Concentrations of fine particulate mercury (PHg), particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM10) were monitored for the whole year of 2013 in Shanghai, China. The average concentrations of PHg were 1270 ± 716 pg/m3 and 341 ± 187 pg/m3 during haze and non-haze days respectively. The average PHg concentration throughout the whole year 2013 was 642 ± 616pg/m3. It was observed that PHg concentrations on haze days were 3 times higher than on non-haze days. The concentration of PHg on non-haze days in 2013 varied from 0.25 to 0.48 ng/m3. The mean monthly PHg concentration was highest in December (1.92 ng/m3), while the minimum mean concentration was observed in February and August (0.80 ng/m3), and there was a clear seasonal variation: winter (1.67 ng/m3), autumn (1.08 ng/m3), spring (1.02 ng/m3), and summer (1.00 ng/m3) during haze days. The correlation between PHg and PM2.5 was strong (r = 0.96 on haze days; r = 0.90 on non-haze days), while the correlation between PHg and PM10 was weaker (r = 0.85 on haze days; r = 0.57 on non-haze days). The PHg concentration on haze days was always higher than on non-haze days, indicating that haze conditions were accelerating the formation of PHg. The result also indicated that PHg was inclined to combine with fine particles. The existence of strong correlations between the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and PHg indicated the commonality of the contributing sources, such as traffic, industrial emissions, and the combustion of coal.

A new database of atmospheric particulate matter emission source profiles in Europe (SPECIEUROPE) developed in the framework of the Forum for air quality modeling in Europe (FAIRMODE, Working Group 3) is accessible at the website http://source-apportionment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/Specieurope/index.aspx. It contains the chemical composition of particulate matter emission sources reported in the scientific literature and reports drafted by competent authorities. The first release of SPECIEUROPE consists of 151 measured (original), 13 composite (merging different subcategories of similar sources), 6 calculated (from stoichiometric composition) and 39 derived (results of source apportionment studies) profiles. Each profile is related to one or more source categories or subcategories. The sources with the highest PM relative mass toxic pollutants such as PAHs are fuel oil burning, ship emissions, coke burning and wood burning. Heavy metals are most abundant in metal processing activities while halogens are mostly present in fertilizer production, coal burning and metallurgic sector. Anhydrosugars are only measured in biomass and wood burning source categories, because are markers for these categories. The alkaline earth metals are mostly present in road dust, cement production, soil dust and sometimes coal burning. Source categories like traffic and industrial, which contain heterogeneous subcategories, show the greatest internal variability.The relationships between sources profiles were also explored using a cluster analysis approach based upon the Standardized Identity Distance (SID) indicator. The majority of profiles are allocated in 8 major clusters. Some of the clusters include profiles mainly from one source category (e.g. wood burning) while others, such as industrial source profiles, are more heterogeneous and spread over three different clusters.

Fluxes of dissolved trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) via groundwater discharge along the southern Baltic Sea have been assessed for the first time. Dissolved metal concentrations in groundwater samples were less variable than in seawater and were generally one or two orders of magnitude higher: Cd (2.1–2.8nmolL−1), Co (8.70–8.76nmolL−1), Cr (18.1–18.5nmolL−1), Mn (2.4–2.8μmolL−1), Pb (1.2–1.5nmolL−1), Zn (33.1–34.0nmolL−1). Concentrations of Cu (0.5–0.8nmolL−1) and Ni (4.9–5.8nmolL−1) were, respectively, 32 and 4 times lower, than in seawater. Groundwater-derived trace metal fluxes constitute 93% for Cd, 80% for Co, 91% for Cr, 6% for Cu, 66% for Mn, 4% for Ni, 70% for Pb and 93% for Zn of the total freshwater trace metal flux to the Bay of Puck. Groundwater-seawater mixing, redox conditions and Mn-cycling are the main processes responsible for trace metal distribution in groundwater discharge sites.

To analyze the spatial distribution patterns and ecological risks of heavy metals, 30 sediment samples were taken in the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) in May 2011. The content of Al, As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb increased as follows: inner-region<river mouth<adjacent sea. According to Igeo and RI, As, Cr and Cd were the main pollutants. What is more, the greatest contaminated area appeared at the river mouth of the south branch of YRE. In Tucker 3, considering the fractions of metals, Mn turned to be the severest pollutant and As did not contribute too much to the contamination of the YRE. That was most probably because that Mn was closely related to the carbonate-associated (CARB) and As was related to organic-associated (OM) which is more stable than CARB. The fractions played an important role in the contamination assessment of heavy metals.

Plastic resin pellets collected at Minh Chau island and Ba Lat estuary between 2007 and 2014 in Vietnam were analyzed for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). The study was carried out as part of the International Pellet Watch program for monitoring the global distribution of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Higher levels of DDTs compared to PCBs indicated agricultural inputs rather than industrial discharges in the region. Most POP concentrations on both beaches decreased over the period, with the exception of HCH isomers. Though the concentration of DDTs showed a drastic decline on both beaches between 2007/2008 and 2014, DDTs accounted for 60–80% of total DDTs, suggesting that there is still a fresh input of these chemicals in the region. This study strongly recommends further investigations to track temporal and spatial patterns of POP levels in the marine environment using plastic resin pellets.

The regulation on ship recycling at international and European Union (EU) level has transitioned from the realm of transboundary movement of wastes to a specialized regime, i.e., the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (2009) (Hong Kong Convention). Although this convention is not in force yet, the principal features of it have been incorporated in EU Regulation 1257/2013 on ship recycling. This paper examines the rationale behind developing a ship recycling regime, its disassociation from wastes, and the departure from the main principles of transboundary movement of wastes, such as the proximity principle, reduction of transboundary movement of wastes, and the prior informed consent procedure. While acknowledging some of the positive features of the emerging ship recycling, it is submitted that the Hong Kong Convention and EU Regulation 1257/2013 on ship recycling represent a step back in the regulation of ship recycling.

This study aimed to investigate microbial responses to nitrate stimulation in oiled mangrove mesocosm. Both supplementary oil and nitrate changed the water and sediment chemical properties contributing to the shift of microbial communities. Denitrifying genes nirS and nirK were increased several times by the interaction of oil spiking and nitrate addition. Bacterial chao1 was reduced by oil spiking and further by nitrate stimulation, whereas archaeal chao1 was only inhibited by oil pollution on early time. Sampling depth explained most of variation and significantly impacted bacterial and archaeal communities, while oil pollution only significantly impacted bacterial communities (p<0.05). Despite explaining less variation, nitrate addition coupled with oil spiking enhanced the growth of hydrocarbon degraders in mangrove. The findings demonstrate the impacts of environmental factors and their interactions in shaping microbial communities during nitrate stimulation. Our study suggests introducing genera Desulfotignum and Marinobacter into oiled mangrove for bioaugmentation.

This study established a mechanistic linkage between Cd speciation and bioavailability in mangrove system from the west coast of India. High bioaccumulation of Cd was found in the oyster (Crassostrea sp.) even at low Cd loading in the bottom sediment. Bioaccumulation of Cd in the oyster gradually increased with the increasing concentrations of water soluble, exchangeable and carbonate/bicarbonate forms of Cd in the sediments. Fe/Mn oxyhydroxide phase was found to control Cd bioavailability in the sediment system. Cd-associated with sedimentary organic matter was bioavailable and organic ligands in the sediments were poor chelating agents for Cd. This study suggests that bioaccumulation of Cd in oyster (Crassostrea sp.) depends not on the total Cd concentration but on the speciation of Cd in the system.

Sea surface concentrations of plastics and their fluxes onto coastlines are simulated over 2009–2015. Calculations incorporate combinations of terrestrial and maritime litter inputs, the Lagrangian model MEDSLIK-II forced by AFS ocean current simulations, and ECMWF wind analyses. With a relatively short particle half-life of 43.7days, the Adriatic Sea is defined as a highly dissipative basin where the shoreline is, by construction, the main sink of floating debris. Our model results show that the coastline of the Po Delta receives a plastic flux of approximately 70kg(kmday)-1. The most polluted sea surface area (>10gkm-2 floating debris) is represented by an elongated band shifted to the Italian coastline and narrowed from northwest to southeast. Evident seasonality is found in the calculated plastic concentration fields and the coastline fluxes. Complex source–receptor relationships among the basin's subregions are quantified in impact matrices.