Using data from four periods from 1959 to 2015, we report the long-term variation of the macrobenthic community in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent area. In total, 624 species were collected, and Polychaeta was the dominant group. Significant differences between the four periods were found. The CCA (canonical correspondence analysis) and RDA (redundancy analysis) results revealed that temperature, salinity, and depth significantly influenced the macrobenthic communities (89.6% of the species-environment relationship variance was explained by the first two axes of CCA and 94.3% was explained by RDA). The results of K-dominance curves (the elevation increased over time), ABC (abundance/biomass comparison) curves (the W value changed from 0.311 to 0.167 during 1959 to 2014–2015) and the Shannon-Wiener index (log base=2; 2.29–5.03 in 1959, 2.86–4.55 in 2000–2001, 2.28–4.56 in 2011–2012, and 1.79–4.43 in 2014–2015) showed that the ecological status of the benthic study area was deteriorating.

Bosphorus, is a strongly driven international maritime route between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and is a high risk area for oil spill due to the heavy tanker traffic. In this study an oil spill trajectory model was developed for investigating the potential risks of accidental oil spills in Bosphorus. The proposed oil spill trajectory model combines the surface current velocity data obtained from a calibrated hydrodynamic model with the advection, spreading, and evaporation processes that are effective only on the sea surface and dominant for a couple of hours after the oil spill. Model simulations revealed that spilled oil reaches the shoreline on both sides of Bosphorus in <4h following the spill. We proposed locations for emergency intervention stations in Bosphorus which can be used to devise a suitable oil spill contingency plan to keep the adverse impacts of oil spills at minimum.

This study assessed the concentration and composition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plastic pellets, collected from sandy beaches and considered different resin and colour tones. Results showed that polyethylene pellets, while displaying a greater range of total PAH concentrations did not differ significantly from polypropylene pellets. More importantly, both resin types demonstrated predictable increases in total PAH across a spectrum of darkening colour tones. Multivariate comparisons of 36 PAH groups, further showed considerable variability across resin type and colour, with lighter coloured pellets comprising lower molecular weight, while darker pellets contained higher weight PAHs. Overall, we show predictable variation in PAH concentrations and compositions of plastic pellets of different ages and resin types that will directly influence the potential for toxicological effects. Our findings suggest that monitoring programs should take these attributes into account when assessing the environmental risks of microplastic contamination of marine and coastal habitats.

At present, few studies have investigated the marine litter abundance, composition and distribution on rocky bottoms due to sampling constraints. We surveyed by means of the ROV imaging technique a system of biogenic rocky outcrops classified as a Site of Community Importance in the Adriatic Sea. A mean density of 3.3 (±1.8) items/100m2 was recorded, with a strong dominance of fishing- and aquaculture-related debris, accounting for 69.4% and 18.9% of the total, respectively. The abundance of litter over the rocky bottoms was significantly higher than that on soft substrates, and its spatial distribution proved to be related to hydrographic factors. Litter-fauna interactions were high, with most of the debris (65.7%) entangling or covering benthic organisms, in particular habitat constructors such as the endangered sea sponge Geodia cydonium. Unless appropriate measures are undertaken to address this problem, the abundance of marine litter in the area is likely to increase.

This research was conducted to examine variations of antioxidant enzyme activity in Phragmites australis as a biomarker for metals such as As, Pb, Cu, and Cd. Samples of sediment and plants were collected from 7 stations located in Anzali wetland. Biochemical parameters including Catalase, Peroxidase and Ascorbate Peroxidase activity were analyzed in the roots, stems and leaves of P. australis. The obtained results indicated that there were significant differences among activities of antioxidant enzymes in three organs (p<0.05). Antioxidant enzyme activities in the organs for all studied stations were as the following order: stem<leaf<root. Overall, significant positive correlations were observed among concentrations of metals in sediments and activities of antioxidant enzymes in P. australis. As a result, it can be concluded from this study that antioxidant enzymes are good biomarkers reflecting metal contamination in sediments of Anzali wetland.

Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, and TSP), black carbon (BC), and PM constituent components were measured at a location in an urban residential neighborhood of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. PM2.5, TSP, and BC were measured during winter, and PM2.5, PM10, and their chemical composition was measured during the summer monsoon periods in 2014. Both indoor and outdoor measurements were collected during the winter season. There was a distinct seasonal profile of PM2.5 concentration, with the 24-hour mean larger during winter (76 ± 18 μg/m3) than monsoon (21 ± 8 μg/m3). This site was located approximately 15 m above the street, but was still influenced by roadway combustion sources indicated by large BC concentration (15 ± 3 μgC/m3 during winter) and large rush hour PM and BC peaks. Two rush hour peaks of PM and BC were observed during morning and evening. Indoor and outdoor PM2.5 and BC concentration measured during winter were similar suggesting the heavy influence of outdoor traffic activities on such indoor environments. Mean 24-hour TSP during winter and PM10 during monsoon was 109 μg/m3 and 34 μg/m3, respectively. PM2.5 accounted for 75% of TSP during winter and 61% of PM10 during monsoon indicating a high degree of influence by PM2.5 sources. Sulfate, ammonium, and calcium were the dominant components of water-soluble ions, and silica, iron, aluminum, and barium were the major elements in both PM10 and PM2.5 during monsoon indicating the most important emission sources as traffic emissions and road/soil/construction-related dust.

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) contents, their stable C and N isotope ratio (δ13C and δ15N), and chlorophyll a ([Chl a]sed) of surface sediments were investigated monthly to identify the seasonal variations and sources of organic matter in Tokyo Bay. The sedimentary TOC (TOCsed) and TN (TNsed) contents, and the sedimentary δ13C and δ15N (δ13Csed and δ15Nsed) values were higher in summer than other seasons. The seasonal variations were controlled by high primary production in the water column and hypoxic water in the bottom water during summer. The fraction of terrestrial and marine derived organic matter was estimated by Bayesian mixing model using stable isotope data and TOC/TN ratio. Surface sediments in Tokyo Bay are dominated by marine derived organic matter, which accounts for about 69±5% of TOCsed.

Microplastics in the marine environment are known as a global ecological problem but there are still no standardized analysis procedures for their quantification. The first breakthrough in this direction was the NOAA Laboratory Methods for quantifying synthetic particles in water and sediments, but fibers numbers have been found to be underestimated with this approach. We propose modifications for these methods that will allow us to analyze microplastics in bottom sediments, including small fibers. Addition of an internal standard to sediment samples and occasional empty runs are advised for analysis quality control. The microplastics extraction efficiency using the proposed modifications is 92±7%. Distribution of microplastics in bottom sediments of the Russian part of the Baltic Sea is presented. Microplastic particles were found in all of the samples with an average concentration of 34±10 items/kg DW and have the same order of magnitude as neighbor studies reported.

Coastal ecosystems are receiving elevated loads of nitrogen (N) from anthropogenic sources. Understanding how excessive N loading affects bacterioplankton communities is critical to predict the biodiversity of marine ecosystems under conditions of eutrophic disturbance. In this study, oligotrophic coastal water microcosms were perturbed with nitrate in two loading modes: 1) one-off loading at the beginning of the incubation period; and 2) periodic loading every two days for 16days. Turnover in the bacterioplankton community was investigated by 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing. The alpha diversity of the bacterioplankton community showed great temporal variability and similar responses to the different treatments. Bacterioplankton community composition was influenced remarkably by time and N loading mode. The effects of N loading on bacterioplankton community structure showed obvious temporal variation, probably because of the great temporal variation in environmental parameters. This study provides insights into the effects of N pollution in anthropogenically perturbed marine environments.

Smoke from agricultural waste burning causes hazardous haze pollution in Southeast Asian countries every year. Besides traces of a few toxic gases several persistent organic pollutants, natural, and anthropogenic emissions are released, resulting in adverse health effects. The study focuses on identification of sources of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the non-haze and haze seasons and investigates the concentration and toxicity of fine particulate matter, especially in the middle of biomass burning period. Totally, 12 fine particulate PAH congeners were selected and analysed at air quality observatory sites located in nine administrative provinces of Northern Thailand during four different sampling periods from 7th December 2012 to 27th March 2015. Nisbet and Lagoy's toxicity equivalent concentration (TEQ) equation revealed that the B[a]PEquivalent value for 2014–2015 roughly surpassed the value of 2012–2013 by a factor of 17. This can be attributed to the significant rise in five-to six-ring PAHs levels in the past two years. Diagnostic binary ratios and linear regression analysis highlight the roles of vehicular exhausts and biomass burning as two major contributors of PM2.5-bound PAHs. Interestingly, principal component analysis (PCA) reveals similar loading patterns for PC1 during the non-haze and haze periods, indicating that agricultural waste burning cannot be considered as the sole contributor of particulate PAHs in Northern Thailand.