In this study, several macrobenthic diversity investigations were performed in Yangtze Estuary Oyster Reef, the largest artificial oyster reef in China, from 2012 to 2014. The sampling sites of the south branch showed considerably higher diversity than those of the north branch. The richness measures exhibited a significant increasing trend from low- to high-salinity zone; however, the evenness measures were typically high in the middle-salinity zone. During the past decade, the results were combined with historical data to detect the changes in macrobenthos. The variation in substrate organisms and macrobenthic diversity followed a steady trend after a major fluctuation. Redundancy analysis indicated that the water salinity and substrate factors were the main indicators that influence macrobenthic distribution. All sampling sites in the south branch were protected by a nature reserve. However, the N2 and N6 sites in the north branch were subjected to severe and mild human interventions, respectively.

In our previous research, a petroleum degrading bacteria strain Bacillus licheniformis Y-1 was obtained in Dagang Oilfield which had the capability of producing biosurfactant. This biosurfactant was isolated and purified in this work. The biosurfactant produced by strain Y-1 had the capability to decrease the surface tension of water from 74.66 to 27.26mN/m, with the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 40mg/L. The biosurfactant performed not only excellent stabilities against pH, temperature and salinity, but also great emulsifying activities to different kinds of oil, especially the crude oil. According to the results of FT-IR spectrum and 1H NMR spectrum detection, the surfactant was determined to be a cyclic lipopeptide. Furthermore, through the addition of surfactant, the effect of petroleum contaminated soil remediation by fungi got a significant improvement.

Oil spills result in negative impacts on the environment, economy and society. Due to tidal and waves actions, the oil spillage affects the shorelines by adhering to the soil, making it difficult for immediate cleaning of the soil. As shoreline clean-up is the most costly component of a response operation, there is a need for effective oil remediation technologies. This paper provides a review on the remediation technologies for soil contaminated with various types of oil, including diesel, crude oil, petroleum, lubricating oil, bitumen and bunker oil. The methods discussed include solvent extraction, bioremediation, phytoremediation, chemical oxidation, electrokinetic remediation, thermal technologies, ultrasonication, flotation and integrated remediation technologies. Each of these technologies was discussed, and associated with their advantages, disadvantages, advancements and future work in detail. Nonetheless, it is important to note that no single remediation technology is considered the best solution for the remediation of oil contaminated soil.This review provides a comprehensive literature on the various remediation technologies studied in the removal of different oil types from soil.

Atmospheric deposition from non-ferrous mining and smelting is one of the dominant sources of heavy metal pollution in soil. Jiyuan City in Henan Province, China produces about 900 000 tonnes of lead annually. Heavy metal soil contamination and elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of local children in Jiyuan have been reported. This work investigated As, Cd and Pb deposition fluxes over 17 consecutive months at collection sites about 1000 m from a major lead smelter in Jiyuan. Mean As, Cd and Pb deposition fluxes were 17.2, 3.45 and 88.8 mg/m2/(30 d), respectively, lower values occurred from July to September during the traditional rainy season. Decreasing deposition fluxes of Cd and Pb were observed during the 17 month period, while As increased in the same period. Deposition fluxes of As, Cd and Pb of the sites near the smelter were 22.6, 29.2 and 29.4 times of those of a clean background site (0.762, 0.118 and 3.03 mg/m2/(30 d), respectively) far away from the smelter. Annually, the deposition enriches agricultural soil (0–20 cm plow zone) at the sampling sites with 0.805, 0.161 and 4.16 mg/kg As, Cd and Pb, respectively.

This study examined the variation of macrofaunal communities in sea grass beds along a pollution gradient in Bolinao, northwestern Philippines. We established four stations and compared the diversity and abundance of macrofauna between them. The Shannon diversity index in the least polluted station was more than twice higher than that in the most polluted one. Abundance was more than thrice higher in the most polluted station. The species composition generally varied, with community difference explained largely by the predominance of the filter-feeding bivalve Gafrarium pectinatum and polychaete Capitella capitata. Species heterogeneity was reduced along the pollution gradient by approximately 19% from the least polluted to the most polluted station. This reduction indicates biodiversity alteration, which has a significant impact on ecosystem functioning. Aspects of species heterogeneity should be considered in environmental impact assessments and the management of coastal areas encountered with anthropogenic disturbances.

Using long-term oceanographic surveys and a 3-D hydrodynamic model we show that localized peak winds (known as shamals) cause fluctuation in water current speed and direction, and substantial oscillations in sea-bottom salinity and temperature in the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf. Results also demonstrate that short-term shamal winds have substantial impacts on oceanographic processes along the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf coastline, resulting in formation of large-scale (52km diameter) eddies extending from the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to areas near the off-shore islands of Iran. Such eddies likely play an important role in transporting larvae from well-developed reefs of the off-shore islands to the degraded reef systems of the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf, potentially maintaining genetic and ecological connectivity of these geographically distant populations and enabling enhanced recovery of degraded coral communities in the UAE.

Seasonal dynamics of coral reef fish assemblages were assessed along a gradient of potential anthropogenic disturbance in the Northern Persian Gulf. Overall, the attributes of coral reef fish assemblages showed seasonality at two different levels: seasonal changes irrespective of the magnitude of disturbance level (e.g. species richness), and seasonal changes in response to disturbance level (e.g. total abundance and assemblage composition). The examined parameters mostly belonged to the second group, but the interpretation of the relationship between patterns of seasonal changes and the disturbance level was not straightforward. The abundance of carnivorous fishes did not vary among seasons. SIMPER identified the family Nemipteridae as the major contributor to the observed spatiotemporal variations in the composition of coral reef fish assemblages in the study area.

Levels, sources, and potential ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface seawater and sediments from the northern Liaodong Bay of China were seasonally investigated. Total concentrations of 16 PAHs varied from 145.96ng/L to 896.58ng/L in seawater, and from 191.99ng/g to 624.44ng/g in sediments. PAH concentrations in seawater differed significantly, whereas those in sediments exhibited a relatively stable pattern across seasons. PAHs with low molecular weight were predominant in seawater, but PAHs with high molecular weight were abundant in sediments. Crop straw and coal combustion were the main PAH pollution sources. The current levels of PAHs in the northern Liaodong Bay are relatively moderate compared with those in other bays and estuaries. Sediment from all sampling sites is characterized by low to medium ecotoxicological risk. No highly negative toxic effect could occur on the organisms and ecosystems in the northern Liaodong Bay.

Sediments from Shantou Bay, China, were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) for the first time. The concentrations of PCBs and OCPs were 0.54–55.5ngg−1 and 2.19–16.9ngg−1 (dry weight), respectively. Source identification showed that tri-CBs and penta-CBs were manufactured and used in the last century, while usage of antifouling paint might still serve as a significant source of sediment DDT. Concentrations of PCBs and HCHs significantly (p<0.05) increased after wet season, suggesting that atmospheric deposition and surface runoff played an important role in distribution of historical pollutants. Additionally, the adverse biological effects could occasionally occur for DDT in sediments. The mass inventories were preliminarily calculated for PCBs (90.1ngcm−2 and 0.09tons) and OCPs (61.8ngcm−2 and 0.062tons) in Shantou Bay, while as part of the “reservoir” of organochlorine compounds to the global ocean, its role cannot be neglected.

Parallel studies on organic and elemental carbon in PM1 and PM2.5 aerosols and in wet deposition in various forms of its occurrence were conducted in the urbanised coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The carbon load introduced into the sea water was mainly affected by the form of precipitation. Dry deposition load of carbon was on average a few orders of magnitude smaller than wet deposition. The suspended organic carbon was more effectively removed from the air with rain than snow, while an inverse relationship was found for elemental carbon. However the highest flux of water insoluble organic carbon was recorded in precipitation of a mixed nature. The atmospheric cleaning of highly dissolved organic carbon was observed to be the most effective on the first day of precipitation, while the hydrophobic elemental carbon was removed more efficiently when the precipitation lasted longer than a day.