This study investigated the levels, sources and potential risks of 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediment samples collected along the Mithi River of Mumbai. The concentration level of ΣPAHs found in the present study was in the range of 1206–4735ng/gdw. The composition patterns of PAHs by ring size in sediment were surveyed which indicate the dominance of four rings followed by five and three ring PAHs. In the study it was observed that the high molecular weight PAHs (HMW PAHs) made greater contributions of 90.83% as compared to that of low molecular PAHs (LMW PAHs) contributing to 9.17% to the total PAH concentrations. Toxicity and biological risk were assessed using toxic equivalent quantity and sediment quality guideline quotient. It is feared that the pollution level of PAHs in the sediments might increase in coming times resulting in an unconspicuous risks for the environment and humans through food chains.

Parent and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in mangrove sediments of Hong Kong. Most of the analytes were detected, and the dominant carbonylic and hydroxylated PAHs in mangrove sediments were 9-fluorenone and 2-hydroxy fluorene, respectively. The concentration of 9-fluorenone and 9,10-anthraquinone was higher than their parent PAHs. Moreover, the concentration of total organic matter (TOM) related with those of the parent PAHs and carbonylic PAHs, except for hydroxylated PAHs, which indicated that TOM was not the only factor regulating the distribution of oxygenated PAHs. Nevertheless, the parent PAHs in mangrove sediments was correlated positively with carbonylic PAHs which demostrated not only the similar source but also the fate of these two compound class. However, hydroxylated PAHs had different source by comparing with parent PAHs and carbonylic PAHs, they were probably originated from biodegradation and accumulated in mangrove sediments.

This study focuses, for the first time, on the presence of plastic debris in the stomach contents of large pelagic fish (Xiphias gladius, Thunnus thynnus and Thunnus alalunga) caught in the Mediterranean Sea between 2012 and 2013. Results highlighted the ingestion of plastics in the 18.2% of samples. The plastics ingested were microplastics (<5mm), mesoplastics (5–25mm) and macroplastics (>25mm).These preliminary results represent an important initial phase in exploring two main ecotoxicological aspects: (a) the assessment of the presence and impact of plastic debris on these large pelagic fish, and (b) the potential effects related to the transfer of contaminants on human health.

The exotic emission of ballast water has threatened the coastal ecological environment and people’s health in many countries. This paper firstly introduces pulse intense light to treat ballast water. 99.9±0.09% inactivation of Heterosigma akashiwo and 99.9±0.16% inactivation of Pyramimonas sp. are observed under treatment conditions of 350V pulse peak voltage, 15Hz pulse frequency, 5ms pulse width and 1.78L/min flow rate. The energy consumption of the self-designed pulse intense light treatment system is about 2.90–5.14 times higher than that of the typical commercial UV ballast water treatment system. The results indicate that pulse intense light is an effective technique for ballast water treatment, while it is only a competitive one when drastic decreasing in energy consumption is accomplished.

The analysis of microplastics in various environmental samples requires the identification of microplastics from natural materials. The identification technique lacks a standardized protocol. Herein, stereomicroscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FT-IR) identification methods for microplastics (<1mm) were compared using the same samples from the sea surface microlayer (SML) and beach sand. Fragmented microplastics were significantly (p<0.05) underestimated and fiber was significantly overestimated using the stereomicroscope both in the SML and beach samples. The total abundance by FT-IR was higher than by microscope both in the SML and beach samples, but they were not significantly (p>0.05) different. Depending on the number of samples and the microplastic size range of interest, the appropriate identification method should be determined; selecting a suitable identification method for microplastics is crucial for evaluating microplastic pollution.

The concentrations of some heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) were investigated in the sediments and in the mullet Liza klunzingeri from the northern part of the Persian Gulf. The levels of Cu, Zn and Pb in the sediment varied significantly among the sampling sites (P<0.05). Sediments from the northern part of the Persian Gulf had serious ecological risk when considering PER. The ranges of the average concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in the tissue of L. klunzingeri were 10.00–16.66mg/kg, 18.75–32.50mg/kg, 3.25–14.16mg/kg and 0.37–3.33mg/kg, respectively. The health risk analysis of individual heavy metals in the fish tissue indicated dangerous levels of Pb and Cd for the general population at some sampling sites.

Beach nourishment practices are a key aspect in coastal management plans for stakeholders and communities. Stemming from a concrete case-study (Tuscany), this research analyzes: (i) principal problems of current law regulating dredging, (ii) gaps in technical guidelines, (iii) advantages of integrated approaches to the decision-making process, (iv) possible applicable nourishment options and their costs and benefits. Our results show that sand compatibility is driven mainly by grain-size stability due to the occurrence of lower pollution levels in off-shore deposits than in threatened beaches, thus current laws and guidelines should be improved to fill the evident gap in the evaluation process and to include a more complete approach to data evaluation and an integrated approach to ecotoxicity evaluation, which is relevant in cases of geochemical anomalies. The cost-benefit analysis performed indicates that only dredging intended to manage more than 1millionm3 of aggregates would represent a real advantage for local communities.

In this study the occurrence of thirteen pharmaceuticals in seawaters collected from southern Baltic Sea was evaluated for the first time. It was performed by applying newly developed analytical procedure. The method was characterized in terms of its basic validation parameters as well as matrix effects, extraction efficiency and absolute recovery. The results were expressed as result±expanded uncertainty, which was estimated according to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. Additionally, in order to verify the influence of variable parameters of the analyzed samples on method performance parameters, chemometric analysis was carried out. The obtained results revealed that residues of pharmaceuticals were present in seawaters at a concentration level of ngL−1. Trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole and enrofloxacin were most frequently detected compounds. The highest concentration was determined for ketoprofen (135.0±10.9ngL−1). Marine pollution potential hotspots were found in enclosed or semi-enclosed bodies of water.

The global NEWS model was calibrated and then used to quantify the long term trend of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export from two tributaries of Jiulong River (SE China). Anthropogenic N inputs contributed 61–92% of river DIN yield which increased from 337 in 1980s to 1662kgNkm−2yr−1 in 2000s for the North River, and from 653 to 3097kgNkm−2yr−1 for the West River. North River and West River contributed 55% and 45% respectively of DIN loading to the estuary. Rapid development and poor management driven by national policies were responsible for increasing riverine N export. Scenario analysis and source tracking suggest that reductions of anthropogenic N inputs of at least 30% in the North River (emphasis on fertilizer and manure) and 50% in the West River (emphasis on fertilizer) could significantly improve water quality and mitigate eutrophication in both river and coastal waters.

Sewage pollution is one of major concerns of coastal and shoreline settlements in Southeast Asia, especially Brunei. The distribution and sources of LABs as sewage molecular markers were evaluated in surface sediments collected from Brunei Bay. The samples were extracted, fractionated and analyzed using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS). LABs concentrations ranged from 7.1 to 41.3ngg−1 dry weight (dw) in surficial sediments from Brunei Bay. The study results showed LABs concentrations variably due to the LABs intensity and anthropogenic influence along Brunei Bay in recent years. The ratio of Internal to External isomers (I/E ratio) of LABs in sediment samples from Brunei Bay ranged from 0.56 to 2.17 along Brunei Bay stations, indicating that the study areas were receiving primary and secondary effluents. This is the first study carried out to assess the distribution and sources of LABs in surface sediments from Brunei Bay, Brunei.