A summer campaign in Central Italy was carried out to study the impact of fire emissions on the mixing ratios of surface trace gases. Observations with a selective and sensitive instrument that uses the laser induced fluorescence technique for direct measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), show a significant increase of NO2 mixing ratios, in the evening, when a fire plume reached the observations site. The increase of NO2 mixing ratios is well correlated (R=0.83) with that of particulate matter (PM), which is one of the primary product of forest and grassland fires. The tight correlation between NO2 and PM is used to improve the performance of a statistical regression model to simulate the observed O3, and to highlight the effect of fire emissions on the O3 mixing ratios. The statistical regression model of O3 improves in terms of performance (bias reduction of 77% and agreement enhancement of 10% for slope and correlation coefficient) when PM2.5 is included as additional input and proxy of the fire emissions among the usual input parameters (meteorological data and NO2 mixing ratios). A case study, comparing observed and modeled O3 in different days (with and without fire plume), suggests an impact of fire emissions on the O3 mixing ratios of about 10%.

The high level of atmospheric pollution is a global problem that has taken on particular significance in recent years and will continue to grow in the near future. Air pollution directly affects the health, living organisms, vegetation, water, soil and buildings. Additionally, it moves easily even over long distances. Certain air pollutants influence the climate, cause negative processes in the protective ozone layer and contribute to the greenhouse effect. Therefore it is important to protect the air by taking actions to ensure its best possible quality. In this paper, the development of air quality policies in the United States of America and European Union was analyzed and it was shown how these legislations were implemented and also the air quality policies in these states were compared. Although the U.S. and EU have achieved significant improvements in air quality, the area of air quality management in both regions still requires a more integrated and ambitious approach.

Microplastics provide a mechanism for the long-range transport of hydrophobic chemical contaminants to remote coastal and marine locations. In this study, plastic resin pellets were collected from Zhengmingsi Beach and Dongshan Beach in China. The collected pellets were analyzed for PAHs, PCBs, HCHs, DDTs, chlordane, heptachlor, endosulfan, aldrin, dieldrin and endrin. The total concentration of PCBs ranged from 34.7–213.7ngg−1 and from 21.5–323.2ngg−1 in plastic resin pellets for Zhengmingsi Beach and Dongshan Beach respectively. The highest concentrations of PCBs were observed for congeners 44, 110, 138, 155 and 200. The total concentration of PAHs ranged from 136.3–1586.9ngg−1 and from 397.6–2384.2ngg−1 in the plastic pellets, whereas DDTs concentration ranged from 1.2–101.5ngg−1 and from 1.5–127.0ngg−1 for the two beaches. The elevated concentrations of pollutants appear to be related to extensive industrial development, agricultural activity and the use of coal in the area.

Sediments collected from the coastal area of China, embracing west coast of Bohai Sea, south coast of Shandong Peninsula, and the Changjiang estuary (listed in order of decreasing north latitude), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). ∑PAH (Sixteen US EPA priority PAHs) were 2.7–350.9ng/g. Petroleum residue was the major contributor of PAHs in the coastal sediments of China due to oil leakage from ships and offshore oil fields. The contribution of vehicular emissions in coast of North China was significantly lower than that in the Changjiang Estuary, and the reverse was true for coal combustion. PAH concentrations in the sediment core of the Changjiang estuary steadily increased upward and the variation was primarily due to economic development and severe floods. The impact on PAHs by vehicular emissions (37.2%) and petrogenic sources (45.8%) overwhelmed combustion sources (17.0%).

The objectives of this study are to investigate distribution of trace elements and heavy metals in the salt marsh and wetland soil and biogeochemical processes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The results show that Hg, Cd and to some extent, As and Pb have been significantly accumulated in soils. The strongest correlations were found between concentrations of Ni and total organic matter contents. The correlations decreased in the order: Ni>Cr>Sr>Co>Zn, Cd>Cu>Cs. Strong correlations were also observed between total P and concentrations of Ni, Co, Cr, Sr, Zn, Cu, and Cd. This may be related to the P spilling accident in 2005 in the Bangs Lake site. Lead isotopic ratios in soils matched well those of North American coals, indicating the contribution of Pb through atmospheric fallout from coal power plants.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of heavy metal pollution in the clay/silt fraction (<63μm fraction) of marine sediments from Quintero Bay, Chile. For this, sediment samples were collected from 14 sites from the bay and analyzed for major and minor element determination. The metal concentrations found suggest an anthropogenic origin related with Cu, Se, Mo, As, Sb and Pb. The mineralogical characteristics of the samples were determined by XRD and selected samples were examined by SEM to determine morphological differences. The results showed heavy metal-bearing particles such as Cu, Zn, As and Pb, which are most likely associated with by the copper smelter.

Intertidal benthic ecosystems in estuaries are productive sites where microbial processes play critical roles in nutrients mineralization, primary production and trophic web. In this groundwork study we analyzed the bacterial community of intertidal biofilms from Río de la Plata beaches with different anthropogenic impacts. Several environmental parameters were measured and bacterial assemblages were analyzed by 16S-rDNA pyrosequencing. The average OTU found per sample was 527.3±122.5, showing similar richness and diversity among them. However, sites having the highest and lowest salinity displayed higher bacterial diversity. Assemblages from a site nearby an oil refinery, showing the lowest salinity and oxygen concentration, were clearly distinct from the rest. The weight of this splitting relied on OTUs belonging to Thauera, known by its ability to metabolize aromatic compounds. Our results suggest that intertidal bacterial assemblages would be structured by major estuarine variables such as salinity, and that anthropogenic-induced environmental parameters might also be relevant.

Mercury and selenium were assessed in the sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, from the Eastern Pacific. Sixty-seven individuals were sampled, muscle, liver, kidney, gonads and the prey found in the stomach contents were isolated during fishing 2011–2013 tournaments. Hg exhibited the following pattern (μgg−1 wet weight): liver (0.57±0.07)>muscle (0.56±0.04)>kidney (0.44±0.08)>gonad (0.14±0.01). The maximum concentration of Se was found in kidneys (14.1±1.9μgg−1), and the minimum in muscles (0.67±0.03μgg−1). High Se:Hg ratios were found for muscle (4.1±0.3), kidney (132.4±12.1), liver (54.0±4.4) and gonads (88.2±7.9); Hg:Se molar ratios were several orders of magnitude lower (muscle<0.4 and liver, kidney and gonad<0.03). Sailfish feed mainly on fishes and cephalopods with low Hg levels (<0.13μgg−1), these results indicate biomagnification of Hg and Se. The muscle of I. platypterus should be consumed (according the provisional tolerable weekly intake) by people cautiously so as not to exceed the recommended intake of 215g per week.