Seawater monitoring and geochemical and benthic foraminiferal analysis of sediments were conducted to identify the effects of hypoxia created by a mussel farm on benthic foraminifera in a semi-closed bay. Extremely polluted reductive conditions with a high content of organic matter (OM) at >12.0% and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) with dissolved oxygen (DO) <0.4mg∙L–1 were formed below the mussel farm in the northwest area of Gamak Bay, and gradually diffused toward the south. Highly similar patterns of variation were observed in species diversity, abundance frequency, and benthic foraminiferal assemblage distributed from Elphidium subarcticum–Ammonia beccarii in the northwest area through E. subarcticum–A. beccarii–Trochammina hadai, E. subarcticum–A. beccarii–Elphidiumclavatum, and E. clavatum–Ammonia ketienziensis in the southern area. These phenomena were caused by hydrodynamics in the current water mass. It was thought that E. subarcticum is a bioindicator of organic pollution caused by the mussel farm.

Arthrocnemum macrostachyum is a halophyte naturally growing in southwest coasts of Spain that can tolerate and accumulate heavy metals. A total of 48 bacteria (30 endophytes and 18 from the rhizosphere) were isolated from A. macrostachyum growing in the Odiel River marshes, an ecosystem with high levels of contamination. All the isolates exhibited plant-growth-promoting (PGP) properties and most of them were multiresistant to heavy metals. Although the presence of heavy metals reduced the capability of the isolates to exhibit PGP properties, several strains were able to maintain their properties or even enhance them in the presence of concrete metals. Two bacterial consortia with the best-performing endophytic or rhizospheric strains were selected for further experiments. Bacterial inoculation accelerated germination of A. macrostachyum seeds in both the absence and presence of heavy metals. These results suggest that inoculation of A. macrostachyum with the selected bacteria could ameliorate plant establishment and growth in contaminated marshes.

Superficial sediments were taken at the port of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy), which includes the oil terminal of one of the largest oil refineries in the Mediterranean. Significant trace metal concentrations were found in the whole port area. Sequential extraction of metals from the different sediment fractions (BCR method) showed a higher risk of remobilisation for Cd, which is mostly bound to the exchangeable fraction. Foraminiferal density and richness of species were variable across the study area. The living assemblages were characterized by low diversity in samples collected close to the port areas. Ammonia tepida and bolivinids, which were positively correlated with concentrations of heavy metals and organic matter content, appeared to show tolerance to the environmental disturbance. The sampling sites characterized by the highest values of biotic indices were located far from the port areas and present an epiphytic and epifaunal biocoenosis.

The concentrations of nutrients (NO2–N, NO3–N, NH4–N, PO4–P, and SiO3–Si) and their ratios in the Lembeh Strait were estimated in April 2013, off the northeastern coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (NO2–N+NO3–N+NH4–N) and PO4–P were low, with a maximum of 0.181 and 0.007mg/L, respectively. P was found to be the limiting factor controlling phytoplankton growth overall. According to a potential eutrophication assessment model, both the surface water and the water at a depth of 15m were classified as water 1 (poor nutrition). This study provides baseline information including chemical datasets for future pollution monitoring and management programs in this area.

We provide data on regional differences in plastic ingestion for two Southern Ocean top predators: Arctocephalus fur seals and albatrosses (Diomedeidae). Fur seals breeding on Macquarie Island in the 1990s excreted small (mainly 2–5mm) plastic fragments, probably derived secondarily from myctophid fish. No plastic was found in the scats of these seals breeding on three islands in the southwest Indian and central South Atlantic Oceans, despite myctophids dominating their diets at these locations. Compared to recent reports of plastic ingestion by albatrosses off the east coast of South America, we confirm that plastic is seldom found in the stomachs of Thalassarche albatrosses off South Africa, but found no Diomedea albatrosses to contain plastic, compared to 26% off South America. The reasons for such regional differences are unclear, but emphasize the importance of reporting negative as well as positive records of plastic ingestion by marine biota.

Illumina-based RNA-seq was used to determine the short-term transcriptomic responses of Paralichthys olivaceus gill to an environmentally relevant level of water accommodated fraction (WAF) of crude oil. 213,979 transcripts and 128,482 unigenes were obtained. Differential expression analysis revealed that 1641 and 2142 genes were significantly up- and down-regulated. Enrichment analysis identified a set of GO terms and putative pathways involved in the response of P. olivaceus to WAF exposure. Analysis of the transcripts revealed the effective protective mechanisms of P. olivaceus to reduce the toxic effects of WAF. Moreover, WAF exposure induced the metabolism of energy substrates, and downstream pathway genes were modified to provide protection against toxic damage. Transcripts analysis demonstrated that the genes involved in circadian rhythm signaling were regulated in gills of P. olivaceus exposed to WAF. These results provide insights into the mechanisms of WAF-induced toxicity in fishes and into the WAF-sensitive biomarkers in P. olivaceus.

The measurements of dew formation efficiency and chemistry were performed in Poland in September 2009, as a part of a longer, two-year sampling campaign. Pairs of sites, representing centers of major Polish cities and rural conditions in three different regions, were compared. With the aim to get more detailed landuse-oriented characteristics of dew, two additional sites were set close to Wroclaw. Collection of dew at each site was made by means of flat, insulated, passive radiative condenser, 1 m2 in area. The analysis has included a number of physico-chemical variables, i.e.: dew water volume, pH, conductivity (σ), concentration of some major anions: F−, Cl−, NO2−, NO3−, SO42−, PO43− and cations: Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, NH4+. The dew formation efficiency at the rural stations is about two times higher than in the nearby city centres and such regularity is complex in its origin. The results show generally low contamination of dew (16.8–132.6 μS cm−1) in comparison to literature examples, but definitely more acidic (pH ∼5.0). The urban dew is characterized about two times higher contamination than nearby rural and independently of the place of collection the dominant ions are NO3−, SO42− and Ca2+, all anthropogenic in origin. The sources of dew pollution have mostly regional character or alternatively urban emissions effectively contaminate dew even several tens of kilometers away. The urban dew pH is higher than rural, but dew is potentially acidic and corrosive at the level of urban canopy.

This study investigates different UV doses (mJ/cm2) and the effect of dark incubation on the survival of the algae Tetraselmis suecica, to simulate ballast water treatment and subsequent transport.Samples were UV irradiated and analyzed by flow cytometry and standard culturing methods. Doses of ≥400mJ/cm2 rendered inactivation after 1day as measured by all analytical methods, and are recommended for ballast water treatment if immediate impairment is required. Irradiation with lower UV doses (100–200mJ/cm2) gave considerable differences of inactivation between experiments and analytical methods. Nevertheless, inactivation increased with increasing doses and incubation time. We argue that UV doses ≥100mJ/cm2 and ≤200mJ/cm2 can be sufficient if the water is treated at intake and left in dark ballast tanks. The variable results demonstrate the challenge of giving unambiguous recommendations on duration of dark incubation needed for inactivation when algae are treated with low UV doses.

Mercury (Hg) contamination testing was conducted on winter-caught male spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in southern New England and results compared to available data on Hg concentrations for this species. A limited risk-reward assessment for EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid) lipid concentrations of spiny dogfish was completed in comparison with other commonly consumed marine fish. Mean Hg concentrations were 0.19ppm (±0.30) wet weight. In comparison, mean Hg concentrations in S. acanthias varied geographically ranging from 0.05ppm (Celtic Sea) to 2.07ppm (Crete, Mediterranean Sea). A risk-reward assessment for Hg and DHA+EPA placed S. acanthias in both “low-risk, high-reward” and “high-risk, high-reward” categories for consumption dependent on locations of the catch. Our results are limited and are not intended as consumption advisories but serve to illustrate the need for making more nuanced, geo-specific, consumption guidance for spiny dogfish that is inclusive of seafood traceability and nutritional benefits.

Atmospheric particles were investigated from a haze episode in autumn 2012 in Beijing that was caused by transported pollutants emitted from biomass burning during the crop harvest season in the North China Plain. Four samples from haze and one sample from clean atmosphere were collected in sequence by a multiple-stage cascade impactor. Based on morphology and elemental compositions, the particles were classified into five types: accumulation-mode secondary particles with and without coating, naked and core–shell soot, and other particles. The ratios of accumulation-mode secondary particles to soot containing particles were 4.0, 2.3, 1.7, 1.8, and 5.5, i.e., secondary particles in haze were proportionally less abundant than those in clean air, which was caused by the different dominant secondary formation mechanisms during hazy and clean periods. Meanwhile, the ratios of particles with coating to those without coating were 0.5, 1.0, 0.7, 0.6, and 0.2, implying that the particles in haze were likely more hygroscopic than those in clean air. In haze, the size distributions of particles were multi-modal, with main modes of approximately 0.55–0.85 μm, suggesting that the particles were from multiple sources due to the transported biomass burning plumes mixed with urban air. The size distribution was unimodal in clean air, and the mode was approximately 0.35 μm, with a mean equivalent diameter of 0.45 μm. The core–shell ratio distribution for soot particles collected in haze induced by biomass-burning aerosols was quite different from those in clean air, and soot particles were more aged in haze samples.