Phthalates are an emerging class of environmental pollutants whose distribution and effects in aquatic environments are not well characterized. We analyzed intertidal and emerged beach sediments from the Abruzzo coastline, along the Adriatic Sea, finding significant phthalate concentrations in marine sediments. Phthalate baseline levels in the intertidal environment, marked by substantial interplay of sediment, water and air, were determined. We used statistical rank methods to select representative phthalate compositions, for which we derived risk levels for ingestion, dermal absorption and inhalation. Our study shows that phthalates are a major cause of pollution along the Abruzzo coast, with river transport of sediments a continuous source of replenishment. Phthalate concentrations in two specific sites were determined to be of the same order of magnitude as the safety, remediation-warranting, threshold set by Italian law. Phthalates, heavy metals, PAHs appear to be correlated. We discuss possible intervention and mitigation strategies.

Alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are abundant in petroleum, and alkylated phenanthrenes are considered as the primary PAHs during some oil spill events. Bacterial strain of Sphingobium sp. MP9-4, isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil, was efficient to degrade 1-methylphenanthrene (1-MP). A detailed metabolism map of 1-MP in this strain was delineated based on analysis of metabolites with gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). 1-MP was initially oxidized via two different biochemical strategies, including benzene ring and methyl-group attacks. Benzene ring attack was initiated with dioxygenation of the non-methylated aromatic ring via similar degradation pathways of phenanthrene (PHE) by bacteria. For methyl-group attack, mono oxygenase system was involved and more diverse enzymes were needed than that of PHE degradation. This study enhances the understanding of the metabolic pathways of alkylated PAHs and shows the significant potential of Sphingobium sp. MP9-4 for the bioremediation of alkylated PAHs contaminated environments.

In this study, the long-term trend in atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) concentration was analyzed using the CO levels measured (intermittently) at an air quality monitoring (AQM) station in Seoul, Korea, between the years 1987 and 2013. Temporal trends in CO were analyzed on an annual and seasonal basis in reference to other important air pollutants such as methane (CH4), particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), mercury (Hg), and ozone (O3). The annual mean of CO for the entire period was 0.93 ± 0.22 ppm. CO levels were reduced by 83% from 3.25 ± 0.78 ppm (1987) to 0.51 ± 0.31 ppm (2013). Its relative reduction was compared over three periods chosen arbitrarily as period 1 (fast reduction, 1987–1988), period 2 (intermediate reduction, 1999–2000), and period 3 (slow reduction, 2004–2013). The concentrations of CO were strongly correlated with others (e.g., SO2, NO, NO2, O3, and Hg), suggesting the effects of similar source processes (e.g., fuel combustion). The reduction in its level was marginally consistent with the decreasing trend in the total CO column concentration in Seoul by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite between 2000 and 2013, indicating decreasing anthropogenic CO emissions (despite increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions). The rapid relative reduction of CO in period 1 and the subsequent slower but moderate reduction thereafter appear to reflect the effects of both enforcement of administrative regulations and advances in emissions control technologies.

To understand the characteristics and source of atmospheric PM2.5 in Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration, PM2.5 samples were simultaneously collected at 11 monitoring sites within three cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan from September 2013 to August 2014. Spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 mass concentration and chemical compositions were analyzed based on the average values over the measurement sites in a specific urban area, including a comparison of PM2.5 at urban and urban background sites. Source apportionment was performed by PMF 5.0 (positive matrix factorization) model and potential source area affecting PM2.5 mass concentration was simulated using CWT (concentration-weighted trajectory analysis) analysis. The result showed the seasonal variation of PM2.5 mass concentration followed the order of winter > autumn > spring > summer. The OC/EC ratio in each season and each city were greater than 4.0, secondary inorganic ions accounted for at least 91% of the total water soluble inorganic ion concentration, presenting obvious secondary pollution characteristics. Coal combustion and vehicle emissions were two major sources of PM2.5 in all three cities, which accounted for about 35 percent and nearly 26 percent of contributions respectively. In addition, industrial emission and biomass burning were also significant sources in Changsha, while urban dust and biomass burning were significant sources in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. Chang-zhu-tan urban agglomeration was the main source area of its PM2.5 and easy to form overlapping pollution areas. Meanwhile, northern neighboring city Yueyang and western bordering region Pingxiang also had a certain transmission influence on the formation of PM2.5.

The effects of artificial shell reef (ASR) on the benthic macroinvertebrates were studied in Shuangdao Bay, Yellow Sea, China. Results showed that the biomass of macroinvertebrates in the ASR increased with the age of the ASR. Based on self-organizing map (SOM), the macroinvertebrate community of short-term artificial reef (SAR), medium-term artificial reef (MAR) and long-term artificial reef (LAR) emerged as a cluster, which may indicate that the benthic community in the ASR formed after three years. The age of the ASR was the main factor affecting the benthic community. The macroinvertebrates belonged to six phyla, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Echinodermata, among which the latter four were the ones that contributed the most for abundance. The biomass of Mollusca increased dramatically with age. The dissimilarity of the species composition of Mollusca was mainly caused by Meretrix meretrix and Protothaca jedoensis. The two species accounted for 15.61%, 28.05% and 75.11% of the macroinvertebrate biomass found in SAR, MAR and LAR, respectively. The ASR might be served as a bivalve stock enhancement tool. We conclude that ASR could assemble macrobenthos effectively and increase the environmental quality of the adjacent area, being a valid option for marine habitat restoration purposes.

The occurrence and seasonal variation of 24 dissolved emerging organic contaminants in the Yangtze Estuary were studied, including 12 non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, seven sulfonamides, two macrolides and three chloramphenicols. Sulfadiazine, erythromycin, thiamphenicol and paracetamol were the primary contaminants in sulfonamides, macrolides, chloramphenicols and non-antibiotic pharmaceutical groups, respectively. Compared to the concentrations at Datong, chloramphenicols at Xuliujing were significantly higher in autumn and winter, while macrolides were lower in spring. Based on the flux estimation, approximately 37.1 tons of sulfonamides, 17.4 tons of macrolides, 79.2 tons of chloramphenicols and 14.1 tons of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals were discharged into the Yangtze Estuary from June 2013 to May 2014. However, the total flux from the Huangpu River only represented 5% of the total. The pharmaceutical sources were speculated on by analyzing the seasonal variations in pharmaceutical concentrations and fluxes at various sites. Both environmental and social factors might affect the fluxes.

This study explores how plasticity in biochemical attributes, used as indicators of health and condition, enables the coral Acropora tenuis to respond to differing water quality regimes in inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef. Health attributes were monitored along a strong and weak water quality gradient, each with three reefs at increasing distances from a major river source. Attributes differed significantly only along the strong gradient; corals grew fastest, had the least dense skeletons, highest symbiont densities and highest lipid concentrations closest to the river mouth, where water quality was poorest. High nutrient and particulate loads were only detrimental to skeletal density, which decreased as linear extension increased, highlighting a trade-off. Our study underscores the importance of assessing multiple health attributes in coral reef monitoring. For example, autotrophic indices are poor indicators of coral health and condition, but improve when combined with attributes like lipid content and biomass.

The dearth of long-time series hampers the measurement of the ecosystem change that followed the global marine climate shift of the 1980–90s. The sessile communities of Portofino Promontory reefs (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean) have been discontinuously studied since the 1950s. Collating information from various sources, three periods of investigations have been distinguished: 1) 1950–70s; 2) 1980–90s; 3) 2000–10s. A cooler phase in time 1 was followed by a rapid warming in time 2, to stabilize at about 0.5°C higher in time 3. Human pressure grew impressively, especially after the establishment of a MPA in 1999. Multivariate analyses evidenced a major change of community composition in time 2. Some species disappeared or got rarer, many found refuge at depth, and among the newcomers there were recently introduced alien species. This study demonstrated the importance of descriptive historical data to understand magnitude and pattern of change in the long term evolution of marine ecosystems.

In the present study, we determined the common morphological characteristics of the feces of Mytilus galloprovincialis to develop a method for visually discriminating the feces of this mussel in deposited materials. This method can be used to assess the effect of mussel feces on benthic environments. The accuracy of visual morphology-based discrimination of mussel feces in deposited materials was confirmed by DNA analysis. Eighty-nine percent of mussel feces shared five common morphological characteristics. Of the 372 animal species investigated, only four species shared all five of these characteristics. More than 96% of the samples were visually identified as M. galloprovincialis feces on the basis of morphology of the particles containing the appropriate mitochondrial DNA. These results suggest that mussel feces can be discriminated with high accuracy on the basis of their morphological characteristics. Thus, our method can be used to quantitatively assess the effect of mussel feces on local benthic environments.