Marine birds have been found to ingest plastic debris in many of the world’s oceans. Plastic accumulation data from necropsies findings and regurgitation studies are presented on 13 species of marine birds in the North Atlantic, from Georgia, USA to Nunavut, Canada and east to southwest Greenland and the Norwegian Sea. Of the species examined, the two surface plungers (great shearwaters Puffinus gravis; northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis) had the highest prevalence of ingested plastic (71% and 51%, respectively). Great shearwaters also had the most pieces of plastics in their stomachs, with some individuals containing as many of 36 items. Seven species contained no evidence of plastic debris. Reporting of baseline data as done here is needed to ensure that data are available for marine birds over time and space scales in which we see changes in historical debris patterns in marine environments (i.e. decades) and among oceanographic regions.

Five different water samples were collected from the surface to the bottom layers at the Humen river mouth in the Pearl River delta during the flood and ebb tides in August 2011, respectively. Changes in the distribution and characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were examined to explore their transportation process. More than 62 types of PAHs were detected in the water columns. The mean concentration of the total PAHs ranged from 849.33 to 1370.53ng/l and from 629.21 to 2019.91ng/l during the flood and ebb tides, respectively. Furthermore, 2-ring PAHs were the most abundant species, followed by 3-ring PAHs. There were different composition patterns of the PAHs during the flood and ebb tides. And the transportation process of PAHs was influenced by their sources and different estuarine hydrodynamics. Analysis of the sources of the PAHs indicated that the PAHs were derived from primarily petroleum and coal combustion sources.

Wintertime chemical composition of water–soluble particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5μm (PM2.5) was monitored in the Treasure Valley region near Boise, Idaho. Aerosol was sampled using a Particle Into Liquid Sampler (PILS) and subsequently analyzed using ion exchange chromatography and a total organic carbon analyzer. During the two–month sampling campaign, the region experienced varying meteorological regimes, with an extended atmospheric stagnation event towards the end of the study. For all of the weather regimes, water–soluble PM2.5 was dominated by organic material, but particulate nitrate showed the greatest variation over time. These variations in particulate nitrate concentration were found to be dependent on the time of day, nitrogen oxides (NOX) concentrations, and relative humidity. The increases in particulate nitrate did not correlate with an equivalent molar increase of ammonium concentration, ruling out solid ammonium nitrate formation as the dominant source. Instead, our analysis using an online aerosol thermodynamic model suggests that the condensation of gas phase nitric acid was possible within the meteorological conditions experienced during the study. In running this model, atmospheric chemical and physical parameters close to those observed during the study were used as model input. The simulation was run for three different scenarios, representing the different meteorological regimes experienced during the study. From the simulation particulate nitrate concentration was highest during cold and humid nights. Currently this region is in attainment with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5; however, with the projected increase in population and economic growth, and the subsequent increase in NOX emissions, these episodic increases in particulate nitrate have the potential of pushing the area to non–attainment status.

X-ray fluorescence scanners, such as the Itrax™ Core Scanner (Itrax) (Cox Analytical Systems, Mölndal, Sweden), provide high-resolution geochemical data within several hours. However, the semi-quantitative nature of these analysers has hampered their use to study pollution. This study explores Itrax’s capabilities to detect trace metals, such as Hg and Cd, in the Ría de Pontevedra harbour (NW Spain). A set of Itrax detection levels were proposed for each metal after comparison with quantitative measurements obtained from Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CVAAS) analyses. These quantitative data obtained after a sequential extraction were used to evaluate pollutant bioavailability and to determine metal pollution levels exhibiting Hg pollution. The reliability of inc/coh and Br/Cl ratios to assess the total organic matter variability was also evaluated. The results indicated that the Itrax is an efficient and fast option to monitor contamination, thereby avoiding laborious discrete analyses and reducing analytical cost and time.

Superficial sediments from Lenga estuary in the VIII region of central Chile were analysed for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Organic carbon (OC) analysis was also performed and the statistical correlations (Pearson correlations) between compounds were also tested. Results showed the total PCB concentrations (ngg−1d.w.) fluctuated from ∼20 to 10,000. These levels are higher than those reported in other coastal sediments of the world. The PCB profile was dominated by middle to highly chlorinated congeners (6-Cl=40% and 7-Cl=30%). HCB concentrations (ngg−1d.w.), were lower than the PCBs and, fluctuated between 1 (at L1) and 870 (at L4). OC values ranged from 1% (L1) to 7% (L4) showing a significant positive correlations between OC% and PCBs (r=0.86; p<0.05) and for HCB (r=0.71). These results are an important contribution to knowledge of levels of POPs levels in coastal Chilean environments.

This study examined the Pb content and Pb isotopic composition in a sediment core taken from the East China Sea (ECS) shelf, and it was observed that since 2003 the increasing anthropogenic Pb inputs have impacted as far as the ECS shelf sediments. The ECS shelf sediments were generally characterized with low bulk Pb contents (12.5–15.0μg/g) and relatively lithogenic Pb isotopic signatures (both HCl-leached and residual fractions). However, elevated Pb records along with lighter Pb isotopic signals have occurred in the post-2003 sediments, as a result of a small but increasing anthropogenic Pb contribution from the heavily human perturbed coastal sediments due to the sharply increasing coal consumption in mainland China since 2003.

Twelve marine fish species collected from a thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) breeding colony in northern Hudson Bay in the Canadian Arctic during 2007–2009 were analyzed for legacy organochlorines (e.g. PCBs, DDT), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs) and sulfonates (PFSAs), and total mercury (Hg). No one species of prey fish had the highest levels across all contaminant groups analyzed. For the two pelagic fish species sampled, concentrations of the major organochlorine groups (e.g. Σ21PCB, ΣDDT, ΣCHL, ΣCBz), ΣPBDE, ΣPFCA and Hg were consistently higher in Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) than in capelin (Mallotus villosus). Biomagnification factors from whole fish to thick-billed murre liver across all species were generally higher for Σ21PCB and ΣDDT. ΣPBDE did not biomagnify.

Reactivation and chemical modification were used to obtain modified activated carbons with different pore structure and surface chemical properties. The samples were characterized by nitrogen absorption–desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the Bothem method. Using mercury chloride as the target pollutant, the Hg2+ adsorption ability of samples was investigated. The results show that the Hg2+ adsorption capacity of samples increased significantly with increases in micropores and acidic functional groups and that the adsorption process was exothermic. Different models and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated to establish the mechanisms. It was concluded that the adsorption occurred through a monolayer mechanism by a two-speed process involving both rapid adsorption and slow adsorption. The adsorption rate was determined by chemical reaction.

Adsorption of suspended particles to the interface of surfactant-dispersed oil droplets can alter emulsion phase and sedimentation behavior. This work examines the effects of model mineral aggregates (silica nanoparticle aggregates or SNAs) on the behavior of oil (octane)–water emulsions prepared using sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (DOSS). Experiments were conducted at different SNA hydrophobicities in deionized and synthetic seawater (SSW), and at 0.5mM and 2.5mM DOSS. SNAs were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), and the emulsions were examined by optical and cryogenic scanning electron microscopy. In deionized water, oil-in-water emulsions were formed with DOSS and the SNAs did not adhere to the droplets or alter emulsion behavior. In SSW, water-in-oil emulsions were formed with DOSS and SNA–DOSS binding through cation bridging led to phase inversion to oil-in-water emulsions. Droplet oil-mineral aggregates (OMAs) were observed for hydrophilic SNAs, while hydrophobic SNAs yielded quickly sedimenting agglomerated OMAs.

In the framework of an ecological risk assessment of seaport sediments for terrestrial ecosystems when deposited in quarries, we simulated the “ageing” of sediments exposed to rain. This experiment highlighted an inflection point at the solid/liquid ratio 1/25, after which the extraction of pollutants increases moderately. The raw sediments studied inhibited the germination of Lolium perenne and Armeria maritima (a halophytic species) seeds. Furthermore, they affected the early development of L.perenne. The same sediments, leached at a ratio of 1/25, presented a reduction of acute (germination) and chronic (growth) phytotoxicity. The bioconcentration factors of the metals studied decreased with the leached sediment, except for Cu which was still clearly identified in root parts. Thus rotary leaching tests and phytotoxicity bioassays can be used to provide an initial assessment of the ability of plants, particularly halophytes, to colonize deposits of dredged seaport sediments.