodation. Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities. Discharge limitations are responses to regulate and control the discharge of pollutants and the use of chemicals. Discharges are the intentional or unintentional distribution of chemicals, debris, or other pollution, into the environment as a consequence of human activities. Dredging is the process of excavating material from an area to maintain ship channels and harbors for safe navigation. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . Finfish and shellfish stock are fish (e.g., groupers and snappers) and invertebrates (e.g., lobster, crab, conch, octopus, squid, and bivalves) that are harvested for human consumption as seafood. Greenhouse Gas Emissions affect the earth's climate and temperature, because they trap heat in the atmosphere. Infrastructural policies are responses, including zoning, codes, or regulations, that impact the distribution and functioning of socio-economic sectors that provide infrastructure. Infrastructural sectors provide the physical, organizational, and technical support for the economy to function, including construction, utilities, transportation, finance, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and technical services. Large Ships includes commercial shipping and the military, which operate large watercraft for transportation of goods or people. Oil and Gas Tankers deal with the bulk transport of gas and oil by ships. Petroleum Spills are releases of oil or natural gas into the environment related to the development, transportation, and application of petroleum products. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Physical Damage to reef habitat and wetlands can occur from vessel groundings, dredging, trampling, boat movement, anchor drops, trawling, and fishing gear. Waterborne point source discharges are pollution from a discernible, confined conveyance, such as a pipe, vehicle, ship, or animal feeding operation that directly enter the aquatic environment into streams or direct discharge into coastal waters. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment.

CMap Description

Operation of boats, ships and the ports, harbors, and docks they depend on, can create numerous pressures on the reef ecosystem. Boat and ship activities can lead to groundings, anchor drops, or use of fishing gear that can damage reef habitat, and movement can cause resuspension of sediment in the reef environment. Boats and ships may discharge wastewater into open water, and operators may use cleaners & solvents in harbor to maintain boats. Operation of ships and boats often leads to emissions of greenhouse gasses into the environment, and runs the risk, particularly for oil & gas tankers, of petroleum spills. Ballast discharge from large ships increases the risk of an invasive species entering the reef ecosystem, and competing with native species. Dredging of coastal vegetation or reef habitat may be needed for construction of ports, harbors, marinas, and docks, or to create channels for ship traffic. Maritime transportation sectors benefit from shoreline protection provided by the reef, including calm waters for boat activity and reducing the likelihood of damage to coastal engineering structures during storm events. Commercial fishing boat operators benefit from availability of finfish & shellfish stock. The aesthetic value of the reef provides recreational opportunities and contributes to the cultural identity of the local community, which can improve business for small boat and cruise ship operators. Decision-makers can influence numbers, distribution, technology, and discharges from boats and ships through policies and regulations. Resource use management can be used to control boating activities through mooring buoys or protected areas.

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