This study corresponds to preliminary work representing an initial assessment for spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Cilician Basin coastal sediments. The concentrations of PAHs in shelf sediments were determined from the three different regions of Cilician Basin (Eastern Mediterranean) in 2011. Concentrations of PAHs were low 5.43–271ngg−1 with respect to other coastal sediments in the Mediterranean and these results could be compared with concentrations found in open sea areas. PAH composed mainly of pyrolytic four and five-ring compounds. An abundance of high molecular weight PAHs indicated that atmospheric particles and urban aerosols are the major input route of hydrocarbons in the Cilician and Lattakia Basins. PAH levels were assessed in accordance with numerical Sediment Quality Guideline (SQG) of the USEPA. The results showed that no samples exceeded biological thresholds to pose biological impairments.

In this study, we report results concerning the accumulation of heavy metals in seawater from Izmit Bay. The bay was divided into the three parts: the eastern, the central and the western basins. The goal of this study was to determine levels of heavy metals at various depths in the bay between April 2008 and May 2010. Liquid–liquid extractions were performed on seawater samples. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to measure levels of six metals: lead, cadmium, chromium, iron, manganese and zinc. We applied our results to evaluate the status of pollution in the Gulf of Izmit. Significant seasonal differences in metal concentrations and higher concentrations of many metals in water near the shore are evidence for uncontrolled release of pollutants in the water.

Ocean forecasting and oil spill modelling and tracking are complex activities requiring specialised institutions. In this work we present a lighter solution based on the Operational Ocean Forecast Python Engine (OOFε) and the oil spill model General NOAA Operational Modelling Environment (GNOME). These two are robust relocatable and simple to implement and maintain. Implementations of the operational engine in three different regions with distinct oceanic systems, using the ocean model Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS), are described, namely the Galician region, the southeastern Brazilian waters and the Texas–Louisiana shelf. GNOME was able to simulate the fate of the Prestige oil spill (Galicia) and compared well with observations of the Krimsk accident (Texas). Scenarios of hypothetical spills in Campos Basin (Brazil) are illustrated, evidencing the sensitiveness to the dynamical system.OOFε and GNOME are proved to be valuable, efficient and low cost tools and can be seen as an intermediate stage towards more complex operational implementations of ocean forecasting and oil spill modelling strategies.

Extensive CO2 vents have been discovered in the Wagner Basin, northern Gulf of California, where they create large areas with lowered seawater pH. Such areas are suitable for investigations of long-term biological effects of ocean acidification and effects of CO2 leakage from subsea carbon capture storage. Here, we show responses of benthic foraminifera to seawater pH gradients at 74–207m water depth. Living (rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera included Nonionella basispinata, Epistominella bradyana and Bulimina marginata. Studies on foraminifera at CO2 vents in the Mediterranean and off Papua New Guinea have shown dramatic long-term effects of acidified seawater. We found living calcareous benthic foraminifera in low pH conditions in the northern Gulf of California, although there was an impoverished species assemblage and evidence of post-mortem test dissolution.

Most crude oils spread on open water to an average thickness as low as 0.1mm. The application of dispersants enhances the transport of oil as small droplets into the water column, and when combined with the turbulence of 1m waves will quickly entrain oil into the top 1m of the water column, where it rapidly dilutes to concentrations less than 100ppm. In less than 24h, the dispersed oil is expected to mix into the top 10m of the water column and be diluted to concentrations well below 10ppm, with dilution continuing as time proceeds. Over the multiple weeks that biodegradation takes place, dispersed oil concentrations are expected to be below 1ppm. Measurements from spills and wave basin studies support these calculations. Published laboratory studies focused on the quantification of contaminant biodegradation rates have used concentrations orders of magnitude greater than this, as it was necessary to ensure the concentrations of hydrocarbons and other chemicals were higher than the detection limits of chemical analysis. However, current analytical methods can quantify individual alkanes and PAHs (and their alkyl homologues) at ppb and ppm levels. To simulate marine biodegradation of dispersed oil at dilute concentrations commonly encountered in the field, laboratory studies should be conducted at similarly low hydrocarbon concentrations.

Recently, within the framework of European directives, the importance of marine monitoring programs has increased. In this study, a dense sampling grid was applied for a detailed assessment of the metal contents of surface sediments and suspended particulate matter from the Jade Bay, one of the tidal basins in the southern North Sea. The local lithogenic background was defined and compared with average shale, a common reference material. Based on the calculated non-lithogenic fraction and a cluster analysis, the metals are distributed in two groups: (i) elements of mainly natural origin (Co, Cr, and a major portion of Cd) and (ii) elements associated with anthropogenic activity (As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn). However, even the metals of the second group are enriched by at most a factor of two relative to the local background, suggesting minimal anthropogenic impact. Spatial distribution maps show that the harbor area of Wilhelmshaven may be a particularly important source of metal.

The paper detailed a water quality modelling study of a hyper-tidal estuary, undertaken to assess the impact of various bacteria input loads on the receiving waters in a coastal basin in the UK, by using the model developed in previous study of the same authors enterococci, used as the indicators for bathing water quality under the new European Union (EU) Bathing Water Directive, were numerically modelled using a hydro-environmental model. In particular, the numerical model used in this study includes the effects of sediment on bacteria transport processes in surface water. Finally, the importance of sediment bacteria inputs on the bathing water quality was also investigated under different weather and tidal condition. During spring tide, the bacteria input from the bed sediments are dominant for both wet and dry weather conditions. During neap tides and during dry weather conditions the inputs of bacteria from the bed sediment were still dominant, but during wet weather conditions the inputs from river were dominant. Under different tidal flow conditions some parameters had a more significant role than others. During high flow conditions the sediment re-suspensions processes were dominant, therefore the bed bacteria concentrations played a dominant role on the overall bacteria concentration levels in the water column. In contrast, during low flow conditions sediment deposition prevails and bacteria are removed from the water column. The partition coefficient was found to be more important than the bed bacteria concentrations, during low flow conditions.

The aim of this paper is to study the levels and variability of surface ozone in the lower Ebre Valley and to estimate whether this surface ozone has its origin in local photochemical processes or in long–range transport. Surface ozone data series of twelve years (1994–2005) have been used from a rural area (Ebre Observatory) together with three years (2003–2005) data of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Ozone trends over the whole seasonal period, weekly and daily variations and exceedances of the legal threshold have been investigated. Furthermore, a representative ozone event has been studied in detail. Using ozone data from the twelve–year period resulted in a positive trend with an increase of 2.18 μg m–3 year–1 and 0.64 μg m–3 year–1 in summer and winter, respectively. The seasonal evolution of ozone gives a minimum value in winter and a maximum higher than 75 μg m–3 associated with the minimum values of NO2. Ozone– NO2 variation shows a weak ozone increase on weekdays and a small decrease in NO2 concentrations at the weekends. Hence, a weekend effect is not observed. Ozone and NO2 concentrations show a diurnal pattern with NO2 peaks both in the early morning and in the evening, and maximum ozone concentrations, higher than 90–100 μg m–3, from 12:00 to 18:00 UTC in the warmer seasons. The threshold for the protection of human health has been exceeded from March to September each year, with a mean of 33 times per year. An event with high ozone levels originated by transport processes from the Mediterranean area was also analysed. The results suggest that high ozone could be caused mainly by transport mechanisms, and the Ebre valley could be considered to be a natural communication channel between the western Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic Ocean.

Total mercury (Hgtot) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were quantified in several specimens of Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata from the east basin of the Orbetello lagoon, central Italy. The size of each specimen was recorded to estimate body burdens (BBs); =Hgtot and MeHg were measured in fillets of both species. Hgtot and MeHg in S. aurata ranged between 0.355–1.58 and 0.341–1.53μg/g wet weight (ww), respectively; in D. labrax, their ranges were 0.284–2.54 and 0.214–2.35μg/g ww. Approximately 90% of the concentrations measured exceeded Hgtot regulatory maximum level of 0.5μg/g ww; however, exceedance rate was different in the two species studied. No correlations between specimen size and Hgtot or MeHg BBs were detected in this study.

The results of a study on levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), analyzed in terms of HPLC-ESI-MS in water, sediment, macrophyte, bivalve, crustacean and fish samples, are reported here. The aim of the research is to define, for the first time, PFOA/S levels in a heavily human-stressed transitional water ecosystem (Orbetello lagoon, Italy) and evaluate trophic web enrichments and human dietary intakes. The results obtained show that: (i) levels significantly higher than those reported in the literature were found in mussels, clams and crabs; (ii) the river is a significant pollution source; (iii) although absolute levels are relatively low, macroalgae proliferation contributes to redistribute pollutants from river-affected areas throughout the entire lagoon basin; (iv) to the best of our current knowledge, water-filtering species considered in this study are the most exposed to PFOA/S pollution; (v) human daily dietary intakes of PFOA/S through Slow Food-endorsed product consumption are below maximum tolerable levels suggested by the EFSA.