In the present study, 13 endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and their transformation products (TPs) were monitored in Jiulong River and its estuary, China in different seasons. The analytes included antimicrobials [triclosan (TCS) and triclocarbon (TCC)]; estrogens [estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and ethinylestradiol (EE2)]; alkylphenol ethoxylates [4-n-nonylphenol (NP) and 4-n-octylphenol (OP)] and the TPs [methyl triclosan (MeTCS), carbanilide (NCC), dichlorocarbanilide, 4-hydroxy estrone (4-OH E1) and 4-hydroxy estradiol (4-OH E2)]. A significant seasonal variation was observed for most EDCs. Approximately, 79% of the total E2 residues were detected in the normal season in comparison with the wet season to indicate recalcitrant behavior of E2 during the normal season. Risk assessment revealed that E2 was most potent among the EDCs to cause highest risk to both vertebrate and invertebrate aquatic species, whereas, E1, EE2, MeTCS and TCS also showed relatively high risk for some surface water aquatic species.

The interaction of microplastic (MP) with marine organisms is crucial for understanding the significant effect that MP and its additives may have on marine environments. However, knowledge regarding the magnitude of these pollutants in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the tropical Red Sea is still scarce. Here we examined the levels of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) and MP in Herdmania momus and Microcosmus exasperatus sampled along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts of Israel. High levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis (2‑ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were found in ascidians at the majority of sampling sites, and MP particles were found in ascidians at all sites. As efficient filter-feeders and being widely-distributed, invasive ascidians present fundamental opportunities for the environmental monitoring of microplastic and its additives worldwide. The high levels of pollutants revealed emphasize the need for further research into the magnitude and effects of MP and PAEs in these regions.

The ingestion of plastic marine litter (PML) by sea turtles is widespread and concerning, and the five species that occur in the southwestern Atlantic – green, loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback and hawksbill – are vulnerable to this pollution. Here, we quantified and characterized PML ingested by these species in southern Brazil, and observed PML ingestion in 49 of 86 sampled individuals (~57.0%). Green turtles presented the highest rates and variety of ingested plastics, and such ingestion has been high at least since 1997. Omnivorous turtles presented higher PML ingestion than carnivorous ones. Loggerheads displayed a negative correlation between body size and number of ingested items. Green turtles ingested mostly flexible transparent and flexible/hard white plastics; loggerheads ate mainly flexible, hard and foam fragments, in white and black/brown colors. These results help us better understand PML ingestion by sea turtles, highlighting the seriousness of this threat and providing information for prevention and mitigation strategies.

In this study, we used flow cytometry to examine how incubation in dark versus light affects the vitality and viability of UV-irradiated Tetraselmis suecica. High UV doses (300 and 400 mJ/cm²) affected the esterase activity, membrane permeability, and chlorophyll content more when the subsequent incubation took place in light. For non- or low UV dose (100 and 200 mJ/cm²)-treated cells, incubation in light resulted in cell regrowth as compared to incubation in dark. Damaged cells (enzymatically active but with permeable membranes) did not recover when incubated under light or dark conditions.Exposure to light reduces the evaluation time of any given ballast water treatment, as viable cells will be detected at an earlier stage and the vitality is more affected. When evaluating the performance of UV-based ballast water treatment systems (BWTS), these results can be useful for type approval using T. suecica as a test organism in the test regime.

In 1990–91 three deepwater ocean outfalls replaced three cliff-face outfalls discharging approximately 940 ML/day, or 80% of sewage generated by the City of Sydney (Australia) (population 3.3 million). Operation of these outfalls was assessed for the first two years and performed well, mitigating most of the environmental problems previously experienced from shoreline discharge. However, a concern remained for the unknown long-term effects on the marine environment. The current series of articles examine over 20 years of monitoring, for possible accumulative effects. Oceanographic modelling provided an understanding of particle settling, dispersion and distribution of discharged wastewater and monitoring assessed potential impact of offshore discharges on beach bathing water quality, sediment chemistry and benthic infauna. These four articles demonstrate that properly designed ocean outfalls are a viable, sustainable solution to sewage disposal for mega-coastal cities, however, continued monitoring is required to assess possible long-term environmental degradation.

Heavy metal concentrations were investigated in water and sediments of Shadegan Wetland southwest of Iran to assess the fate, partitioning, and risk assessment and also to quantify the sources of heavy metals using MLR-APCS (multiple linear regression of absolute principal component scores) receptor model. The relatively high values of Kd (partition coefficient) for Pb, Zn, Ni, As, and V revealed their affinity for being enriched in sediments while Sb, Mo, and Se exhibited greater partitioning towards water. Enrichment factors of Se, Cd, Pb, Mo, Co, Zn, and Cu revealed significant to moderate contamination and should be of some concern. Application of the modified ecological risk index (MRI) revealed sediments moderate to high risk. Hazard index values for Hg were found less than the safe level. MLR-APCS model indicated that anthropogenic sources in sediments were responsible for 80.9%, 73.2%, 73.1%, 88.6% and 74.2% of Se, Mo, Hg, Pb, and Zn, respectively.

In the current study, ecological risk of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in sediments, seawater, wastewater, soft tissues and shell of a major fouling species Callista florida (C. florida) and soft tissue of rocky oyster, Saccostrea cucullata (S. cucullata) are investigated. For this purpose, 25 sediment samples, 24 seawater samples, 28 wastewater samples, and 100 bivalve samples were collected for PTEs analysis. Risk index (RI) and sediment quality guidelines along with calculated enrichment factors (EF) and PTEs profiles revealed that Musa Estuary is threatened by contamination, especially with respect to Hg, Cu, and Zn. The decreasing trend of average element enrichment factor is: Hg > Cu > Ni > Cd > Zn > Co > Cr > Mn > Fe > As > Pb > Mo > Sb. Among the investigated elements, Hg indicated the highest potential ecological risk factor in sediment (RI and EF are 1341.6 and 214.66 close to the industrial area). The Ficklin chart results demonstrated that seawater samples almost plot in regions with high metal load and pH values were the same. Mean concentrations of PTEs in water samples were 1.2 (for Cu) to 6565 (for Hg) times higher than world seawater. Regarding wastewater, pH values changed from very acidic to alkaline while PTEs load ranged from low to high load. In general, PTEs concentration in water samples was higher compared to those of the world seawater. Based on the results obtained in this biomonitoring study, elevated concentrations of Al, Fe, Cu, and Zn were found in soft tissue of C. florida and S. cucullata. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in PTEs concentration between the two studied species. Generally, most PTEs concentration including Al, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Sb in soft tissue fall between water and sediment samples i.e., sediment > biota > water.

Anthropogenic noise can have a negative effect on the physiology and survival of marine fishes. Most research has focused on later life-stages, and few studies have investigated the effects of human-induced noise on embryogenesis. The current study investigated whether playback of motorboat noise affected the embryogenesis of the coral reef damselfishes, Amphiprion melanopus and Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Embryos reared under the playback of boat noise had faster heart rates compared to the ambient reef controls. The effects of noise on morphological development differed between species and the fundamental interrelationships between early life history characteristics changed dramatically under boat noise for Ac. polyacanthus. Noise treatments did not alter the survival rates of embryos under laboratory conditions. Although species specific, our findings suggest that anthropogenic noise causes physiological responses in fishes during embryogenesis and these changes have direct impacts on their development and these alterations may have carry-over effects to later life stages.

Hurricanes cause infrastructure failures which can lead to contamination of impacted areas. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether Hurricane Irma contributed towards sewage contamination of coastal beaches. Through this study we evaluated indicators of fecal pollution (fecal indicator bacteria [FIB], enterococci and fecal coliform) and physico-chemical parameters (salinity, pH, turbidity, and temperature) in coastal waters of the Florida Keys shortly after the hurricane. To augment available county sampling data, two sets of sampling efforts were conducted; one focused on collecting samples spatially throughout the Keys to assess whether areas closer to hurricane landfall were more highly impacted. The second was to collect temporally intensive samples at one location during falling tide to evaluate the hypothesis of groundwater contamination. Samples were analyzed for FIB using a new method called timed appearance of culture signal (TACS), which was subsequently calibrated using traditional membrane filter and chromogenic substrate methods. Results showed that coastal beach waters were characterized by elevated but sporadic levels of fecal indicator bacteria up to two months after the hurricane. Spikes were not correlated with physico-chemical characteristics of the water. Our temporally intensive sampling effort did not support the hypothesis that groundwater was a source of elevated FIB. Competing factors could have played a role in the sporadic nature of the FIB levels after the hurricane. We suggest that beach erosion may have flushed out sediments at beaches closer to the hurricane landfall location thereby improving water quality during dry conditions. We also suggest that during wet conditions a source of FIB could include runoff from debris staging areas. Preemptive beach closures immediately after the hurricane were justified due to the sporadic nature of FIB contamination.

Because ferromanganese polymetallic crusts can become a global resource of valuable elements the ecological impact of seafloor crust mining requires evaluation. Whilst the detrimental impact on deep-ocean benthos is established, experimental evidence about the mining hazard to surface-ocean is sparse. When retrieved, mined crusts can leach elements potentially harmfull to the core oceanic CO₂-fixers – phytoplankton. To directly assess the magnitude of this potential hazard at ocean-basin scale, we examine the impact of ore slurry on phytoplankton CO₂ fixation along a meridional transect through the South Atlantic Ocean. Within 12 h crust slurry additions caused a 25% decrease of CO₂ fixation in the subtropical region and 15% in the temperate-polar region. Such moderate susceptibility of phytoplankton indicates limited release of harmful elements from tested polymetallic powder. Although this implies that environmentally sustainable seafloor mining could be feasible, longer-term complex studies of the mining impact on the surface ocean are required.