Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous pollutants in the marine environment that are known to accumulate in apex predators such as sharks. Liver samples from dusky Carcharhinus obscurus, sandbar Carcharhinus plumbeus, and white Carcharodon carcharias sharks from south-eastern Australian waters were analysed for the seven indicator PCBs 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180. Median ∑PCBs were significantly higher in white than sandbar sharks (3.35 and 0.36μgg−1 lipid, respectively, p=0.05) but there were no significant differences between dusky sharks (1.31μgg−1 lipid) and the other two species. Congener concentrations were also significantly higher in white sharks. Significant differences in PCB concentrations between mature and immature dusky (3.78 and 0.76μgg−1 lipid, respectively) and sandbar (1.94 and 0.18μgg−1 lipid, respectively) sharks indicated that PCB concentrations in these species increased with age/growth. Higher-chlorinated congeners (hexa and heptachlorobiphenyls) dominated results, accounting for ~90% of ∑PCBs.

Two major environmental issues, air quality and climate change, are interlinked because of their large dependence on atmospheric emissions from human activities, especially from the burning of fossil fuels. Emission of air pollutants and heat trapping gases have greatly increased over the last five decades from our dependence throughout the world on conventional fossil fuel sources in production of electricity and in transportation systems, resulting in significant environmental issues with air quality and climate change throughout our planet. Future emissions of pollutants will depend on the choices made about our use of energy and transportation. The purpose of this study is to examine for now and into the future the relationship between energy production, the associated use of fossil fuels, and resulting effects on air pollution. In the process, we examine a clean energy future, imagined in this case for 2050, and then consider the resulting potential effects on air quality.

Coastal areas are strongly affected by episodes of fecal contamination due to polluted water inflows from inadequately treated sewages. The present study aims to investigate the dispersion of Escherichia coli in the artificial semi-enclosed bathing area of Santa Marinella (Latium, Italy) through in situ samplings carried out in summer 2012 and the application of a dynamic model. Collected samples were analyzed by the Culture-Based technique and the Fluorescent Antibody method in order to estimate both the viable culturable cells and the total E. coli population, respectively. The in situ datasets were used to test the proposed modeling approach and simulate the behavior of bacteria as particles subjected, or not, to decay. Next, the flushing time and the computation of the Microbiological Potential Risk Area allowed the evaluation of the contribution of physical and biological processes to coliform dispersion and the related potential risk for bathers.

Heavy metal concentrations and physicochemical parameters in seawater were measured in Guangdong coastal waters, South China. Results showed that the concentrations and distribution of heavy metals varied spatially and seasonally. Generally, heavy metal concentrations in the east regions were higher than in the west. Concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr in wet seasons were generally higher than in dry seasons owing to the seasonal differences of the river discharge, rainfall and seawater intrusion. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that PC1, PC2 and PC3 in the east were correlated to Pb+Cr+Zn+Cd, As+Cd and Cu, respectively, and they were correlated to Pb+Cr, Zn+Cu+Cd and As+Cu, respectively, in the west. That was maybe due to the differences of local heavy metal sources. The anthropogenic activities contributed more to the main sources of heavy metals, and contamination factors indicated that Zn and Pb pollution was serious in study area.

Contaminant concentrations are reported for surface water, sediment, flora and fauna collected during 2010–2011 from the mangrove fringe along eastern Tampa Bay, Florida. Concentrations of trace metals, chlorinated pesticides, atrazine, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls were species-, chemical- and location-specific. Contaminants in sediments did not exceed proposed individual sediment quality guidelines. Most sediment quality assessment quotients were less than one indicating the likelihood of no inhibitory effect based on chemical measurements alone. Faunal species typically contained more contaminants than plant species; seagrass usually contained more chemicals than mangroves. Bioconcentration factors for marine angiosperms were usually less than 10 and ranged between 1 and 31. Mercury concentrations (ppm) in blue crabs and fish did not exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fish tissue criterion of 0.3 and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level of 1.0. In contrast, total mercury concentrations in faunal species often exceeded guideline values for wildlife consumers of aquatic biota.

Methods of calculating wildlife entanglement rates are not standardised between studies and often ignore the influence of observer effort, confounding comparisons. From 1997–2013 we identified 359 entangled Australian fur seals at Seal Rocks, south-eastern Australia. Most entanglement materials originated from commercial fisheries; most frequently entangling pups and juveniles. Using Generalized Additive Mixed Models, which incorporated observer effort and survey frequency, we identified that entanglements were observed more frequently amongst pups from July to October as they approached weaning. Neither the decline in regional fishing intensity nor changing seal population size influenced the incidence of entanglements. Using the models, we estimated that 302 (95% CI=182–510) entangled seals were at Seal Rocks each year, equivalent to 1.0% (CI=0.6–1.7%) of the site population. This study highlights the influence of observer effort and the value of long-term datasets for determining the drivers of marine debris entanglements.

A suite of twenty organophosphorus flame retardant compounds have been determined in blubber and liver tissue of twenty harbour porpoises stranded or bycaught in the UK during 2012 in order to establish current levels of contamination. Fourteen of the twenty compounds were below the limits of quantification in all samples. Six could be quantified at maximum concentrations (in blubber) between 6.7 and 246μgkg−1 wet weight. These levels do not suggest a high level of concern regarding potential impacts and do not indicate that routine monitoring in UK porpoises is warranted at this time.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings of 2014 were held from November 7–12. In order to guarantee the good air quality of Beijing, the Chinese government has taken the most stringent emission reduction measures to date. This study analyzed and compared the air quality of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) regions just before and after APEC meetings. The observations show that the APEC emission reduction measures have effectively improved the air quality of BTH, especially Beijing. Compared with normal emission period (NEP), the PM2.5, PM10, O3, SO2, NO2 and CO concentrations of Beijing during emission reduction periods were reduced by about 58%, 49%, 9%, 34%, 23%, and 4%. The air quality in Tianjin and Hebei were improved significantly, but the rises were smaller than ones in Beijing. During the APEC meetings, due to the weak southerly wind the contribution of backward trajectories from the neighboring air pollution areas of Beijing was less than 10%. The stringent emission reduction measures and favorable weather conditions ensured the good air qualities during the APEC meetings.

Cosmetic products, such as facial scrubs, have been identified as potentially important primary sources of microplastics to the marine environment. This study characterises, quantifies and then investigates the sorptive properties of plastic microbeads that are used as exfoliants in cosmetics. Polyethylene microbeads were extracted from several products, and shown to have a wide size range (mean diameters between 164 and 327μm). We estimated that between 4594 and 94,500 microbeads could be released in a single use. To examine the potential for microbeads to accumulate and transport chemicals they were exposed to a binary mixture of 3H-phenanthrene and 14C-DDT in seawater. The potential for transport of sorbed chemicals by microbeads was broadly similar to that of polythene (PE) particles used in previous sorption studies. In conclusion, cosmetic exfoliants are a potentially important, yet preventable source of microplastic contamination in the marine environment.