Marine clams Ruditapes philippinarum were exposed under laboratory conditions to sediments sampled at five sites affected by wastewater effluents at the Bay of Cádiz (SW, Spain). Contamination and early biological stress were determined. Metabolism and antioxidant system differed according to seasons. Health status diminished in summer. Metabolism of detoxification, and oxidative effect were related to concentration of metals, PAH, secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS) and antibiotics in winter. Antioxidant system and DNA damage were linked to metals and pharmaceutical products. Phase I and antioxidant system were associated to PAH and SAS in summer. Oxidative stress and effects were related to pharmaceuticals. Phase II was linked to metals and pharmaceuticals. Seasonality of sediment contamination by organic compounds and biological responses was determined. Clams were useful bioindicators, since the set of biomarkers applied was validated as potential tools for sediment quality assessment of wastewater discharges areas.

Four biota species were collected from mangrove ecosystems of the Pearl River Estuary to investigate the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dechlorane plus (DP), and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE). Concentrations of ΣPCBs, ΣDDTs, ΣPBDEs, DP, DBDPE and anti-Cl11-DP (the dechlorination product of anti-DP) in mangrove biota ranged from 32.1–466, 153–3819, 3.88–59.8, 0.18–6.88, not detected (nd)–30.6 and nd–2.65ng/g lipid weight, respectively. Daggertooth pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus) had higher concentrations of contaminants than the other three biota species. Significant positive relationship between anti-Cl11-DP and anti-DP levels was observed in mangrove biota. DDTs were the predominant HOPs in all biota species, followed by PCBs and PBDEs. All the target compounds exhibited biomagnification, with biomagnification factors greater than 1 in the studied feeding relationships. Food web magnification was found for ΣPCBs, ΣDDTs, ΣPBDEs and DP, with trophic magnification factors of 2.76, 2.61, 2.20 and 2.31, respectively.

Organic and inorganic sedimentary parameters in and off the Changjiang Estuary have been analyzed to reconstruct historical trends in eutrophication and hypoxia over the last century. The lipid biomarker concentrations in the Changjiang Estuary mud area (CEMA) indicated eutrophication accelerated after the 1970s. Meanwhile, Mo/Al indicated hypoxia has increased since 1960s. Eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA are primarily a result of the dramatically increased load of terrestrial nutrients from the Changjiang to the East China Sea. The lipid biomarker concentrations in the southwest Cheju Island mud area (SCIMA) showed primary production is controlled mainly by changes in regional climate and marine current. No significant hypoxia occurred in the SCIMA over the past century as indicated by Mo/Al. Therefore, geochemical indicators of eutrophication and hypoxia revealed different patterns between the CEMA and SCIMA, suggesting the role of river-derived nutrients in sustaining eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA since the 1960s.

In 2010, a massive bloom of the raphidophycean flagellate Chattonella occurred in the Ariake Sea and Tachibana Bay. Bloom dynamics and hydrographical conditions were examined by field survey. The development and decline of the bloom occurred three times in Tachibana Bay. First and third bloom developments synchronized with precipitation, and the second bloom developed in synchronization with a salinity decrease which occurred in relation to an increase of river discharge from the Chikugo River which takes several days to flow from the Ariake Sea. These results imply that the bloom was transported with the low salinity water from the Ariake Sea to Tachibana Bay. During blooms along the northern coast of Shimabara Peninsula, the predominant phytoplankton species changed from Chattonella to Skeletonema. Low salinity water intrusion induced an interregional difference of the Chattonella and Skeletonema bloom spatially-differentiated by the salinity in the Ariake Sea and Tachibana Bay.

The Gulf of Finland is a shallow sea where a multitude of activities compete of space. Many of the activities include reworking of the sea floor. The gulf is known to have been rather largely contaminated by heavy metals during the last century, and although indications of recovery have been reported, it is crucial to know the levels of sea floor sediment contamination before any decisions of activities are taken by the authorities. In order to predict sediment toxicity the sediment concentrations acquired during a study from 2001 to 2004 are compared to Canadian sediment quality guidelines (SQG: s), which reveal that in the majority of the subsamples the metals and arsenic exceed the threshold levels of the used SQG: s, some exceed also the probable effect level. As, Cd, Hg, and especially Zn concentrations occur at unacceptably high levels in the coastal Gulf of Finland sediments.

Particulate matter samples (PM10 and PM2.5) in downtown Nelson, New Zealand were collected from 2006 to 2012. These samples were used to investigate sources of PM10 and PM2.5, and to evaluate long-term trends in PM10 and BC concentrations. Five PM10 and PM2.5 sources were identified using positive matrix factorization: biomass combustion, motor vehicles, secondary sulfate, marine aerosol and soil. Overall, biomass combustion was the dominant contributor to PM10 (48%) and PM2.5 (77%) mass. The biomass combustion factor profile featured arsenic, suggesting that locals were burning copper chrome arsenate-treated timber, an activity that appears to occur throughout New Zealand.Trend analyses on PM10 and black carbon concentrations revealed that both were decreasing year-on-year, at an average rate of 0.5 μg m−3 per year and 100 ng m−3 per year, respectively. This study provides important information for Nelson City Council, who are responsible for managing air quality in Nelson, to effectively manage air quality. This study also shows that relatively simple mitigation measures can instigate decreases in PM and BC concentrations.

The indoor environment of schools where children stay for long periods of time is a matter of primary concern due to the vulnerability and sensibility of children to air pollutant exposure. The aims of this study were to characterize the indoor air quality of elementary schools in Seoul, Korea, to compare the indoor levels according to the surrounding environments and year of remodeling. The air pollutants, including particle matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), total bacteria count (TBC), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and formaldehyde (HCHO), were sampled during autumn from classrooms and laboratories at 116 elementary schools employing natural ventilation. The schools were selected based on their surrounding environments: surrounded by buildings (SB), roadways (RW), and mountains (MT). The indoor air quality measured at elementary schools in Seoul, Korea showed generally low levels of pollutants due to low occupancy and adequate ventilation and the indoor levels of PM10 and TBC in schools near roadways were significantly lower than other surrounding environments due to dispersion of pollutants, without obstruction by buildings and mountains. TVOC and HCHO concentrations of schools remodeled within a year were significantly higher. Therefore, suitable management for school building characteristics is needed.

Ground–level ozone (O3) is known to exhibit strong daily variations that lead to complexity of the pollutants’ analysis and predictions. This study aimed to introduce and explore the variations in O3 concentrations during daytime (DT), nighttime (NT), and critical conversion time (CCT) using multiple linear regression (MLR) and principal component regression (PCR) analyses. The original variables and principal component analysis (PCA) results were used as the input for MLR analysis. Hourly averages of six air pollutants and four meteorological parameters at Shah Alam during 1999–2009 were selected for this study. The monitoring records in 2010 were used to assess the developed models using several performance indicators. Results showed that the MLR model during DT exhibited optimal performance in terms of normalized absolute error, index of agreement, prediction accuracy, and coefficient of determination (R2) with values of 0.2762, 0.9211, 0.8581, and 0.7354, respectively. PCR during CCT also showed significantly higher performance than that during DT and NT. This result was evidenced by higher percentage of total variances, which could be explained by the selected variables in PCA during CCT.

Despite their representativeness and importance in coastal waters, subtidal rocky bottom habitats have been under-studied. This has resulted in a lack of available indicators for subtidal hard substrate communities. However, a few indicators using subtidal macroalgae have been developed in recent years for the purpose of being implemented into the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Accordingly, a quality index of subtidal macroalgae has been defined as a French assessment tool for subtidal rocky bottom habitats in coastal waters. This approach is based on 14 metrics that consider the depth penetration, composition (sensitive, characteristic and opportunistic) and biodiversity of macroalgae assemblages and complies with WFD requirements. Three ecoregions have been defined to fit with the geographical distribution of macroalgae along the French coastline. As a test, QISubMac was used to assess the water quality of 20 water bodies. The results show that QISubMac may discriminate among different quality classes of water bodies.

Coral reefs constitute the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystem, and provide various goods and services including those related to fisheries, marine tourism, coastal protection, and medicine. However, they are sensitive to climate change and rising temperatures. Taiwan is located in the central part of the world's distribution of coral reefs and has about one third of the coral species in the world. This study estimates the welfare losses associated with the potential damage to coral reefs in Taiwan caused by climate change. The contingent valuation method adopted includes a pre-survey, a face-to-face formal survey, and photo illustrations used to obtain reliable data. Average annual personal willingness to pay is found to be around US$35.75 resulting in a total annual willingness to pay of around US$0.43 billion. These high values demonstrate that coral reefs in Taiwan deserve to be well preserved, which would require a dedicated agency and ocean reserves.