In the Antarctic Peninsula, most important activities are touristic visits, from the second half of the 20th Century, and scientific investigation linked to 75 research stations. Beach litter content/abundance was investigated at 17 beaches in Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) and the type of plastic material was determined by Raman spectroscopy. An average value of 0.16 items m⁻¹ was observed. Wood items consisted of processed wood fragments representing 47.27% of the total. Foam represented 21%, hard plastic pieces 9.68% (consisting of polyvinyl chloride or high density polyethylene), metal 3.37%, rubber fragments 2.81%, foamed plastic pieces 2.66% (composed by polystyrene), the rest of categories representing less than 2% of the total. Wood debris and metal are essentially remnant objects of ancient whaling activities and research expeditions, polyurethane and expanded polystyrene materials have different origins and hard plastic, rubber, paper/cardboard and paint fragments seem mostly linked to present research activities.

This study investigated the sensitivity of two deepsea species using mortality of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and polyp activity of stony coral (Lophelia pertusa) to dispersant, Corexit 9500 and aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, 2-methylnaphthalene, phenanthrene) in 96-h tests. Resulting hydrocarbon toxicity data were fit to the Target Lipid Model to generate predictive models and determine species sensitivity. Toxicity of chemically enhanced water accommodated fractions of Alaskan North Slope crude oil (ANS-oil) was also investigated with shrimp using nominal loading, total petroleum hydrocarbons and biomimetic extraction (BE) as oil exposure metrics. Coral were more sensitive to dispersant than shrimp while similar sensitivity was observed for hydrocarbons. Study and literature findings indicate deepsea species exhibit acute sensitivities to dispersant, hydrocarbons and oil that are comparable to pelagic species. Results support use of passive sampling methods to quantify dissolved oil for interpreting oil toxicity tests and suggest models for predicting time-dependence of toxicity warrant re-evaluation.

The incidence of plastic in seabird nests can be used to track changes in the amounts of marine debris, but large sample sizes are needed for accurate estimates. Surveys of active nests cause disturbance to breeding birds, so we need an efficient way to sample nest plastics. Photographs of brown noddy Anous stolidus nests at Ducie Atoll, southeast Pacific Ocean, allowed rapid characterisation of plastic use with limited disturbance, and showed selection for blue-green items. Plastic was more prevalent in noddy nests at Ducie Atoll (97%) than at Inaccessible Island, South Atlantic Ocean (41%), despite lower debris densities at Ducie. Differences in nesting habitat and the resultant availability of natural nesting material drive this difference in plastic loads. Using photographs to record plastic in seabird nests reduces disturbance to breeding birds and might decrease the risk of missing cryptic debris items. Photographs also provide a permanent record of pollution levels.

Examination of the impact of Diuron contamination on blood cockles (Tegillarca granosa) was conducted by combining field screening at three sampling events and a toxicity test. Diuron was extracted using the liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) technique and analyzed using HPLC-UV. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of Diuron on T. granosa was tested under a 72-h exposure. Diuron in water samples ranged from not detected (ND) to 3910 ppb, which was the highest concentration detected in samples after the irrigation water was discharged from the paddy plantation. Diuron was not detected in sediment samples. Mortality of T. granosa ranged from 4.74 to 38.33% with the highest percentages recorded after the release of the irrigation water. The LC₅₀ value of Diuron was 1.84 ppm. This study suggests that irrigation water from paddy plantation that drifts to coastal areas containing Diuron harms T. granosa at the study area.

Sediment cores were analyzed from the continental shelf of the northwestern South China Sea aiming to understand the change history of primary productivity and provide insights into key changes of environmental conditions in this region over the past ~100 years. Multiple proxies including stable carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of sedimentary organic matter, diatom abundance and biogenic silica burial flux were applied along with ²¹⁰Pb chronology. Notably, these independent evidences consistently point to a steady increase of primary production in this region only after ~1960s. We propose that increasing atmospheric deposition due to dramatically enhanced human activities especially from China supplies essential nitrogen nutrients to the N-poor region and probably acts a major reason for the observed enhancement of marine primary production. Our study provides insights into better understanding how human perturbation may have profoundly impacted biogeochemical cycling in marginal seas in the last decades.

The effects of microplastic fibers (MPF) on the survival, molting and oxygen consumption rates of larval (I-III) and post-larval (IV) stages of the American lobster, Homarus americanus, were quantified as a function of MPF concentration and food availability. Only the highest MPF concentration decreased early larval survival. MPF did not affect the timing or rate of molting across MPF treatments. While all larval and post-larval stages accumulated MPF under the cephalothorax carapace, stage II larvae and stage IV post-larvae showed the highest and lowest accumulation, respectively. MPF ingestion increased with larval stage and with MPF concentration; under starvation conditions, stage I larvae only ingested them at low MPF concentrations. Oxygen consumption rates were lower only in later larval stages when exposed to high MPF concentrations. Combined, our results indicate that MPF interactions and effects on American lobster larvae are dependent on larval stage, MPF concentration, and presence of food.

This study compared the capacity of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the green alga Ulva lactuca to sequester the trace elements Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, in seawater and benthic sediments, under the same environmental conditions. Samples of C. nodosa leaves and U. lactuca thalli were collected in four sites off the coast of Sicily (Italy), with varying degrees of anthropogenic impact. C. nodosa accumulated generally higher levels of trace elements, suggesting a better performance in marine phytoremediation. In turn, C. nodosa and U. lactuca showed a similar performance regarding the bioindication of trace elements. Since salinity, temperature and pH had relatively constant values, their role in the accumulation processes in both species should be considered as secondary. Although C. nodosa and U. lactuca fulfill several criteria as bioindicators, including widespread distribution, abundance and tolerance to toxicity, their regular use in biomonitoring programs is still limited.

Microplastics have received special attention due to their potential risks to environments. However, data on microplastics in estuaries of the Southeast Asian region is still insufficient. This study investigated the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in the sediment and surface water of the Chao Phraya River Estuary, Thailand. Concentrations of heavy metals extracted from microplastics were also reported. The abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediment was 48 ± 8 items/m³ and 39 ± 14 items/kg, respectively. Microplastics with small sizes of 0.05–0.3 mm were predominant in all collected samples. Polypropylene and polyethylene particles were the most abundant in the surface water and sediment, respectively. Toxic metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Zn) were found in microplastics from surface water samples. Since Chao Phraya River Estuary is an important aquaculture zone in Thailand, the presence of microplastics in this area may severely impact on aquaculture and human health.

Large amounts of crude oil were found along Brazil's northeast and southeast seaboard from August 2019 to January 2020. Petroleum companies and oil tankers reported no accidents previously or during this period. The stranded oil on Brazilian beaches looks like tar; it has solid aspect and is denser than seawater. Chemical characterization of this oil showed that light hydrocarbons were still present, increasing the probability of negative effects to coastal organisms and ecosystems upon release in the water column. Diagnostic ratios, chromatogram pattern, and percentage-weathering plots proved that the oil samples share the same oil source. This work provides data for future comparison with oil samples that will likely be found stranded along the Brazilian shoreline in the years to come, helping to understand long term issues associated with the mysterious oil spill that made landfall in late 2019.

We report the ratios of minor (K/Ca, Na/Ca, P/Ca, S/Ca) and trace elements (Al/Ca, Ba/Ca, Fe/Ca, Mn/Ca and Zn/Ca) in skeletons of five Arctic echinoderm species representing three classes: Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Crinoidea. We found that skeletons of Arctic echinoderms show a unique, species-specific trace element composition that may suggest that incorporation of elements into the skeleton is biologically controlled by the organism. On the other hand, the concentration of some minor elements in skeletal parts exhibit patterns that are consistent with elemental concentrations in seawater, indicating that formation of echinoderm skeletons is environmentally controlled. Seawater is the main source of ions and compounds needed for skeletal formation and maintaining similar concentrations most likely reduces the biological cost related to selective uptake of ions. Additionally, Al, Ba, Fe, Mg and Mn showed station specific variation in elemental concentration which again suggests that accumulation of metals can be shaped by environmental concentrations.