Fibropapillomatosis (FP) poses a significant threat to the conservation of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-PAHs are considered mutagenic, carcinogenic and toxic, and can act as cofactor of this disease. In order to evaluate possible differences between green sea turtles with and without FP, we monitored 15 PAHs in liver samples of 44 specimens (24 with FP) captured in Brazil. We detected eight PAHs and quantified phenanthrene in all green sea turtles with FP. Specimens without FP presented lower values than the tumored ones (1.48 ng g−1 and 17.35 ng g−1, respectively; p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between tumored and non-tumored specimens, among studied areas, or Southwest Atlantic Fibropapillomatosis Score. Even though we found higher concentrations in the liver samples of green sea turtles with FP, further studies are necessary to confirm if these pollutants are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Numerical experiments using a 3D model of fine sediment transport in the Great Barrier Reef region indicate deposition of the bulk mass of catchment sediments from river plumes within a few tens of kilometres from river mouths. A very fine fraction of easily resuspended catchment sediment has a capacity to propagate over much greater distances reaching out into the mid-shelf and outer-shelf regions. The model suggests such particles, instrumental to the development of low density flocs in the marine environment, can play a critical role in altering optical properties of water masses over the shelf during wet years. The mid-term (4 year) impact of Great Barrier Reef catchments on the probability of suspended sediment concentration exceeding the ecologically significant trigger value of 2 mg/L is confined to inshore regions adjacent to river mouth locations.

Manure is a valuable source of plant nutrients; however, continuous application to soils may lead to accumulation of phosphorus (P), increasing the risk of P loss into waterways triggering freshwater eutrophication. This review paper summarizes and critically evaluates relevant research findings published within the last 5 years on manure P mobility in soils and management strategies to mitigate losses identifying future research needs. Past and recent research evidence on manure P mobilization and losses from soils have yielded inconsistent and often confounding results, because of the interactive effects of source factors and the existence of concurrent transport pathways. Although far from being conclusive, a few general trends are worth noting; P losses were greater with (a) increasing soluble P applied with manure, (b) vulnerable soils with limited P sorption capacity and/or susceptible to preferential flow/erosion, (c) conditions conducive to P release and transport, and (d) reduced soil-manure P interaction following application. Effective mitigating strategies included (a) generating low-P manure, (b) processing manure to reduce total and/or soluble P, and (c) adopting best management practices (BMPs) during and post-manure application. Future research should focus on a better understanding of the interactive effects of source factors on short- and long-term manure P loss via different transport pathways. Existing mitigation efforts and new directions should focus on reducing P buildup in soil by employing a combination of strategies during generation, processing, and application of manure, coupled with site- and time-specific BMPs selected based on the dominant pathway of P loss.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are chemicals employed in human healthcare, veterinary, medical diagnosis, and cosmetics, which have increasingly polluted water sources. Extensive research has demonstrated constructed wetlands (CWs) technology as a low-cost but efficient approach for PPCPs removal. There has been a growing interest to better understand the degradation mechanisms of PPCPs in wetland cells. Data corroborated in this review show that these degradation mechanisms include photolytic degradation, adsorption, phytodegradation, and microbial degradation. Each of these degradation mechanisms performs differently in wetland cells. This review also highlights the lack of research works to quantify the contribution of these degradation mechanisms to the overall efficiency of CWs to remove PPCPs as a major bottleneck for further application of this technology. The ultimate goal is to apply and prioritize a suitable degradation mechanism for successfully eliminating corresponding PPCPs. This review, therefore, provides further insights to (i) elucidate the importance of these removal mechanisms, and (ii) quantify their contribution in overall PPCPs removal processes. This review aims to understand the importance and contribution of degradation mechanisms of PPCPs removal in constructed wetlands. RECENT FINDINGS: The degradation mechanisms of PPCPs in constructed wetlands depended on various conditions; yet, which factors are preferred? Furthermore, the number of research works, related to quantifying the contribution of degradation mechanisms, is limited. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, reflecting as log Kₒw (or log Dₒw), is the most commonly used. The photolytic degradation is appropriate with low and moderate hydrophobic values (log Dₒw from − 2.3 to 3). The role of adsorption is moderate, while it is more efficient with the higher hydrophobic compounds. The media is important for plant growth and micro-organism community development. The plant uptake is better for PPCPs with higher hydrophobicity (log Kₒw from 1 to 4). However, it is difficult to quantify their contribution and the number of related studies is limited.

China's rapid economic and social development has led to an acceleration in nutrient inputs to coastal waters, which, in turn, has resulted in severe coastal eutrophication. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, the evolution of the causative factors and the state as well as future prospects for coastal eutrophication in the China Seas are analyzed and summarized. Results showed that the coastal eutrophication situation was not so serious at the beginning of reform and opening up, but it worsened rapidly from the end of the 1980s to the mid-2000s. In the last decade, the worsening trend has been curbed but the status of coastal eutrophication has not been substantially improved. Much work is still needed to be able control the total amount of nutrients entering coastal waters and enable comprehensive treatment of coastal eutrophication in the China Seas.

The global ban on the use of tributyltin (TBT) forced in September 2008 was ratified in Tunisia as late as June 2011. In this context, the present study aims to highlight the consequences of TBT contamination by monitoring 22 Tunisian sites before (2007) and after the ban (2012 and 2016) using as biomarker the occurrence of imposex in Hexaplex trunculus. From 2004 to 2016, complete recovery from imposex was reported in 11 sites. All average imposex indices calculated for each sampling year also decreased: imposex incidence from 61 to 27%, VDSI from 2 to 0.7, and RPLI from 15.7 to 1.6%. Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) revealed that the sampling sites are in moderate to good ecological status. Overall, the present study confirms the effectiveness of the enacted legislation in reducing the impact of TBT pollution along the Tunisian coast.

Lagoon Burullus is located in the North West quadrant of the Nile Delta. It receives drainage water through several drains around the lagoon. Understanding the mobility and bioavailability of zinc metal in bottom sediments of Lagoon Burullus is essential for the design of remediation processes and the institution of environmental recommendation for zinc pollution.Single extractions used to fractionate zinc into five fractions. The chemical analyses preceded using atomic absorption spectrometry after using the digestion technique. Zinc concentrates in the residual fraction (167.5μg/g) followed by the organic (14.6μg/g), exchangeable (3.2μg/g), carbonate (2.4μg/g) and then the Fe-Mn hydroxides (1μg/g) fractions. The average content of zinc (189μg/g) is about three fold the average earth's crust.Ecological pollution index show that the metal has a low-risk assessment to surrounding ecosystem. The anthropogenic activities considered as the main source of pollution.

Synoptic sediment quality triad (contaminants, benthic assemblages, toxicity testing) data were collected for sites in Sydney estuary, adjacent Cooks River and five less-modified southern estuaries. Matching data tested relationships between contaminants and benthic assemblages, correlations with specific contaminants, and the ability of sediment quality guidelines to predict the risk of adverse effects.Significant but weak relationships occurred in complex patterns between assemblages, contaminant concentrations and environmental variables. Maximum benthos abundance occurred where sediment contamination was high and was dominated by polychaetes. Spionidae (polychaete) and Galeommatidae (mollusc) abundances were strongly correlated with site environmental characteristics and with varying mixtures of metals and organic contaminants.The risk of adverse effects on benthic assemblage structure increased with increasing sediment toxicity except for areas of very high contamination and for non-bioavailable anthropogenic chemicals. The overall weight-of-evidence scores differentiated the highly modified sites from less-contaminated southern estuaries, where toxicity scores were higher than predicted.

Leisure boats are responsible for elevated levels of heavy metals and PAHs in sediments in- and near marinas and natural harbours. As these compounds are released directly into the water column they also pose a threat to organisms in the pelagic environment.Passive samplers were deployed during peak and post tourist season in the water column of natural harbours, leisure boat waterways and small marinas to measure the dissolved fraction of PAHs and metal ions.Differences between seasons indicative of leisure boat activities were found as PAH composition differed between peak and post season for natural harbours and waterways, where heavier PAHs increased during peak season. During peak season, metal samplers were covered by biofouling, which likely affected the uptake. Post season metal concentrations differ between locations, with concentrations exceeding quality standards at near mainland locations where boats are maintained, compared to the sites in the archipelago.

Ocean contamination by plastics is a global issue. Although ingestion of plastic debris by sea turtles has been widely documented, contamination by microplastics (<5mm) is poorly known and likely to be under-reported. We developed a microplastic extraction protocol for examining green turtle (Chelonia mydas) chyme, which is multifarious in nature, by modifying and combining pre-established methods used to separate microplastics from organic matter and sediments. This protocol consists of visual inspection, nitric acid digestion, emulsification of residual fat, density separation, and chemical identification by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This protocol enables the extraction of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, (aminoethyl) polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics >100μm. Two macroplastics and seven microplastics (two plastic paint chips and five synthetic fabric particles) were isolated from subsamples of two green turtles. Our results highlight the need for more research towards understanding the impact of microplastics on these threatened marine reptiles.