The south-eastern Black Sea coast in Turkey was evaluated for marine litter composition and density covering nine beaches during four seasons. The marine litter (>2cm in size), was collected from the coast and categorized into material and usage categories. The data analysis showed that plastic was the most abundant litter (≥61.65%) by count and weight followed by styrofoam and fabric. The marine litter density ranged from 0.03 to 0.58 with a mean (±SD) of 0.16±0.02 items/m2 by count. Based on weight, it varied between 0.44 and 14.74g/m2 with 3.35±1.63. The east side had a higher marine litter density than the west side with significant differences between beaches. The variations due to different seasons were not significant for any beach. The results of this study should provide baseline information about the coastal marine pollution and will assist the mitigation strategies.

Native mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis are used as bioindicator organisms to assess the concentration levels and toxic effects of persistent chemicals, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals using biomarker responses, such as catalase (CAT), glutathione s-transferase (GST), and condition indices, for the Algerian coast. The results show that mussels of Oran Harbour are extremely polluted by PCBs and PAHs, i.e., 97.6 and 2892.1μg/kg d.w., respectively. Other sites present low levels of pollution. Furthermore, high concentrations of zinc, lead and cadmium are found in mussels from fishing, agricultural and estuarine sites, respectively, while low concentrations of copper are found in all of the sites studied. CAT activity is negatively correlated with Cd and Cu, and Zn is positively correlated with GST and CAT. Site classification tools reveal the potential toxicity of coastal areas exposed to anthropogenic pressure and a gradient of toxicity along the Algerian west coast.

Occurrence of algal blooms in coastal waters is predicted to be more prevalent in future. To minimize their occurrence, manipulating the grazing pressure by suspension feeders is a potential management strategy, but its effectiveness may depend on their feeding preference. Therefore, we assessed the clearance rate of a widespread serpulid polychaete Hydroides elegans in larval and adult stages on various coastal phytoplankton. Additionally, the growth and development of H. elegans after consuming these phytoplankton were determined to reflect its sustainability to counter algal blooms. Results showed that H. elegans can consume and utilize different phytoplankton, except diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, for growth and development in both life stages. Given the fast-colonizing ability which allows easy manipulation of abundance, H. elegans is considered practically and biologically ideal for tackling algal blooms. Other suspension feeders with different feeding niches could be used in combination to maximize the versatility of the top-down control.

A three-dimensional fecal coliform transport model was developed and incorporated into a hydrodynamic and suspended sediment transport model to better understand the microbiological water quality in the tidal Tamsui River estuarine system of northern Taiwan, which includes three main tributaries: Dahan River, Xindian River, and Keelung River. The model was calibrated using the water level, salinity, suspended sediment concentration, and fecal coliform data measured in 2010. The predictive skill, a statistical approach, is used to evaluate the model performance. There was quantitatively good agreement between the simulation and measurement results. Further, the calibrated model underwent model sensitivity analysis by varying the model parameters which include the settling velocity, darkness decay rate, partition coefficient, and fecal coliform concentration in the sediment bed. The results indicated that the settling velocity played the most important role in affecting fecal coliform concentrations followed by partition coefficient, darkness decay rate, and fecal coliform concentration in the sediment bed. The model was also used to investigate the effects of salinity and suspended sediment on fecal coliform contamination. The salinity module was excluded in the simulations, resulting in an increase of fecal coliform concentration. However the effect of salinity on fecal coliform concentration is minor. If the suspended sediment transport was excluded in the simulations, the predicted results of fecal coliform concentration decrease to be underestimated the measured data. The modeling results revealed that the inclusion of the suspended sediment transport model in the simulations was of crucial importance because the fecal coliform concentrations were significantly influenced by the suspended sediment concentration in the estuarine system.

Mussels (Mytilus spp.) are worldwide utilized in marine biomonitoring by a multi-biomarker approach. However, for a correct interpretation of different biomarker responses, information is needed on their natural seasonal variability due to environmental/physiological factors.In this work, the seasonal variations of different biomarkers were investigated in M. galloprovincialis from 4 different sites from the gulf of La Spezia (Ligurian sea, Italy), an intensive rearing area in the north-western Mediterranean near La Spezia harbor, an important commercial and touristic port. Lysosomal membrane stability-LMS, stress on stress-SoS, phagocytosis, tissue metallothionein-MT content, oxidative stress related enzyme activities (GST, catalase), and nitric oxide (NO) production were evaluated. The results underline the importance of LMS and SoS as core descriptors of the mussel health status in relation to seasonal variations in temperature and reproduction. These data represent the baseline information for ongoing biomonitoring studies related to dredging activities in this area.

The composition, spatial distribution and source of marine litter in the Spanish Southeast Mediterranean were assessed. The data proceed from a marine litter retention programme implemented by commercial trawlers and were analysed by GIS. By weight, 75.9% was plastic, metal and glass. Glass and plastics were mainly found close to the coast. A high concentration of metal was observed in some isolated zones of both open and coastal waters. Fishing activity was the source of 29.16% of the macro-marine litter, almost 68.1% of the plastics, and 25.1% of the metal. The source of the other 60.84% could not be directly identified, revealing the high degree of uncertainty regarding its specific origin. Indirectly however, a qualitative analysis of marine traffic shows that the likely sources were merchant ships mainly in open waters and recreational and fishing vessels in coastal waters.

In this study, the long-term trend in atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) concentration was analyzed using the CO levels measured (intermittently) at an air quality monitoring (AQM) station in Seoul, Korea, between the years 1987 and 2013. Temporal trends in CO were analyzed on an annual and seasonal basis in reference to other important air pollutants such as methane (CH4), particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), mercury (Hg), and ozone (O3). The annual mean of CO for the entire period was 0.93 ± 0.22 ppm. CO levels were reduced by 83% from 3.25 ± 0.78 ppm (1987) to 0.51 ± 0.31 ppm (2013). Its relative reduction was compared over three periods chosen arbitrarily as period 1 (fast reduction, 1987–1988), period 2 (intermediate reduction, 1999–2000), and period 3 (slow reduction, 2004–2013). The concentrations of CO were strongly correlated with others (e.g., SO2, NO, NO2, O3, and Hg), suggesting the effects of similar source processes (e.g., fuel combustion). The reduction in its level was marginally consistent with the decreasing trend in the total CO column concentration in Seoul by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite between 2000 and 2013, indicating decreasing anthropogenic CO emissions (despite increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions). The rapid relative reduction of CO in period 1 and the subsequent slower but moderate reduction thereafter appear to reflect the effects of both enforcement of administrative regulations and advances in emissions control technologies.

In studies of plastic ingestion by marine wildlife, visual separation of plastic particles from gastrointestinal tracts or their dietary content can be challenging. Earlier studies have used solutions to dissolve organic materials leaving synthetic particles unaffected. However, insufficient tests have been conducted to ensure that different categories of consumer products partly degraded in the environment and/or in gastrointestinal tracts were not affected. In this study 63 synthetic materials and 11 other dietary items and non-plastic marine debris were tested. Irrespective of shape or preceding environmental history, most polymers resisted potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution, with the exceptions of cellulose acetate from cigarette filters, some biodegradable plastics and a single polyethylene sheet. Exposure of hard diet components and other marine debris showed variable results. In conclusion, the results confirm that usage of KOH solutions can be a useful approach in general quantitative studies of plastic ingestion by marine wildlife.

This study investigated the effects of 3 model oil dispersants (Corexit EC9500A, Corexit EC9527A and SPC 1000) on photodegradation of pyrene under simulated sunlight. Both Corexit dispersants enhanced photodegradation of pyrene, while SPC1000 slightly inhibited the reaction. Span 80 and Tween 85 were the key ingredients causing the effects, though the underlying mechanisms differed. Span 80 enriches pyrene in the upper layer of water column, whereas Tween 85 induces a photosensitization process. Two reactive oxygen species, 1O2 and O2−, were found responsible for pyrene photodegradation, though the presence of EC9500A suppressed the 1O2 pathway. In terms of photodegradation products, EC9500A enhanced generation of polyaromatic intermediates, i.e., phenaleno[1,9-cd][1,2]dioxine, 1-hydroxypyrene, and 1,8-pyrenequinone, but did not alter the classical photodegradation pathway. The Corexit dispersants were more prone to photochemical decomposition, with multiple by-products detected. The information aids in our understanding of the effects of dispersants on photochemical weathering of oil compositions.

One of the most common plastics in the marine environment is polystyrene (PS) that can be broken down to micro sized particles. Marine organisms are vulnerable to the exposure to microplastics. This study assesses the effects of PS microplastics in tissues of the clam Scrobicularia plana. Clams were exposed to 1mgL−1 (20μm) for 14days, followed by 7days of depuration. A qualitative analysis by infrared spectroscopy in diffuse reflectance mode period detected the presence of microplastics in clam tissues upon exposure, which were not eliminated after depuration. The effects of microplastics were assessed by a battery of biomarkers and results revealed that microplastics induce effects on antioxidant capacity, DNA damage, neurotoxicity and oxidative damage. S. plana is a significant target to assess the environmental risk of PS microplastics.