Fungal spores are ubiquitous components of atmospheric aerosols and contributors to the organic carbon (OC) component in ambient aerosols. In order to better understand the role of fungal spores and their impact on atmospheric processes, this study was conducted to investigate the contribution of fungal spores to OC at urban and rural sites in Beijing, China. Ambient concentrations of a molecular tracer for fungal spores, i.e., mannitol in PM10 and PM2.5 samples were measured at an urban site (Tsinghua University, THU) during an entire year, while the observations in PM10 at a rural site (Miyun, MY) were conducted during late spring and summer. Combined with the factor representing the average content of mannitol per spore (0.49 ± 0.20 pg) obtained at the same urban site in Beijing, the year-round number concentrations of fungal spores were obtained. Using a conversion factor of 13 pg C spore−1, the annual average concentrations of spore-OC in PM2.5 and PM10 at the THU site were observed at 0.3 ± 0.2 μgC m−3 and 0.8 ± 0.7 μgC m−3, while the respective contributions of spore-OC to total OC were 1.2 ± 0.7% and 3.5 ± 3.7%, respectively. The contributions of fungal spores to OC in the two size fractions had the following seasonal trend (from highest to the lowest levels): summer, autumn, winter and spring. During the summer sampling season, the contribution of fungal spores to OC was observed at a higher level at the rural site (14.1 ± 10.5%), compared to the urban site (7.3 ± 3.3%). It can be concluded that fungi are a non-negligible source of carbonaceous aerosol even at urban locations such as Beijing, China. Thus, more studies are needed to better understand the spatial, temporal and size distributions of fungal OC contributions to atmospheric aerosols in populated areas.

The distribution of natural radionuclides 226Ra, 228Ra, 40K and man-made radionuclides (54Mn, 60Co and 137 Cs) in the surface sediments of an inlet of Ribeira Bay were investigated. Sediment samples were collected and analyzed for radionuclides, organic matter, carbonate, sulfate, cationic exchange capacity and grain size composition. The natural radionuclide concentrations ranged from 4.4 to 45, from 10 to 93, from 66 to 1347Bq·kg−1 dry weight for 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K, respectively. Natural radionuclide concentrations tend to be higher in the silt fraction, which determines their pattern distributions. Only one sample presented measurable concentration for 137Cs, while 54Mn was detected in two samples and 60Co in four sediment samples. Man-made radionuclides present a maximum value of dose external four times lower than the normal background and the potential risk due to the presence of man-made radionuclides in sediments is lower than the risk provided by the natural radionuclides.

Oil spills result in negative impacts on the environment, economy and society. Due to tidal and waves actions, the oil spillage affects the shorelines by adhering to the soil, making it difficult for immediate cleaning of the soil. As shoreline clean-up is the most costly component of a response operation, there is a need for effective oil remediation technologies. This paper provides a review on the remediation technologies for soil contaminated with various types of oil, including diesel, crude oil, petroleum, lubricating oil, bitumen and bunker oil. The methods discussed include solvent extraction, bioremediation, phytoremediation, chemical oxidation, electrokinetic remediation, thermal technologies, ultrasonication, flotation and integrated remediation technologies. Each of these technologies was discussed, and associated with their advantages, disadvantages, advancements and future work in detail. Nonetheless, it is important to note that no single remediation technology is considered the best solution for the remediation of oil contaminated soil.This review provides a comprehensive literature on the various remediation technologies studied in the removal of different oil types from soil.

Seabirds are vulnerable to oil pollution, particularly in cold-water regions. We investigated the response of small spills (<7.95m3) at offshore production platforms in Newfoundland, a region recognized for seabird diversity and abundance. In three environmental assessments for oil production operations Environment Canada requested monitoring and mitigation of small spills potentially impacting seabird populations; suggestions supported by two independent reviews. An industry spill response plan states that operators would collect systematic observations on spills and deploy countermeasures where possible. Operators' spill reports were obtained under an Access to Information request. There were 220 daytime spills with sheens (out of 381 spills; 1997–2010). Of these, six reported time to oil dispersion and eleven the presence or absence of seabirds. Industry self-reporting has not permitted an evaluation of the impact of chronic oil spills on seabirds. We recommend that independent observers be placed on platforms to systematically collect data on spills and seabirds.

Recent studies have revealed the occurrence of a natural process of interaction between oil droplets and suspended particulate material, resulting in the formation of aggregates which are dispersed in the water column, known as oil-suspended particulate material aggregates (OSAs). The experiments aimed to investigate the contribution of OSAS in indicating where most likely is the oil sedimentation in the São Paulo river, Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil, in order to predict possible ecotoxicological risks caused by oil spills. The results showed that salinity and MPS concentration interfere on the formation of aggregates. In addition, the point 3 was nominated as the most vulnerable area to the potential ecotoxicological impacts of oil spills and should be treated as a priority area for the application of preventive and mitigating techniques.

Chemical dispersants were used in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, both at the sea surface and the wellhead. Their effect on oil biodegradation is unclear, as studies showed both inhibition and enhancement. This study addresses the effect of Corexit on oil biodegradation by alkane and/or aromatic degrading bacterial culture in artificial seawater at different dispersant to oil ratios (DORs). Our results show that dispersant addition did not enhance oil biodegradation. At DOR 1:20, biodegradation was inhibited, especially when only the alkane degrading culture was present. With a combination of cultures, this inhibition was overcome after 10days. This indicates that initial inhibition of oil biodegradation can be overcome when different bacteria are present in the environment. We conclude that the observed inhibition is related to the enhanced dissolution of aromatic compounds into the water, inhibiting the alkane degrading bacteria.

A Reduced Form Model (RFM) is a mathematical relationship between the inputs and outputs of an air quality model, permitting estimation of additional modeling without costly new regional-scale simulations. A 21-year Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) simulation for the continental United States provided the basis for the RFM developed in this study. Predictors included the principal component scores (PCS) of emissions and meteorological variables, while the predictand was the monthly mean of daily maximum 8-h CMAQ ozone for the ozone season at each model grid. The PCS form an orthogonal basis for RFM inputs. A few PCS incorporate most of the variability of emissions and meteorology, thereby reducing the dimensionality of the source-receptor problem. Stochastic kriging was used to estimate the model.The RFM was used to separate the effects of emissions and meteorology on ozone concentrations. By running the RFM with emissions constant (ozone dependent on meteorology), or constant meteorology (ozone dependent on emissions). Years with ozone-conducive meteorology were identified, and meteorological variables best explaining meteorology-dependent ozone were identified. Meteorology accounted for 19%–55% of ozone variability in the eastern US, and 39%–92% in the western US. Temporal trends estimated for original CMAQ ozone data and emission-dependent ozone were mostly negative, but the confidence intervals for emission-dependent ozone are much narrower. Emission-driven changes in monthly mean ozone levels for the period 2000–2010 ranged from 6.4 to 10.9 ppb for the eastern US and from 1.4 to 2.5 ppb for the western US.

In the present study, antifouling paint booster biocides, Irgarol 1051 and diuron were measured in ports and marinas of Bushehr, Iran. Results showed that in seawater samples taken from ports and marinas, Irgarol was found at the range of less than LOD to 63.4ngL−1 and diuron was found to be at the range of less than LOD to 29.1ngL−1 (in Jalali marina). 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA), as a degradation product of diuron, was also analyzed and its maximum concentration was 390ngL−1. Results for analysis of Irgarol 1051 in sediments showed a maximum concentration of 35.4ngg−1 dry weight in Bandargah marina. A comparison between the results of this study and those of other published works showed that Irgarol and diuron pollutions in ports and marinas of Bushehr located in the Persian Gulf were less than the average of reports from other parts of the world.

The performances of aluminum chloride modified clay (AC-MC), aluminum sulfate modified clay (AS-MC) and polyaluminum chloride modified clay (PAC-MC) in the removal of Aureococcus anophagefferens were compared, and the potential mechanisms were analyzed according to the dispersion medium, suspension pH and clay surface charges. The results showed that AC-MC and AS-MC had better efficiencies in removing A.anophagefferens than PAC-MC. The removal mechanisms of the three modified clays varied. At optimal coagulation conditions, the hydrolysates of AC and AS were mainly monomers, and they transformed into Al(OH)3(am) upon their addition to algae culture, with the primary mechanism being sweep flocculation. The PAC mainly hydrolyzed to the polyaluminum compounds, which remained stable when added to the algae culture, and the flocculation mainly occurred through polyaluminum compounds. The suspension pH significantly influenced the aluminum hydrolysate and affected the flocculation between the modified clay and algae cells.

The bioavailable fraction of metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Pb, Ni, Fe, and Cr) in sediments of the Huelva estuary and its littoral of influence has been estimated carrying out the most popular methods of sequential extraction (BCR and Tessier) and a biomimetic approach (protease K extraction). Results were compared to enrichment factors found in Arenicola marina. The linear correlation coefficients (R2) obtained between the fraction mobilized by the first step of the BCR sequential extraction, by the sum of the first and second steps of the Tessier sequential extraction, and by protease K, and enrichment factors in A. marina, are at their highest for protease K extraction (0.709), followed by BCR first step (0.507) and the sum of the first and second steps of Tessier (0.465). This observation suggests that protease K represents the bioavailable fraction more reliably than traditional methods (BCR and Tessier), which have a similar ability.