Copper Loading Assessment from In-Water Hull Cleaning following Natural Fouling, Shelter Island Yacht Basin, San Diego Bay, San Diego, California

Matching Forces Applied in Underwater Hull Cleaning with Adhesion Strength of Marine Organisms

“…It is recognized that brush-systems can erode, or even damage, fouling-control coatings [20,24]. However, reporting on the effects of brushes on hull coatings (e.g., scratching and wear) is limited to a few cleaning devices [14,15,25,27]. In addition, imparted forces are dependent on several factors, such as the type of surface used for cleaning (i.e., carpet, scouring pad or brush), geometrical parameters (for brushes: bristle density, angle and stiffness), standoff distance and wearing of the cleaning surface, e.g., at the tip of bristles in cleaning brushes [24,28].…”

“…This short review article aims at (1) giving an overview of current underwater cleaning technology; (2) analysing previously published adhesion strength values for different groups of marine organisms on different hull coatings and (3) identifying areas for future research on forces and frequency of underwater cleaning. The current focus is on minimizing cleaning forces for low impact on the fouling-control hull paint, i.e., without affecting its long-term efficacy, and also minimizing the release of toxic substances into the marine environment [11,15]. Other important topics related to underwater hull cleaning, such as the risk of inadvertent release of viable organisms and propagules to the marine environment, are reviewed elsewhere [16].…”