As in situ use of amendments for restoration of metal-contaminated mining sites becomes increasingly accepted, the expected level of ecosystem function at these sites will increase. Use of appropriate tools to measure both the level and value of that function is critical to expand use of this approach. For these sites, amendment mixtures must reduce metal availability in situ and restore ecosystem function. Combinations of mixtures, typically consisting of a material with high metal binding capacity (cyclonic ashes, municipal biosolids, or other materials rich in Fe, Al, or Mn oxides), material to adjust soil pH (sugar beet lime, cement kiln dust, dolomitic limestone), and an organic residual to provide soil structure and nutrients (composts, animal manures, municipal biosolids) have been tested in multiple lab and field trials on metal-contaminated sites. This review focuses on field tests of this approach with the goal of providing methods to quantify reduction of hazard and restoration of functional systems. Methods to evaluate success of amendments including extractions to measure changes in metal availability, microbial function and diversity, phytoavailability of metals, and earthworm and small mammal assays are discussed. In most cases, measures of metal availability and ecosystem function are related. For example, surveys of small mammals on restored sites provide information on metal availability as well as suitability of restored habitat. Additional measures of ecosystem function including soil fertility, physical properties, and diversity of habitat are described. Finally, measures of the value of this approach for restoring ecosystems are detailed.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are being increasingly detected in a range of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, often resulting from the use of legacy fire-fighting foams. This study conducted an initial investigation of the concentrations of PFASs in the commercially and recreationally exploited species Dusky Flathead, Mud Crab, School Prawn, Sea Mullet, Yellowfin Bream, Eastern King Prawn and Sand Whiting, across two contaminated estuaries. All samples contained perfluoro-n-octane sulfonate (PFOS) except four Yellowfin Bream samples (two from each estuary). Perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA) was detected only in School Prawn samples from Fullerton Cove, while perfluoro-n-hexane sulfonate (PFHxS) was detected in prawn muscle and in fish liver samples from both estuaries. This study presents one of the first surveys of PFAS in a range of edible saltwater fish and crustaceans in Australia, and these baseline levels of contamination will prove useful for informing future surveys of these emerging contaminants.

Ambient NO2, O3 and Ox (the sum of NO2 and O3) are associated with adverse health outcomes. Quantitative assessment of the health burden from these pollutants requires knowledge of small-scale variations in their concentrations in urban environments. In particular, we were interested in the temporal stability of intra-urban spatial contrasts in these pollutants. This was investigated by concurrent measurements of NO2 and O3 by passive samplers at 30 sites in Edinburgh, UK, repeated 12 × 1-weekly for NO2 and 6 × 2-weekly for O3 in summer and winter. Temporally persistent and large spatial variations in both NO2 and O3 concentrations were observed. Concentrations of NO2 across the sites ranged on average by a factor of 14 between suburban parks and heavily-trafficked roadsides, corresponding to a difference in NO2 on average of ∼80 μg m−3. Intra-urban O3 concentrations also varied substantially, on average by a factor of 4 (average range 45 μg m−3) and with strong anticorrelation to NO2 concentrations across the 30 sites. Consequently intra-urban variability was considerably lower for Ox than for NO2 and O3. The temporal stability in relative NO2 and O3 concentrations indicate potential for deriving intra-urban spatial fields of NO2 and O3 at different times by scaling models of long-term spatial patterns of NO2 and O3 by the measurements at a single site. If Ox is a key determinant of adverse health then the large intra-urban spatial contrasts in NO2 and O3 may be less relevant, with Ox concentrations across an urban area determined at a suitable background site.

Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used to identify sources of PM0.09–0.26, very fine aerosol particles, in a residential district of Ostrava Radvanice and Bartovice, a European air pollution hot-spot. Two-hours resolved elemental composition of very fine particulate matter samples were collected by the eighth stage of Davis Rotating-drum Universal-size-cut Monitoring (DRUM) impactor for the campaign period of the 26th January to the 21st February 2012. The campaign consists of smog (26.1–14.2) and post-smog (15–21.2) periods defined by their PM1 concentrations. Three factors were resolved by PMF: coal combustion, raw iron production and steel production. Coal combustion, associated with high concentrations of Se, Br, Pb, K, and As, dominated during the whole period. The contribution of raw iron production, a factor with high concentration of Mn, Fe, Co and Cr, increased significantly when ambient air temperature and the wind direction changed from NE to SW. Alternatively, the contributions of steel production, associated with Cl, K and Zn, were high under NE winds and decreased during the post-smog period. The mass of very fine particles correlated well with CO concentrations (smog r2 = 0.86, post-smog r2 = 0.43), which may indicate an industrial plume. The low value of S/Se (1448) suggests the impact of local/city-wide stationary coal combustion sources located to the N–NE of the monitoring site.

This research aims to define for the first time levels and patterns of different litter groups (macro, meso and microplastics) in sediments from a marine area designed for the institution of a new marine protected area (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy). Microplastics resulted the principal group and found in all samples analyzed, with shape and colours variable between different sampling sites. MPs levels measured in this study are similar to values recorded in harbour sites and lower than reported in Adriatic Sea, while macroplastics levels are notably lower than in harbor sites. Sediment grain-size and island extent resulted not significant in determining levels and distribution of plastic debris among islands. In the future, following the establishment of the MPA in the study area, these basic data will be useful to check for potential protective effects on the levels and distribution of plastic debris.

Whether greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are a type of marine pollution is a controversial issue and is currently open to debate. This article examines the current treaty definitions of marine pollution, and applies them to greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Based on the legal analysis of treaty definitions and relevant international and national regulation on this issue, this article asserts that greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are a type of ‘conditional’ marine pollution.

The environmental quality of marine sediments collected in the area of influence of the Po and Danube Rivers was assessed by using a battery of bioassays based on the use of PLHC-1 cells, zebrafish-Pxr-transfected COS-7 cells, and sea bass ovarian subcellular fractions. This allowed the determination of multiple endpoints, namely, cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, induction of CYP1A, activation of zebrafish Pxr and inhibition of ovarian aromatase. Organic extracts of sediments influenced by the Danube River and collected near harbors and urban discharges showed significant cytotoxicity, CYP1A induction and inhibition of aromatase activity. An analogous response of CYP1A induction and zfPxr activation was observed, which suggests the existence of common ligands of AhR and PXR in the sediment extracts. The study highlights the usefulness of the selected bioassays to identify those sediments that could pose a risk to aquatic organisms and that require further action in order to improve their environmental quality.

Concentrations of PAHs, OCs, PCBs and trace metals were determined in the white muscle of sand flathead Platycephalus bassensis collected at 6 locations in Port Phillip Bay during 2015. No PAHs, OCs or PCBs were detected in the white muscle of sand flathead at any of the locations, however measurable levels of As, Cu, Hg, Se and Zn were detected at all sites. Only As and Hg exhibited regional difference in white muscle concentrations, with As present only in a non-toxic organic form and Hg measured at levels that are comparable to levels reported in reference sites in other studies. All contaminants detected in the white muscle of sand flathead collected in Port Phillip Bay in 2015 were below Australian Food Standards guideline values, and by world standards, the Port Phillip Bay sand flathead population is considered minimally contaminated. Furthermore, tissue contaminant concentrations appear to be decreasing over time.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the toxic effects induced by benzo[a]pyrene and phenanthrene. For this purpose, a study was performed on the clam exposed to 0.0, 0.5, 4.5μgL−1 B(a)P and PHE for 15days using parameters of antioxidant defenses and oxidative stress. Antioxidant biomarkers including ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione and rylhydrocarbon hydroxylasein gills of Sinonovacula constricta, were analyzed after a 1-, 3-, 9- and 15-day exposure to seawater containing B(a)P and PHE. Integrated biomarker response was calculated by combining multiple biomarkers into a single value. The results showed that the activity of all antioxidant biomarkers was induced throughout the exposure period, and different patterns of variations were detected with exposure time. In addition, the study showed that the two concentrations used caused the activation of different general detoxification mechanisms, and the same concentration at different two PAH compounds induced different toxicity responses.

We modeled the transport of oil, source-fingerprinted 44 tarball samples from Galveston Island (GV) and Mustang Island (MT), and determined the hydrocarbon and bacterial community composition of these tarballs following the 2014 Texas City “Y” Oil Spill (TCY). Transport modeling indicated that the tarballs arrived in MT before the samples were collected. Source-fingerprinting confirmed that the tarballs collected from GV and MT, 6d and 11d after the TCY, respectively, originated from the spill. Tarballs from GV showed 21% depletion of alkanes, mainly C9–C17, and 55% depletion of PAHs mainly naphthalenes, and dominated by alkane-degrading Alcanivorax and Psychrobacter. Samples from MT were depleted of 24% alkanes and 63% PAHs, and contained mainly of PAH-degrading Pseudoalteromonas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to relate oil transport, tarball source-fingerprinting, chemistry, and microbiology, which provides insights on the fate of oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico.