In December 2007, >150km of the West coast of Korea were heavily polluted by crude oil leaked from the oil tanker Hebei Spirit, leading to mass mortality of bivalve mollusks on the intertidal areas. Two years after, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were collected from two impacted sites to investigate sub-lethal effects of the oil spill. Tissue content in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hemocyte parameters, reproductive status and energetic reserves were analyzed. PAHs in tissues of mussels as well as hemocyte parameters were not different between impacted and control sites. Energetic reserves were altered in mussels from the impacted sites. Glycogen content remained low at polluted sites, whatever the season. Two years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill, mussels then presented altered energetic metabolism. Further investigations are thus warranted to monitor the sustainability of mussel populations on the oil spilled West coast of Korea.

This review focuses on the effect that ghost gear entanglement has on marine megafauna, namely mammals, reptiles and elasmobranchs. A total of 76 publications and other sources of grey literature were assessed, and these highlighted that over 5400 individuals from 40 different species were recorded as entangled in, or associated with, ghost gear. Interestingly, there appeared to be a deficit of research in the Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans; and so, we recommend that future studies focus efforts on these areas. Furthermore, studies assessing the effects of ghost gear on elasmobranchs, manatees, and dugongs should also be prioritised, as these groups were underrepresented in the current literature. The development of regional databases, capable of recording entanglement incidences following a minimum global set of criteria, would be a logical next step in order to analyse the effect that ghost gear has on megafauna populations worldwide.

Muscle and liver tissues of nine fish species were analyzed to assess butyltin and phenyltin contamination. The samples were collected from three basins located in the Southern Baltic Sea coastal zone that each represent different potential for organotin pollution. Maximum total concentrations of butyltin compounds (BTs) in the fish muscles and livers were 715 and 1132ng Sn g−1 d.w., respectively, whereas triphenyltin (TPhT) was not detected. In the muscle samples, the predominant compound in the sum of butyltins was tributyltin (TBT), while in the liver samples, tributyltin degradation products were found in the majority. The results demonstrate that 6–7years after the implementation of the total ban on harmful organotin use in antifouling paints, butyltins remain present in fishes from the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea. According to the HELCOM recommendation, eight samples exceeded the good environmental status boundary for tributyltin in seafood.

A 5-month experiment combining a geochemical survey of metals with a bioaccumulation study in batches of Crassostrea gigas was conducted in two shellfish farming areas and a marina in Normandy (France). Various endpoints at different levels of biological organization were studied. ROCCH data showed differences in biota contamination between the two shellfish areas but the present study revealed only slight differences in metallic contamination and biomarkers. By contrast, significantly different values were recorded in the marina in comparison with the two other sites. Indeed, higher levels of Cd, Cu and Zn were measured in the oysters from the marina, and these oysters also showed a poorer physiological condition (e.g., condition index, histopathological alterations and neutral lipid content). For coastal monitoring, the multi-biomarker approach coupled with an assessment of metallic contamination in biota appeared to be suitable for discriminating spatial differences in environmental quality after only a few months of exposure.

Fungal growth within the structure of buildings or in ventilation filters generates “hidden contamination”, which cannot be detected only through visual inspection. At the beginning of development, the fungi release fungal volatile organic compounds (FVOCs) into the atmosphere, which can originate from metabolic pathways or from the enzymatic degradation of materials. This study analyzed the air quality of a public referral hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil in terms of FVOCs, to establish ways to improve methods of monitoring and control of specific sectors in the hospital. For that, we created and validated a protocol for detection of FVOCs, using GC/MS, while fungal samples were identified by analysis of macro and micromorphology. In total, 48 samples (60.5% positive) were analyzed for FVOCs; 7 were detected in at least one of the sectors analyzed, with 2-heptanone (179.5 μg/m3) and 2-methyl-1-propanol (121.5 μg/m3) as the most abundant. With respect to fungal findings, 24 samples were analyzed, with a high number of colony-forming units per cubic meter (CFU/m3) observed in all sectors. The airborne fungal spectrum revealed the existence of 19 genera, composed predominantly by hyaline filamentous deuteromycetes. Analysis with periodic monitoring is still needed to allow improvement in the data quality. Also, further discussion on the subject in the academic and legislative environment is needed to contribute to the systematic study of aerobiology.

Sediment samples were collected from two Hawai'ian beaches, Kahuku Beach on O'ahu and Kamilo Beach on the Big Island of Hawai'i. A total of 48,988 large microplastic and small mesoplastic (0.5–8mm) particles were handpicked from the samples and sorted into four size classes (0.5–1mm, 1–2mm, 2–4mm, 4–8mm) and nine color categories. For all sizes combined the most common plastic fragment color was white/transparent (71.8%) followed by blue (8.5%), green (7.5%), black/grey (7.3%), red/pink (2.6%), yellow (1.2%), orange (0.6%), brown (0.3%) and purple (0.2%). Color frequency distribution based on both numbers and mass of particles was not significantly different among the various size classes nor between the two beaches. White and black/grey resin pellets accounted for 11.3% of the particles collected from Kahuku Beach and 4.2% of the particles from Kamilo Beach. Plastic type based on Raman Spectrometer analysis of a small representative subsample indicated that most of the fragments were polyethylene and a few were polypropylene.

Heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn), organic carbon and grain size of 237 surface sediment samples and one sediment core, taken from the west Guangdong coastal region in January 2008, were analyzed to evaluate the spatial distribution and pollution status. Results show that the ranges of the measured heavy metal concentrations in sediments are as follows: 8.33–39.49mg/kg for As, 0.1–1.49mg/kg for Cd, 33–108mg/kg for Cr, 11.5–78.8mg/kg for Cu, 0.04–0.26mg/kg for Hg, 21–73mg/kg for Pb, 56–248mg/kg for Zn. The heavy metal enrichment is closely associated with Corg and grain size. Both the metal enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index indicate that there was no detected pollution on metals As, Cr, Cu, Pb in our study area and a slight to moderate contamination of Cd, Hg and Zn. However, As, Cr and Cu have showed a certain risk.

We investigated the physical dynamics of San Quintin Bay, a coastal lagoon located on the Pacific coast of northern Baja California, Mexico. We implemented, validated and used a finite element 2-D hydrodynamic model to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of the hydrodynamic of the bay in response to variability in the tidal regime and in meteorological forcing patterns. Our analysis of general circulation, residual currents, residence times, and tidal propagation delays allowed us to characterize spatial variability in the hydrodynamic basin features. The eulerian water residence time is –on average and under reference conditions– approximately 7days, although this can change significantly by region and season and under different tidal and meteorological conditions. Ocean upwelling events that bring colder waters into the bay mouth affect hydrodynamic properties in all areas of the lagoon and may affect ecological dynamics. A return to pre-upwelling conditions would take approximately 10days.

The patented technology of a High Gradient Magnetic Separation (HGMS)-Ultraviolet (UV) composite process was used to treat ballast water. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was selected as the reference bacteria. After treatment by the HGMS-UV process, the concentration of S. aureus on the log 10 scale was lower than 2 at different flow rates, S. aureus suffered the most serious damage, and K+ leakage of the bacteria was 1.73mg/L higher than separate 60min UV irradiation (1.17mg/L) and HGMS (0.12mg/L) processes. These results demonstrated that the HGMS-UV composite process was an effective approach to treat ballast water. Further, the HGMS process had synergistic action on the subsequent UV irradiation process and accelerated cell membrane damage. Meanwhile, the results of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of bacteria and DNA band analyses indicated that the inactivation mechanisms were different for HGMS and UV irradiation.