The distribution of antimony (Sb) in topsoil and moss (Dicranum angustum) in disturbed and undisturbed areas, as well as coal and gangue, in Ny-Ålesund, Arctic was examined. Results show that the weathering of coal bed could not contribute to the increase of Sb concentrations in topsoil and moss in the study area. The distribution of Sb is partially associated with traffic and historical mining activities. The occurrence of the maximum Sb concentration is due to the contribution of human activities. In addition, the decrease of Sb content in topsoil near the coastline may be caused by the washing of seawater. Compared with topsoils, moss could be a useful tool for monitoring Sb in both highly and lightly polluted areas.

A large portion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from e-waste released into the coastal areas may be the potential source of PCBs to the global oceans. The paper presents data of PCBs concentrations in fifty surface sediment samples and a dated sediment core in Yangtze River Delta (YRE) and adjacent East China Sea (ECS). The total PCBs levels varied from 5.08 to 19.64 ng/g dry weight, with the highest concentrations situate within the river-sea boundary zone which is so-called “marginal filter”. Concurrent with the operation of e-waste recycling over the last two decades, PCB fluxes started to rise again after 1980s and reached a maximum in this century. The full data set was used to estimate the burden of PCBs in YRE and adjacent ECS. A total sediment burdens were 192.8 tons, with the spatial density of 364 ng/cm² which accounts for 1.9% of all the PCBs in China.

Evidence from a multi-date regional-scale analysis of both high-flow and annual-average water quality data from Galloway, south-west Scotland, demonstrates that forest land cover continues to exacerbate freshwater acidification. This is in spite of significant reductions in airborne pollutants. The relationship between freshwater sulphate and forest cover has decreased from 1996 to 2006 indicating a decrease in pollutant scavenging. The relationship between forest cover and freshwater acidity (pH) is, however, still present over the same period, and does not show conclusive signs of having declined. Furthermore, evidence for forest cover contributing to a chlorine bias in marine ion capture suggests that forest scavenging of sea-salts may mean that the forest acidification effect may continue in the absence of anthropogenic pollutant inputs, particularly in coastal areas.

In view of increasing environmental awareness and biodiversity conservation, understanding the main forcing mechanism driving biogeochemical cycles in coral reefs and lagoon coastal areas is a priority. La Niña events cause unbalanced situations in the Equatorial Pacific and result in enhanced precipitation in South West Pacific coastal areas. We investigated the impact of heavy rainfalls during the 2008 La Niña event on the New Caledonia lagoon using a 3D coupled on-line hydrodynamic–biogeochemical model. Simulations and data showed that the whole lagoon was impacted by river inputs and stronger hydrodynamics, enhancing chlorophyll-a concentration by a factor between 1.7 and 1.9. The coupled model provided new insights into plume transport, highlighting that eastern plumes can be advected northwards or can reach the South West Lagoon, depending on the balance between regional, tide-induced, and wind-induced surface currents. It also provided a synoptic view of lagoon biogeochemical–hydrodynamic response, when remote sensing data are not available due to cloud coverage.

A presumed Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolate from Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA was previously reported to grow on phenanthrene, a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) found in crude oil. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, concerns were raised that PAH-degrading V. parahaemolyticus could increase in abundance, leading to elevated risks of disease derived from shellfish consumption. To assess this possibility, we examined responses to naphthalene and phenanthrene of 17 coastal Louisiana environmental V. parahaemolyticus isolates representing five distinct genotypes. Isolates were obtained immediately after the spill began and after oil had reached the Louisiana coast. None of the isolates grew on or oxidized either substrate and a naphthalene degradation product, 1-naphthol, substantially inhibited growth of some isolates. The use of PAH by V. parahaemolyticus is unusual, and an increase in human health risks due to stimulation of V. parahaemolyticus growth by oil-derived PAH under in situ conditions appears unlikely.

This study is the first detailed ecotoxicological study of the annulated sea snake, Hydrophis cyanocinctus. Concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel and vanadium were evaluated in muscle, liver, kidney, skin and blood of the annulated sea snake (H. cyanocinctus) and in the whole bodies of its main prey species (Periophthalmus waltoni and Boleophthalmus dussumieri) in the Hara Protected Area, the Persian Gulf. The mean concentrations of lead and vanadium were highest in the kidney, which identified the kidney as a target organ for metals in sea snakes as it is in other reptilian groups. Mean concentrations of cadmium and nickel were highest in the liver and skin, respectively. Mean cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in the liver compared to prey species, which indicated that prey items may be a source of cadmium for the annulated sea snake in the study area. Data presented here may be considered as a baseline for further ecotoxicological studies in sea snakes.

In this work, data on the level of organotin compounds (OTCs) in seawater and mussels collected along the entire Croatian Adriatic Coast are presented. The samples were collected in 2009 and 2010 at 48 locations representing different levels of maritime activities, including marinas, ports and reference sites. Butyltins (BuTs) were found in all analyzed samples, representing >97% of OTCs, and ranged from 0.46 to 27.98ngSnL⁻¹ in seawater and from <6 to 1675ngSng⁻¹ in mussels. The results indicate a recent input of TBT, with the highest concentrations of BuTs found in the marinas. It appears that the Adriatic coast is still polluted with TBT despite the fact that TBT-containing antifouling paints have been banned in Croatia since 2008. It is questionable how much TBT pollution decreased since 2005, when a high incidence of imposex was established in the same area.

This research presented an evaluation for the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of three semi-enclosed coastal areas using fuzzy integrated assessment method (FIAM). With this method, the hierarchy structure was clarified by an index system of 11 indicators selected from biotic elements and physicochemical elements, and the weight vector of index system was calculated with Delphi-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) procedure. Then, the FIAM was used to achieve an EcoQS assessment. As a result of assessment, most of the sampling stations demonstrated a clear gradient in EcoQS, ranging from high to poor status. Among the four statuses, high and good, owning a ratio of 55.9% and 26.5%, respectively, were two dominant statuses for three bays, especially for Sansha Bay and Luoyuan Bay. The assessment results were found consistent with the pressure information and parameters obtained at most stations. In addition, the sources of uncertainty in classification of EcoQS were also discussed.

The keynote paper by Garrett Hardin 44years ago introduced the term ‘tragedy of the commons’ into our language (Hardin, 1968); this term is now used widely, but it is neither universally accepted nor fully understood. Irrespective, the ‘tragedy of the commons’ is an increasing reality for more than 500 million people that rely on the biodiversity resources and services of tropical coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds and associated fisheries. These natural resources continue to decline despite major advances in our scientific understanding of how ecosystems and human populations interact, and the application of considerable conservation and management efforts at scales from local user communities to oceans. Greater effort will be required to avert increasing damage from over-exploitation, pollution and global climate change; all deriving from increasing exploitation driven by poverty and progress i.e. continuing to expand development indefinitely and extraction of resources at industrial scales. However, the ‘tragedy’ concept has been widely criticized as a simple metaphor for a much larger set of problems and solutions. We argue that the ‘tragedy’ is essentially real and will continue to threaten the lives of millions of people unless there are some major moral and policy shifts to reverse increasing damage to coastal habitats and resources. We agree with the conclusion by Hardin that the solution to the tragedy will not be through the application of natural sciences, but via implementing exceedingly difficult and controversial moral decisions. An extreme example of a moral and controversial direction suggested by Hardin was in re-examining the ‘freedom to breed’ as an inherent human value. The need for ‘moral decisions’ is even greater in 2012.

The 1991 Gulf oil spill heavily impacted the coastal areas of the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf and recent studies have indicated that even 15years after the incident, macrobenthos had not completely recovered in the sheltered bays in the affected region such as, Manifa Bay. This study investigates the community conditions of macrobenthos in the open waters in one of the impacted areas, Al-Khafji waters, about 14years after the spill. Diversity measures and community structure analyses indicate a healthy status of polychaete communities. The BOPA index reveals that oil sensitive amphipods were recolonized in the study area. This confirms that the benthic communities of the oil spill impacted area had taken only <14 years to recover in the open waters of the impacted areas. The study also reveals the existence of three distinct polychaete communities along the depth and sediment gradients.