An activity–based emission model was developed to determine cruise–ship emissions. Calculated emissions depend on cruise–voyage data (position, cruise speed, operation mode) and the ships’ characteristics (engine power, size, fuel– type, maximum cruise–speed). Cruise–ship emissions of particulate matter (PM) and its precursors were determined for the 2008 cruise season and for two proposed management actions: a prescribed speed in Glacier Bay, and implementation of an Emission Control Area (ECA) in Alaska at–large. The Weather Research and Forecasting model inline coupled with chemistry served to assess the impact of these management actions on air quality and visibility. On season–average, ships emitted ~2.5 µg/m2/s PM in Glacier Bay. Cruising at constant 6.69m/s anywhere in Glacier Bay decreased PM–emissions by 32% and marginally increased mean visibility. Altered cruise speeds strongly changed the spatial emission and concentration distributions of all species in and up to 30 km downwind of Glacier Bay. Changes differed among species. An ECA reduced PM–emissions from cruise ships by 74% and their impacts on visibility by 0.1, 0.2 and 0.1 deciview for the 10%, 50% and 90%–percentiles of best–visibility–days in Glacier Bay.

In this paper, we develop a bi–level transferable air pollutant price (TAPP) model, and use the model to find ways to mitigate China’s interprovincial air pollution control problem. In this model, the leader is China’s central government and the followers consist of China’s 31 provinces. The leader aims to decrease the nation’s total pollutant control costs, whereas each province attempts to minimize its pollution control costs by balancing its own pollutant reduction cost with transfer payments to or from other provinces, in the context of a transfer price set by the leader. We chose a Karush–Kuhn–Tucker approach with an embedded bisection algorithm to solve the model. We then applied the TAPP model to the seriously polluted Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area of China. Compared with the current command–and–control regulation approach, the TAPP model for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area decreased the total environmental cost by US$ 3 964.61×103 (10.5% of the current command–and–control regulation cost). This demonstrated that the TAPP model was superior because it both mitigated the problem of air pollution transport across regional boundaries and utilized the available resources of the study area more efficiently.

For full understanding of the bacterial community in the intertidal zones of Bohai Bay, China, we used pyrosequencing-based approach to analyze the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria in the sediments from the two typically intertidal zones – Qikou (Qi) and Gaoshaling (Ga). Results showed that, at a 0.03 distance, the sequences from the Qi sediment were assigned to 3252 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) which belong to 34 phyla, 69 classes and 119 genera, while the 3740 OTUs from the Ga sediment were affiliated with 33 phyla, 66 classes and 146 genera. Comparing the bacterial communities inhabiting in the two intertidal sediments, we observed significant difference in the dominant composition and distribution at phylum, class and genus levels. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the median grain size and DO were the most important factors regulating the bacterial abundance and diversity, while the other environmental factors have effects with different degree.

The hydrodynamic action of wind and the distribution of biomass of seagrass meadows in a non-tidal eutrophic lagoon (Orbetello Lagoon, Tuscany, Italy) were analysed for correlations by simulation with a Wave Exposure Model (WEMo) on 5-year data series. WEMo and statistical analysis established a weak direct correlation between the areas that the model identified as being subject to resuspension and transport of sediment and those actually colonised by seagrass. A significant difference was found between surface and bottom hydrodynamics. The areas that the model identified as exposed to higher energy surface hydrodynamics proved to be inversely correlated with seagrass biomass. Multivariate statistical analysis ordered the model variables according to their relative importance. The model indicated the need for further study, demonstrating its utility for environmental management of eutrophic lagoons.

Troll B crude oil was weathered under Arctic conditions with different ice coverage: open water, 50% ice and 90% ice. Samples (100mL) were taken during the experiment and tested for ignitability in a burning cell. From each burning a residue sample was taken for analysis. The burning process removed the light compounds eluting before C13. No effect from the prior weathering time or the different ice coverage was seen in the burn residue composition. The content of selected Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) was determined and it was noted that the concentration of PAHs with more than 4 rings were increased. The source origin of the PAHs was investigated by use of relative ratios of PAH isomers and indicated that some formation of PAHs was additionally taking place during burning.

The Azores Platform and the Irving and Great Meteor seamounts south of the archipelago (38°N–29°N) have rarely been studied geochemically, a fact which is surprising given that they represent the south-eastern limit of region V outlined in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention). The main aim of the present work was therefore to characterise the spatial variability of major and minor elements in deep-sea sediment cores from these two regions. XRD and geochemical analyses revealed that whereas the Azores Platform sediments are composed of a mixture of biogenic and detrital volcanic material, those at the seamounts are characterised by carbonated biogenic remains. The latter sediments were found to contain very low amounts of volcanic or hydrothermal detrital material, being almost entirely comprised of CaCO3 (more than 80%).

Antibiotics including three β-lactams, two fluoroquinolones and two macrolides, which were the top seven most prescribed antibiotics in Dalian, China, were selected to investigate their occurrence in six municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their distribution in the effluent-receiving waters of the Yellow Sea. Four WWTPs employing different treatment technologies were selected to explore the mechanism of antibiotics elimination during wastewater treatment. Results showed that fluoroquinolones and macrolides were dominant species in both WWTPs effluents and the surveyed coastal waters. Biodegradation was the main pathway for β-lactams removal, however, primary treatment performed better than biological treatment for fluoroquinolones removal. Concentrations of macrolides increased dramatically after the biological treatment, which was probably due to the release of macrolides enclosed in feces particles. In the surveyed coastal waters, reduction of antibiotic concentration with distance was observed. Potential environmental risk caused by the occurrence of these antibiotics should be evaluated in future work.

A new method for prediction of droplet size distributions from subsea oil and gas releases is presented in this paper. The method is based on experimental data obtained from oil droplet breakup experiments conducted in a new test facility at SINTEF. The facility is described in a companion paper, while this paper deals with the theoretical basis for the model and the empirical correlations used to derive the model parameters from the available data from the test facility. A major issue dealt with in this paper is the basis for extrapolation of the data to full scale (blowout) conditions. Possible contribution from factors such as buoyancy flux and gas void fraction are discussed and evaluated based on results from the DeepSpill field experiment.

Breakwaters and related structures dominate near-shore environments in many Persian Gulf countries, but little is known of their ecology. To examine the influence of wave exposure on fish communities we surveyed exposed and sheltered breakwaters seasonally over 2years and compared these with natural reef assemblages. Species richness and adult, juvenile, and total abundance were generally comparable among the three habitat types each season. However, differences in multivariate community structure indicated that each habitat contained a distinct assemblage, with strongest difference between sheltered breakwaters and the exposed natural reef. All communities were characterized by marked seasonality; abundance and richness were generally higher in the warmer seasons (summer, fall) than during cooler periods (winter, spring), and there were related seasonal changes in community structure, particularly on the natural reef. Results indicate that breakwaters are important fish habitats, but that breakwater communities vary with wave exposure and are distinct from natural reefs.

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), δ13C and δ15N were measured in sediment cores at three sites in Sishili Bay, China, to track the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the coastal environment over the last 100years. The increased TOC and TN in the upper section of sediment cores indicated a eutrophic process since 1975. In comparison, the TOC and TN in the sediment core near to a scallop aquaculture area displayed a much slower increase, indicating the contribution of scallop aquaculture in mitigating eutrophication. Combined information from δ13C, δ15N and TOC:TN indicated an increased terrestrial signal, although organic matter sources in Sishili Bay featured a mixture of terrestrial and marine sources, with phytoplankton being dominant. Increased fertilizer use since 1970s contributed to the eutrophic process in Sishili Bay since 1975, and increased sewage discharge from 1990s has added to this process.