In the context of the environmental improvement of inland shipping, this paper studies the interaction mechanism of tripartite behavioral strategy selection among the upstream and downstream governments and shipping companies in neighboring provinces. This paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model that introduces the prospect theory, and verifies numerical examples in combination with system dynamics simulation methods. Therefore, this study discusses the influence of evolutionary stability strategies on the development of electric ship industry. The results show that in order to realize effective governance of inland shipping pollution, the optimal evolutionary stability strategies of the three stakeholders should be as follows: active supervision in both upstream and downstream governments, and using clean energy in shipping companies. The improvement of the initial probability and risk preference of the three parties is conducive to promoting the faster and more stable industrial development, while reasonable profit distribution coefficient and compensation cost can promote the benign development of the inland river environmental governance system. In addition, the probability of upstream and downstream governments and shipping companies choosing the optimal strategies is positively related to the government fines, and negatively related to the regulatory costs. In particular, the application of prospect theory makes the result of evolutionary equilibrium more obvious.

We use a multi-tracer approach to identify catchment sources of nitrogen (N) in the skeletons of nearshore Porites corals within the Great Barrier Reef. We measured δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C and C:N ratios of particulate organic matter (POM) sampled from the Pioneer River catchment and identified five distinct end-members: (1) marine planktonic and algal-dominated matter with higher δ¹⁵N values from the river mouth and coastal waters; (2) estuarine planktonic and algal matter with lower δ¹⁵N values associated with estuarine mixing; (3) lower river freshwater phytoplankton and algal-dominated matter in stratified reservoirs adjacent to catchment weirs, with the ¹⁵N-enriched source likely caused by microbial remineralization and denitrification; (4) upper river low δ¹⁵N terrigenous soil matter eroded from cane fields bordering waterways; and (5) terrestrial plant detrital matter in forest streams, representing a low δ¹⁵N fixed atmospheric nitrogen source. The δ¹⁵N values of adjacent, nearshore Porites coral skeletons is reflective of POM composition in coastal waters, with ¹⁵N-enriched values reflective of transformed N during flood pulses from the Pioneer River.

Wild fish (Cyprinus carpio, Mugil cephalus, Platichthys flesus) from an estuary of the NE Atlantic coast were investigated for plastic contamination (N = 128). From the 1289 particles recovered from fish samples, 883 were plastics. Among these, 84% were fibres and 97% were microplastics. Thirty-six polymers were identified. The number of microplastics (mean ± SD) per individual fish (MP/fish) was 8 ± 6 in C. carpio, 10 ± 9 in M. cephalus and 2 ± 2 in P. flesus. The means of MP/fish per body site were 6 ± 7 in gastrointestinal tract, 0.5 ± 1.1 in gills, 0.3 ± 0.7 in liver and 0.6 ± 1.2 in muscle samples. A few large fibres in liver (≤ 4841 μm) and muscle (≤ 5810 μm) samples were found. The results evidence the existence of high fish contamination by microplastics and reinforce the need of further research on plastic pollution in estuaries.

Moín, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, is a multi-use coastal zone with a variety of human activities that can cause metal pollution. With the purpose of assessing the current environmental burden due to heavy metal presence in the marine environment of Moín, and their bioaccumulation in organisms of the nearby coral reef, we determined seven metals in samples of bottom sediments, macroalgae (Cryptonemia crenulata) and sponge (Cinachyrella kuekenthali). The results were compared with samples from the southern Caribbean, an area with little human activity. Using ICP-MS, results showed a concentration range for sediments Mn > Cu > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd, algae Mn > Cu > Zn > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cd and sponge Mn > Cu > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cd > Pb, relatively low concentrations overall and no differences observed between sites. Bioconcentration factor > 1 was determined for Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn, while concentrations in sediments were below the SQG thresholds. Our study provides the first data on metal concentrations in a macroalgae and a sponge from the Costa Rican Caribbean.

Liquid natural gas (LNG) exploration has started off the coast of northern Mozambique, in the Rovuma Basin, East Africa. In advance of gas production, we collected in 2018 over 100 samples of surface sediments from 40 locations in the pristine and exploration areas at water depths of 5–2000 m. We have determined the levels of hydrocarbons (total hydrocarbon contents (THC) and 49 individual PAHs), heavy metals, arsenic, grain size and total organic carbon. While sediment composition varied strongly from coarse sediment to high mud contents (<63 μm), background levels of hydrocarbons and metals were found in most samples. We found anthropogenic contamination at one site in Pemba harbor. We observed no petroleum-related contamination, including the Palma area with numerous exploration wells. Elevated concentrations of barium and THC at some locations in this area are attributed to drilling activities but are not considered to be of environmental concern.

Seasonal distribution of Marine Litter (ML) on Santos beaches was assessed using a citizen science strategy. Plastics and cigarette butts (CB) were the dominant items in all sampling campaigns. Seasonal distribution did not result in significant differences for most items. Plastic and CB amounts were high in summer compared to autumn. For all sampled sites the presence of beach users influenced ML densities. However, results showed that some sites presented an additional influence of local hydrodynamic. Moderate amounts of hazardous items including metal, glass, CB, sanitary waste and plastic tubes used to pack and market illicit drugs represented between 20.8 and 31% of all ML over the seasons. The beaches of Santos were classified as dirty in autumn and spring and as extremely dirty in winter and summer. These findings can serve as a baseline to support mitigating actions by public authorities and start monitoring programs of ML not only in Santos but also in other urbanized beaches.

To verify ships' compliance with ballast water regulations, samples may be collected and tested for viable organisms. This task is completed using a sample probe, which is placed in the ballast discharge pipe through a sample port (a flanged opening). To collect representative samples, the placement of the sample port and the size of the sample probe must be appropriate for the shipboard piping arrangement and ballast water flows. The placement of sample ports was evaluated on 72 ships to assess the current condition of ballast water sampling installations against available guidance. Few ships (15%) had sample ports fully aligned with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 11711-1. While current configurations may present challenges in collecting representative samples, these installations likely occurred before the ISO standard was available. Future installations should be in accordance with the standard to facilitate representative sampling.

Studies of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in sea turtles are reported, but there are still spatial data gaps worldwide. POP contamination of live female blood plasma from Caretta caretta (n = 28), Chelonia mydas (n = 31) and Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 19), which nest in Brazil and feed along the South Atlantic Ocean, was investigated. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from red blood cells (RBC) were also evaluated to obtain information about trophic ecology. C. caretta had the highest POP concentrations, followed by L. olivacea and C. mydas. PCBs predominated in all species, and the major OCPs were the DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and derivatives) and Lindane. POPs and stable isotopes revealed intra- and interspecific variations, which reflect the high plasticity in the use of habitat and food resources, making individuals within the same population susceptible to different exposures to pollutants.

Toxic metals, As, and As species were monitored at 18 stations along the Taehwa River in Ulsan. The concentrations of Ni (98.4 μg/L) at stations near industrial areas were relatively high and exceeded the WHO's drinking water guidelines (70 μg/L) and the US EPA's national recommended water quality criteria (52 μg/L). Principal component analysis and cluster analysis revealed that Ni and Cu were more strongly influenced by industrial activity than other elements in the Taehwa River estuary. Analysis of the hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk (CR) indicated that As was of the greatest non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic concern. Notably, the HQ and CR of Asᴵᴵᴵ at suburban stations exceeded 1 and 10⁻⁴, respectively, representing a significant health risk. These results indicate that As speciation testing is crucial for the development of effective management plans based on health risks because the toxicity and mobility of As depend on its chemical form.

In this study, metal compositions in anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) sampled from 11 different sites representing Turkey, Georgia, and Abkhazia coasts of the Black Sea were investigated. For this purpose, micro (Al, Zn, Mn, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Cd, Pb, Se, As, and Hg) and macro (K, Ca, Na, Mg, P) element content in edible muscle tissue of anchovy were determined. In addition, the potential risks associated with human consumption of the samples were evaluated using quality indices such as estimated weekly intake (EWI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and total exposure hazard index (HI). The results showed that the potassium (K) concentration was the highest in edible tissue of the anchovies from all stations. Anchovies were also found to be rich in phosphorus and calcium. When the metal content of anchovies was compared, there were statistically variations among metal concentrations (except for Co, Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, and Hg) in the muscle tissue of anchovies according to the stations (P<0.05). The concentrations of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr in anchovy were found below the maximum permissible values determined by various national and international organizations for seafood. Besides, when the samples were examined in terms of EWI, THQ, and HI quality indices, it was determined that anchovy consumption did not pose a potential hazard to human health for the consumption of the anchovy. The present study conclusively indicated that no health problem can be raised from human consumption of the examined commercial anchovy along the Turkey, Georgia, and Abkhazia coasts of the Black Sea.