Microplastics are omnipresent in the oceans and generally have negative impacts on the biota. However, flotsam may increase the availability of hard substrates, which are considered a limiting resource for some oceanic species, e.g. as oviposition sites for the ocean insect Halobates. This study describes the use of plastic pellets as an oviposition site for Halobates micans and discusses possible effects on its abundance and dispersion. Inspection of egg masses on stranded particles on beaches revealed that a mean of 24% (from 0% to 62%) of the pellets bore eggs (mean of 5 and max. of 48 eggs per pellet). Most eggs (63%) contained embryos, while 37% were empty egg shells. This shows that even small plastic particles are used as oviposition site by H. micans, and that marine litter may have a positive effect over the abundance and dispersion of this species.

Levels of mercury (Hg) were analyzed in the tissues of 50 Razorbills (Alca torda), from the Mediterranean area, which had drowned in fishing nets. The mercury distribution pattern in tissues was similar to those of other studies (liver>feather vane>kidney>muscle>brain>feather shaft), with mercury concentrations of 2.85±0.90, 2.66±1.60, 2.23±0.87, 1.54±0.54, 1.48±0.54 and 1.30±0.76mg/kg (dry weight), respectively. It could be considered that Razorbills in the southwestern Mediterranean were chronically exposed to relatively low levels of MeHg, probably below 0.5ppm, via dietary intake. We have proposed prediction equations for brain and kidney Hg concentrations using feather shafts as non-invasive samples. This work provides a solid understanding of Razorbill Hg exposure both in their wintering and breeding grounds, and shows that this species can be useful for assessing marine environmental health in the Mediterranean area.

This paper describes details of an oil spill model, OILTRANS, developed by the authors. The model is an off-line particle-transport model coupled to the most up to date operational met-ocean model forecasts. Formulations for the dominant oil fate processes of spreading, advection, diffusion, evaporation, emulsification and dispersion have been encoded, providing the model with the ability to accurately predict the horizontal movement of surface oil slick, the vertical entrainment of oil into the water column and the mass balance of spilled oil. The application of the OILTRANS model to an accidental release during a ship-to-ship fuel transfer in the Celtic Sea in February 2009 is presented to validate the system. Comparisons with aerial observations of the oil slick at the time of the incident, and subsequent model simulations, indicate that the OILTRANS model is capable of accurately predicting the transport and fate of the oil slick.

Twenty-five crude-oil-degrading bacteria were isolated from oil-contaminated sites in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Based on a high growth rate on crude oil and on hydrocarbon degradation ability, 11 strains were selected from the 25 isolated strains for further study. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene showed that these isolated strains belonged to genera Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Gordonia, Rhodococcus, Cobetia, Halomonas, Alcanivorax, Marinobacter and Microbacterium. Among the 11 isolates, strains BS (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, 98%) and PG-12 (Alcanivorax dieselolei, 98%) were the most effective in degrading crude oil. Rate of crude-oil degradation of 82% (isolate BS) and 71% (isolate PG-12) were observed after 1week of cultivation in mineral medium. These strains had high emulsification activity and biosurfactant production. GC–MS analysis showed that A. dieselolei PG-12 can degrade different alkanes in crude oil. Screening of the distribution of the alkane hydroxylase gene in 25 isolates in relation to the source of isolation indicated that the group (II) alkane hydroxylase is prevalent in the Caspian Sea, but in the Persian Gulf, the frequency of the group (III) alkane hydroxylase gene is greater than that of the group (II) alkane hydroxylase gene.

Herbicide residues have been measured in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon at concentrations which have the potential to harm marine plant communities. Monitoring on the Great Barrier Reef lagoon following wet season discharge show that 80% of the time when herbicides are detected, more than one are present. These herbicides have been shown to act in an additive manner with regards to photosystem-II inhibition. In this study, the area of the Great Barrier Reef considered to be at risk from herbicides is compared when exposures are considered for each herbicide individually and also for herbicide mixtures. Two normalisation indices for herbicide mixtures were calculated based on current guidelines and PSII inhibition thresholds. The results show that the area of risk for most regions is greatly increased under the proposed additive PSII inhibition threshold and that the resilience of this important ecosystem could be reduced by exposure to these herbicides.

A presumed Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolate from Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA was previously reported to grow on phenanthrene, a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) found in crude oil. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, concerns were raised that PAH-degrading V. parahaemolyticus could increase in abundance, leading to elevated risks of disease derived from shellfish consumption. To assess this possibility, we examined responses to naphthalene and phenanthrene of 17 coastal Louisiana environmental V. parahaemolyticus isolates representing five distinct genotypes. Isolates were obtained immediately after the spill began and after oil had reached the Louisiana coast. None of the isolates grew on or oxidized either substrate and a naphthalene degradation product, 1-naphthol, substantially inhibited growth of some isolates. The use of PAH by V. parahaemolyticus is unusual, and an increase in human health risks due to stimulation of V. parahaemolyticus growth by oil-derived PAH under in situ conditions appears unlikely.

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the surface sediments of the Yangtze Estuary, especially the North Branch, have been fully investigated. PAH concentrations increased with the descending distance from the inner estuary to the adjacent sea, and varied significantly in various estuarine regions. Water currents (e.g., river runoff and ocean current) greatly affected the distribution pattern. In addition, ambient sewage and traffic also contributed to the PAH pollution in the estuary. In the adjacent sea, PAH values along the −20m isobath were higher than those along the −10m isobath due to the “marginal filter” phenomenon formed by different water currents. In most sites, PAHs had poor correlations with sediment size, but had positive correlations with total organic carbon. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis results, PAH sources were proved to be mainly from a mixture of petroleum combustion, biomass, and coal combustion.

Previous research to assess impacts from aggregate dredging has focussed on infaunal species with few studies made of fish entrainment. Entrainment evidence from hydraulic dredging studies is reviewed to develop a sensitivity index for benthic fish. Environmental monitoring attendant with the granting of new licences in the Eastern Channel Region (ECR) in 2006 offers a unique opportunity to assess the effects of dredging upon fish. Projected theoretical fish entrainment rates are calculated based upon: abundance data from 4m beam trawl sampling of fish species over the period 2005–2008; sensitivity data; and dredging activity and footprint derived from Electronic monitoring System (EMS) data. Results have been compared with actual entrainment rates and also against summary results from independent analysis of the changes in fish population over the period 2005–2008 (Drabble, 2012). The case is made for entrainment surveys to form part of impact monitoring for marine aggregate dredging.

This study is the first detailed ecotoxicological study of the annulated sea snake, Hydrophis cyanocinctus. Concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel and vanadium were evaluated in muscle, liver, kidney, skin and blood of the annulated sea snake (H. cyanocinctus) and in the whole bodies of its main prey species (Periophthalmus waltoni and Boleophthalmus dussumieri) in the Hara Protected Area, the Persian Gulf. The mean concentrations of lead and vanadium were highest in the kidney, which identified the kidney as a target organ for metals in sea snakes as it is in other reptilian groups. Mean concentrations of cadmium and nickel were highest in the liver and skin, respectively. Mean cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in the liver compared to prey species, which indicated that prey items may be a source of cadmium for the annulated sea snake in the study area. Data presented here may be considered as a baseline for further ecotoxicological studies in sea snakes.

In this work, data on the level of organotin compounds (OTCs) in seawater and mussels collected along the entire Croatian Adriatic Coast are presented. The samples were collected in 2009 and 2010 at 48 locations representing different levels of maritime activities, including marinas, ports and reference sites. Butyltins (BuTs) were found in all analyzed samples, representing >97% of OTCs, and ranged from 0.46 to 27.98ngSnL⁻¹ in seawater and from <6 to 1675ngSng⁻¹ in mussels. The results indicate a recent input of TBT, with the highest concentrations of BuTs found in the marinas. It appears that the Adriatic coast is still polluted with TBT despite the fact that TBT-containing antifouling paints have been banned in Croatia since 2008. It is questionable how much TBT pollution decreased since 2005, when a high incidence of imposex was established in the same area.