This study reports the annual amount of heavy metals discharged by industrial activity into the estuary of the Ría of Huelva (SW Spain). The findings showed that the discharged metals found in highest amounts were Fe (11ty⁻¹), Zn (3.4ty⁻¹) and Mo (0.88ty⁻¹). There were other metals with high pollutant charge, such as Ti (232kgy⁻¹), As (228kgy⁻¹), Ni (195kgy⁻¹), Pb (100kgy⁻¹), Cr (39kgy⁻¹) and Cd (33kgy⁻¹). These results were compared with pollutants transported via the Tinto and Odiel rivers from abandoned mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), and it was deduced that the amounts spilled exclusively by industries were less than 1% in relation to the total discharge. Hence, the treatment of residues from the IPB should be the priority goal to improve water quality in the estuary.

Chemical elements and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are globally present in aquatic systems and their potential transfer to loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) has become a serious threat for their health status. The environmental fate of these xenobiotics may be traced by the analysis of turtles’ tissues and blood. Generally, loggerhead turtles exhibited a higher metal load than other turtle species, this could be explained by differences in diet habits being food the main source of exposure. Literature shows that muscle, liver and kidney are most considered for the quantification of chemical elements, while, organic compounds are typically investigated in liver and fat. This paper is an overview of the international studies carried out on the quantification of chemical elements, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorines (OCs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), in tissues, organs and fluids of C. caretta from the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

Samples of two seawater farmed fish (crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythopterus) and snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii)), water, air, sediment, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton were collected from two estuarine bays (Daya Bay and Hailing Bay) in South China. The concentrations of persistent halogenated compounds (PHCs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) varied widely with the different sample matrices under investigation. The compositional patterns in fish, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton, as well as the good correlations between the abundances of p,p′-DDT and BDE-209 and their metabolites (i.e., p,p′-DDD and p,p′-DDE for p,p′-DDT and BDE-47 for BDE-209) in fish indicated the occurrence of DDT and PBDE biotransformation in fish body. Finally, the marine aquaculture environment in South China is somewhat biologically impaired by DDT-contaminated water, sediment and fish feed, and there may be some cancer risk associated with fish consumption for humans, especially for urban residents.

The effects of four climate change scenarios for the Netherlands on the distribution of the shipworm upstream of the Rhine–Meuse estuary are described. Global warming will cause dry and warmer summers and decreased river discharges. This will extend the salinity gradient upstream in summer and fall and may lead to attacks on wooden structures by the shipworm. Scenarios including one or two degree temperature increases by 2050 compared to 1990 with a weak change in the air circulation over Europe will lead to an increased chance of shipworm damage upstream from once in 36years to once in 27 or 22years, respectively; however, under a strong change in air circulation, the chance of shipworm damage increases to once in 6 or 3years, respectively. The upstream expansion of the distribution of the shipworm will also be manifested in other northwest European estuaries and will be even stronger in southern Europe.

Human pharmaceuticals, like the lipid lowering agent gemfibrozil and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac are causing environmental concern. In this study, the marine mussel (Mytilus spp.) was exposed by injection to environmentally relevant and elevated (1μg/L and 1000μg/L) concentrations of both compounds and biomarker expression was observed. Gemfibrozil exposure induced biomarkers of stress (glutathione S-transferase and metallothionein) at both concentrations 24h and 96h after exposure, respectively. Biomarkers of damage (lipid peroxidation (LPO) and DNA damage) were significantly affected, as well as the biomarker for reproduction, alkali-labile phosphate assay, indicating the potential oxidative stress and endocrine disrupting effect of gemfibrozil. Diclofenac significantly induced LPO after 96h indicating tissue damage. Additionally standard toxicity tests using the marine species Vibrio fischeri, Skeletonema costatum and Tisbe battagliai showed differences in sensitivity to both drugs in the mg/L range. Results indicate a suite of tests should be used to give accurate information for regulation.

In recent times many benthic indices have been proposed to assess the ecological quality of marine waters worldwide. In this study we compared single metrics and multi-metric methods to assess coastal and transitional benthic status along human pressure gradients in five distinct environments across Europe: Varna bay and lake (Bulgaria), Lesina lagoon (Italy), Mondego estuary (Portugal), Basque coast (Spain) and Oslofjord (Norway). Hence, 13 single metrics (abundance, number of taxa, and several diversity and sensitivity indices) and eight of the most common indices used within the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) for benthic assessment were selected: index of size spectra (ISS), Benthic assessment tool (BAT), Norwegian quality index (NQI), Multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Benthic quality index (BQI), (Benthic ecosystem quality index (BEQI), Benthic index based on taxonomic sufficiency (BITS), and infaunal quality index (IQI). Within each system, sampling sites were ordered in an increasing pressure gradient according to a preliminary classification based on professional judgement. The different indices are largely consistent in their response to pressure gradient, except in some particular cases (i.e. BITS, in all cases, or ISS when a low number of individuals is present). Inconsistencies between indicator responses were most pronounced in transitional waters (i.e. IQI, BEQI), highlighting the difficulties of the generic application of indicators to all marine, estuarine and lagoonal environments. However, some of the single (i.e. ecological groups approach, diversity, richness) and multi-metric methods (i.e. BAT, M-AMBI, NQI) were able to detect such gradients both in transitional and coastal environments, being these multi-metric methods more consistent in the detection than single indices. This study highlights the importance of survey design and good reference conditions for some indicators. The agreement observed between different methodologies and their ability to detect quality trends across distinct environments constitutes a promising result for the implementation of the WFD’s monitoring plans. Moreover, these results have management implications, regarding the dangers of misclassification, uncertainty in the assessment, use of conflicting indices, and testing and validation of indices.

Analysis and interpretation of monitoring data for the seabed bathymetry local to offshore windfarm foundations has shown how the scour develops in time and highlighted variations between sites with different seabed sediment characteristics, i.e. sands and clays. Results from European offshore windfarms have generated a unique dataset for comparison with previously published data. Where surficial sediment is underlain by a marine clay the scour (to date) has been limited, whilst those with unconstrained depths of sandy sediments show scour as deep as 1.38 times the monopile diameter. Scour protection has been installed at some sites for structural stability of the foundation or for cable protection. The flow interaction with the protection causes edge scour or secondary scour in the seabed around the protection. In some cases this scour is deeper than the unprotected case. The analysis has resulted in an improved evidence base for scour in the marine environment.

This study introduces an innovative method for biomonitoring using giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) sieve tube sap (STS) metal concentrations as an indication of pollution influence. STS was sampled from fronds collected from 10 southern California locations, including two reference sites on Santa Catalina Island. Using ICP-MS methodology, STS concentrations of 17 different metals were measured (n=495). Several metals associated with pollution showed the highest STS concentrations and most seasonal variation from populations inside the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Lowest concentrations were measured at less-urbanized areas: Santa Catalina Island and Malibu. Some metals showed a spatial gradient in STS metal concentration with increasing distance from point sources (i.e. Los Angeles River). Cluster analyses indicate that polluted seawater may affect kelp uptake of metals essential for cellular function. Results show that this method can be useful in describing bioavailable metal pollution with implications for accumulation within an important ecosystem.

Benthic faunal data is regularly collected worldwide to assess the ecological quality of marine environments. Recently, there has been renewed interest in developing biological indices able to identify environmental status and potential anthropogenic impacts. In this paper we evaluate the performance of a general polychaete/amphipod ratio along the Norwegian continental shelf as an environmental indicator for offshore oil and gas impacts. Two main trends are apparent: first, a contamination gradient is discernible from where production takes place compared to stations 10,000m away. Second, the quality of the marine environment has improved over time. These results are consistent with monitoring reports employing a combination of uni- and multi-variate statistics. Thus, we consider this ratio as a relatively simple, useful and potentially cost-effective complement to other more demanding assessment techniques. Because of its strong theoretical basis, it may also be useful for detecting ecological change as a result of other activities.

Proteomics is a new and promising approach to evaluate potential effects of pollution. In order to investigate if there is a direct link between the protein expression profiles obtained by the SELDI–TOF MS technology and effects observed at the organism level in fish, plasma samples from unexposed and 20ppb alkylphenol exposed female Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) with high phenotypic variation in gonadosomatic index (GSI) were analyzed by SELDI–TOF MS. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that the major proteomic variation present in the dataset (i.e. 23.6%) could be significantly correlated to the individual variation in GSI, which indicates that SELDI–TOF MS data can reflect effects observed at higher levels of organization in fish. Further exploration of the other principal components revealed an additional proteomic pattern specific for the alkylphenol exposed females. Hence, this study supports the usefulness of SELDI–TOF MS as a proteomic tool in ecotoxicological research.