A multispecies bloom caused by the centric diatoms, viz. Coscinodiscus radiatus, Chaetoceros lorenzianus and the pennate diatom Thalassiothrix frauenfeldii was investigated in the context of its impact on phytoplankton and microzooplankton (the loricate ciliate tintinnids) in the coastal regions of Sagar Island, the western part of Sundarban mangrove wetland, India. Both number (15–18 species) and cell densities (12.3×103cellsl−1 to 11.4×105cellsl−1) of phytoplankton species increased during peak bloom phase, exhibiting moderately high species diversity (H′=2.86), richness (R′=6.38) and evenness (E′=0.80). The diatom bloom, which existed for a week, had a negative impact on the tintinnid community in terms of drastic changes in species diversity index (1.09–0.004) and population density (582.5×103 to 50×103indm−3). The bloom is suggested to have been driven by the aquaculture activities and river effluents resulting high nutrient concentrations in this region. An attempt has been made to correlate the satellite remote sensing-derived information to the bloom conditions. MODIS-Aqua derived chlorophyll maps have been interpreted.

The dynamics of river plume in relation to harmful blooms of the raphidophycean flagellate, Chattonella antiqua in summer 2008–2010 in the Yatsushiro Sea, Japan were studied using a hydrodynamic model and monitoring data. In the southern area, the bloom formed in the waters stratified by a halocline caused by the southward expansion of riverine water from the Kuma River after the bloom initially forming in the northern area. The timing of the southward riverine water advection can be explained by the balance between the wind stress term and the pressure gradient term calculated from the horizontal density difference between the northern and southern areas. The wind stress and pressure gradient terms were evaluated using the sea surface temperature, salinity, wind speed and direction at two stations. Real time monitoring or continuous observations in these areas will enable nowcasts of bloom expansion when a bloom develops in the northern area.

The quantity and size distributions of small plastic fragments in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan were investigated using field surveys and a numerical particle-tracking model. The model was used to interpret the distributions of small plastic fragments and the possible transport processes in coastal waters. Of note, the size and quantity of mesoplastics (approximately >5mm) gradually increased close to the coast irrespective of the existence of river mouths, which probably act as a major source of anthropogenic marine debris. Additionally, microplastics were more dominant as we moved further offshore. The numerical model reproduced the near-shore trapping of mesoplastics, suggesting that mesoplastics are selectively conveyed onshore by a combination of Stokes drift and terminal velocity, dependent on fragment sizes. It is suggested that mesoplastics washed ashore on beaches degrade into microplastics, and that the microplastics, which are free from near-shore trapping, are thereafter spread offshore in coastal waters.

Aliphatic hydrocarbons are one of the major environmental pollutants with reduced bioavailability. The present study focuses on the effect of hydroxy cucurbit[6]uril on the bioavailability of hydrocarbons. A bacterial consortium was used for biodegradation studies under saline and non-saline conditions. Based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis results it was found that the consortium under saline conditions had two different strains. The experiment was conducted in microcosms with tetradecane, hexadecane, octadecane and mixture of the mentioned hydrocarbons as the sole carbon source. The residual hydrocarbon was quantified using gas chromatography every 24h. It was found that biodegradation of tetradecane and hexadecane, as individual carbon source increased in the presence of hydroxy CB[6], probably due to the increase in their bioavailability. In case of octadecane this did not happen. Bioavailability of all three aliphatic hydrocarbons was increased when provided as a mixture to the consortium under saline conditions.

The PAHs concentrations in seawater and tissues from the scallop Chlamys farreri were detected in three sites in Qingdao, China in 2011. The PAHs concentrations in seawater ranged from 25.32ng/L to 314.62ng/L. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the residual levels among scallop tissues. The highest concentrations of PAHs in seawater and tissues were found in S2. The ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity of the digestive gland and the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the digestive gland and gill were sensitive to PAHs (p<0.05). This study integrated the PAHs concentrations in seawater, residual levels, the variation of biochemical response and the correlation coefficient analysis, and concluded that Qingdao is a medium PAH-contaminated area on a global scale. The highest PAHs were accumulated in the digestive gland followed by the gill, soft tissue and adductor muscle. The EROD activity of the digestive gland and the MDA contents of the digestive gland and gill could be applied to assess the PAHs pollution status in Qingdao, China.

Marine biofouling is a serious environmental problem worldwide. As an effort to find environmental friendly antifoulants, indole derivatives were determined for their activities to inhibit the growth of bacteria and diatom. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of indole derivatives against bacteria were very low, especially for 6-chloroindole. It was proved that 6-chloroindole obviously inhibited the growth of bacteria, interfered with the formation of bacterial biofilm, destroyed bacterial cell morphology and also inhibited the growth of diatom Cylindrotheca sp. as well. By using noninvasive micro-test technique (NMT), 6-chloroindole triggered algal cellular Ca2+ efflux. The highest value was 72.03pmolcm−2s−1, 10.6 times of the control group. The present studies indicated that indole derivatives might have the potential to be new antifouling agents because of their excellent antibacterial and anti-algal activities. At the same time, Ca2+ efflux might be one of the mechanisms that indole derivatives inhibited the growth of diatom.

The Bacillus licheniformis strain YX2, a novel nitrobenzene-degrading halophilic bacterium, was isolated from active sludge obtained from a pesticide factory. Strain YX2 can withstand highly acidic and alkaline conditions and high temperatures. Degradation of nitrobenzene (200mgL−1) by YX2 exceeded 70% after 72h in lysogeny broth medium (pH 4–9). Under optimal degradation conditions (33°C, pH 7 in LB medium) YX2 degraded 50, 100, 200, and 600mgL−1 nitrobenzene within 36, 36, 72, and 156h, respectively. Even in the presence of benzene, phenol or aniline, strain YX2 efficiently degraded nitrobenzene. Furthermore, strain YX2 completely degraded 600mgL−1 nitrobenzene in 7% NaCl (w/w). Thus, our data show that strain YX2 may have promise for removing nitrobenzene from complex wastewaters with high salinity and variable pH.

The main objective of this study was to quantify population and identify culturable species of Aeromonas in sediment and surface water collected along a salinity gradient in an urban estuary in Northeastern Brazil. Thirty sediment samples and 30 water samples were collected from 3 sampling locations (A, B and C) between October 2007 and April 2008. The Aeromonas count was 10–7050CFU/mL (A), 25–38,500CFU/mL (B) and<10CFU/mL (C) for water samples, and ∼100–37,500CFU/g (A), 1200–43,500CFU/g (B) and<10CFU/g (C) for sediment samples. Five species (Aeromonas caviae, A. sobria, A. trota, A. salmonicida and A. allosaccharophila) were identified among 41 isolates. All strains were sensitive to chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone, whereas 33 (80, 4%) strains were resistant to at least 2 of the 9 antibiotics tested. Resistance to erythromycin was mostly plasmidial. In conclusion, due to pollution, the Cocó River is contaminated by pathogenic strains of Aeromonas spp. with a high incidence of antibacterial resistance, posing a serious risk to human health.

This study evaluates the human health risks in Indian National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT Delhi) in terms of mortality and morbidity due to air pollution. The spreadsheet model, Risk of Mortality/Morbidity due to Air Pollution (Ri–MAP) was used to evaluate the direct health impacts of various criteria air pollutants present in various districts of NCT Delhi during the period 1991 to 2010. By adopting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline concentrations for the air pollutants SO2, NO2 and total suspended particles (TSP), concentration–response relationships and a population attributable–risk proportion concept were employed. About 11 394, 3 912, 1 697 and 16 253 excess number of cases of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality and hospital admission of COPD respectively were observed for entire NCT Delhi in year 2000. However, within a one decade, in year 2010 these figures became 18 229, 6 374, 2 701 and 26 525. District–wise analysis shows that North West district is having the highest number of mortality and morbidity cases continuously after 2002, moreover least excess number of cases was observed for New Delhi district.

A fast paced industrial and port development has occurred at Suape Estuary, Northeast Brazil, but no information about hydrocarbon concentrations in water is available to this area. Considering that, the contamination level of Suape was determined by UV-Fluorescence in terms of dissolved and/or dispersed petroleum hydrocarbons (DDPHs), during wet and dry seasons. DDPHs ranged between 0.05 and 4.59μgL−1 Carmópolis oil equivalents and 0.01–1.39μgL−1 chrysene equivalents, indicating DDPHs close to a baseline contamination level. Some relatively high concentrations (>1μgL−1) were probably associated with shipyard operations (hull paintings and ship docking), pollutants remobilization by dredging operations, occasional industrial discharges and oil derivatives released by vessels. DDPHs concentrations were lower in the wet season suggesting that the increased dilution rates caused by rainfall dominated upon the wet deposition of atmospheric combustion-derived PAHs process. Results in this study may be used as baseline to further studies in this area.