Four organophosphorus esters (OPEs) were detected in aerosol samples collected in the West Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean from 2009 to 2010, suggesting their circumpolar and global distribution. In general, the highest concentrations were detected near populated regions in China, Australia and New Zealand. OPE concentrations in the Southern Ocean were about two orders of magnitude lower than those near major continents. Additionally, relatively high OPE concentrations were detected at the Antarctic Peninsula, where several scientific survey stations are located. The four OPEs investigated here are significantly correlated with each other, suggesting they may derive from the same source. In the circumpolar transect, OPE concentrations were associated with ocean gyres in the open ocean. Their concentrations were positively related with average vorticity in the sampling area suggesting that a major source of OPEs may be found in ocean gyres where plastic debris is known to accumulate.

This study analyses 1800 years of heavy metal accumulation in a remote alpine lake experiencing long-range atmospheric contamination and additional inputs of Ag from cloud seeding. In comparison to previous work undertaken on peats, lake sediments show limited post-industrial metal enrichment with enrichment factors of Ag: 1.3, Pb: 1.3, Zn: 1.1, Cu: 1.2 compared to Ag: 2.2, Pb: 3.3, Zn: 2.1, Cu: 4.1 for peat. We show this to be the result of substantial fluvial lithogenic flux of metals (92–97% of total metal flux) to the lake. Total annual metal flux to the lake ranges from: Ag: 4–12 ng/cm2/yr to Zn: 3 383–11 313 ng/cm2/yr. As a result, any contribution of cloud seeding to additional enrichment of Ag in lake sediments is considered negligible. Results show that metal enrichment is not necessarily ubiquitous through a landscape. This has implications for predicting the impacts of atmospheric metal pollution to complex environmental systems.

Lead (Pb) concentrations and isotopic compositions from soils, dusts and aerosols from public land and residential lots adjacent to the copper and Pb mine and smelter at Mount Isa, Australia, were examined to understand the sources and risks of environmental Pb exposure. Urban soil samples contain elevated Pb concentrations (mean 1560 mg/kg), of which 45–85% of the Pb is bioaccessible. The Pb isotopic composition of surface soils (0–2 cm), aerosols and dusts (206Pb/207Pb, 208Pb/207Pb range: 1.049, 2.322–1.069, 2.345) are dominated by Pb derived from the Mount Isa Pb–zinc ore bodies. Underlying soil horizons (10–20 cm) have distinctly different Pb isotopic compositions (206Pb/207Pb, 208Pb/207Pb range: 1.093, 2.354–1.212, 2.495). Surface soil-, dust- and aerosol-Pb are derived predominantly from smelter emissions and fugitive mining sources and not from in situ weathered bedrock. Remediation strategies should target legacy and ongoing sources of environmental Pb to mitigate the problem of Pb exposure at Mount Isa.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 6 ectoparasiticides – 2 synthetic pyrethroids (deltamethrin, cypermethrin) and 4 macrocyclic lactones (abamectin, doramectin, ivermectin and eprinomectin) in biosolids. The method was used to investigate the occurrence of these ectoparasiticides in beef cattle feedlot wastes in Australia from 5 commercial feedlot operations which employ varying waste management practices. Deltamethrin and cypermethrin were not detected in any of the samples while abamectin, ivermectin, doramectin and eprinomectin were detected in some of the samples with concentrations ranging from 1 to 36 μg/kg dry weight (d.w.) freeze dried feedlot waste. Levels of macrocyclic lactones detected in the feedlot wastes varied and were dependent on sample type. The effect of seasonal variations and waste management practices were also investigated in this study.

Biological stress responses in individuals are used as indicators of pollution in aquatic ecosystems, but detecting ecologically relevant responses in whole communities remains a challenge. We developed an experimental approach to detect the effects of pollution on estuarine communities using field-based mesocosms. Mesocosms containing defaunated sediments from four estuaries in southeastern Australia that varied in sediment contamination were transplanted and buried in sediments of the same four estuaries for six weeks. Mesocosm sediment properties and metal concentrations remained representative of their source locations. In each estuary, fauna communities associated with sediments derived from the site with the highest metal concentrations were significantly different from other communities. This pattern was evident for some of the individual taxa, in particular the polychaete Capitella sp. Consistent responses across estuaries suggest numbers of individuals, and especially Capitella sp., could be used to identify contaminated sediments in estuaries with similar fauna and site characteristics.

We present the first evidence of ingestion of plastic by seabirds from the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. The occurrence of marine debris ingestion in the wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacifica, on Heron Island was the focus of this preliminary research. Our findings indicate that 21% of surveyed chicks are fed plastic fragments by their parents, having ingested 3.2 fragments on average. The most common colours of ingested plastic fragments were off/white (37.5%) and green (31.3%). Ingested fragments had a mean size of 10.17±4.55mm and a mean weight of 0.056±0.051g. Our results indicate that further research is critical to understanding the extent of ingestion, colour preferences, and what impacts ingestion may have on these and other seabird populations in the GBR.

Nutrient bioindicators are increasingly being recognised as a diagnostic tool for nutrient enrichment of estuarine and marine ecosystems. Few studies, however, have focused on field translocation of bioindicator organisms to detect nutrient discharge from industrial waste. The brown macroalgae, Sargassum flavicans, was investigated as a potential bioindicator of nutrient-enriched industrial effluent originating from a nickel refinery in tropical north-eastern Australia. S. flavicans was translocated to a number of nutrient enriched creek and oceanic sites over two seasons and assessed for changes in stable isotope ratios of 15N and 13C within the plant tissue in comparison to reference sites. Nutrient uptake in macroalgae, translocated to the nutrient enriched sites adjacent to the refinery, increased 3–4-fold in δ15N, compared to reference sites. Using δ15N of translocated S. flavicans proved to be a successful method for monitoring time-integrated uptake of nitrogen, given the current lack of passive sampler technology for nutrient monitoring.

We investigate the extent to which hourly radon observations can be used to estimate daily PM2.5 loading near the ground. We formulate, test and apply a model that expresses the mean daily PM2.5 load as a linear combination of observed radon concentrations and differences on a given day. The model was developed using two consecutive years of observations (2007–2008) at four sites near Sydney, Australia, instrumented with aerosol samplers and radon detectors. Model performance was subsequently evaluated against observations in 2009. After successfully reproducing mean daily radon concentrations (r2≥0.98), we used the model to estimate daily PM2.5 mass, as well as that of selected elements (Si, K, Fe, Zn, H, S and Black Carbon). When parameterizing the model for elemental mass estimates the highest r2 values were generally obtained for H, BC, K and Si. Separating results by season, the r2 values for K and BC were higher in winter for all sites, a period of time where higher concentrations of these elements are seen and a rapid estimation tool would be of particular benefit. The best overall results were obtained in winter for H and BC [r2 = 0.50, 0.68, 0.70, 0.63 (H) and 0.57, 0.57, 0.78, 0.44 (BC)], respectively for Warrawong, Lucas Heights, Richmond and Muswellbrook. Evaluation of model PM2.5 estimates was most successful for days with typical aerosol loads; loads were usually underestimated for, the less frequent, high–to–extreme pollution days. The best elemental results were obtained for BC at Richmond in winter (r2 = 0.68). However, for Warrawong and Lucas Heights r2 values increased from 0.26 to 0.60, and from 0.33 to 0.73, respectively, when several particularly high concentration events were excluded from the analysis. The model performed best at Richmond, an inland site with relatively flat terrain. However, model parameters need to be evaluated for each site.

We investigated the effects of the burrowing cirratulid polychaete Cirriformia filigera (Delle Chiaje, 1828) on benthic respiration and nitrogen regeneration in metal-contaminated estuarine sediments using laboratory mesocosms. C. filigera is a dominant component of assemblages in the most severely contaminated sediments within the Derwent estuary, southern Australia. In the presence of C. filigera sediment O2 consumption doubled, with approximately 55% of this increase due to their respiration and the remaining 45% attributable to oxidation reactions and increased microbial respiration associated with burrow walls. Combined NO3 and NO2 fluxes were unaffected. The addition of labile organic matter did not affect benthic fluxes, in the presence or absence of C. filigera, presumably due to the short timeframe of the experiment and naturally enriched test sediments. The results suggest that a combination of tolerance and burrowing activity enables this species to provide an ecosystem service in the removal of N from contaminated sites.

Water turbidity and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) are commonly used as part of marine monitoring and water quality plans. Current management plans utilise threshold SSC values derived from mean-annual turbidity concentrations. Little published work documents typical ranges of turbidity for reefs within open coastal waters. Here, time-series turbidity measurements from 61 sites in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Moreton Bay, Australia, are presented as turbidity exceedance curves and derivatives. This contributes to the understanding of turbidity and SSC in the context of environmental management in open-coastal reef environments. Exceedance results indicate strong spatial and temporal variability in water turbidity across inter/intraregional scales. The highest turbidity across 61 sites, at 50% exceedance (T50) is 15.3 NTU and at 90% exceedance (T90) 4.1 NTU. Mean/median turbidity comparisons show strong differences between the two, consistent with a strongly skewed turbidity regime. Results may contribute towards promoting refinement of water quality management protocols.