Coastal and inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon receive substantial amounts of material from adjacent developed catchments, which can affect the ecological integrity of coral reefs and other inshore ecosystems. A 5-year water quality monitoring dataset provides a ‘base range’ of water quality conditions for the inshore GBR lagoon and illustrates the considerable temporal and spatial variability in this system. Typical at many sites were high turbidity levels and elevated chlorophyll a and phosphorus concentrations, especially close to river mouths. Water quality variability was mainly driven by seasonal processes such as river floods and sporadic wind-driven resuspension as well as by regional differences such as land use. Extreme events, such as floods, caused large and sustained increases in water quality variables. Given the highly variable climate in the GBR region, long-term monitoring of marine water quality will be essential to detect future changes due to improved catchment management.

The distributions, annual sedimentation and atmospheric deposition flux of heavy metals have been studied in sediments of the South Yellow Sea (SYS), in order to evaluate their levels and pollution status. The higher concentrations of heavy metals were generally found in the central part of the SYS, which may be associated with the organic matters due to their high affinity to the metals. According to the calculated enrichment factor (EF) of the studied metals, Cd in the sediments posed a high risk to local environments, while Mn, Hg, Pb and Zn were at moderate risk levels. Sedimentation fluxes study in the SYS showed that most heavy metals were deposited in the Chinese offshore. Annual dry deposition flux of these metals indicated that the particulate heavy metals deposition via atmosphere also play an important role in biogeochemical cycles in the SYS.

Three microorganisms were assayed to evaluate the microbiological quality in the seawater at a resort on the Mexican Pacific coast, and to test for possible associations among the titers of the various bacteria, their possible correlations with environmental conditions, and with the location of potential wastewater outflows. Significant microorganism levels were found (at Caletilla beach, Hornos beach, and Papagayo beach, respectively: for Enterococcus 157, 153, and 149, for C. perfringens 35, 89, and 56, for S. aureus 244,137, and 279CFU/100ml), often in excess of the presently set guideline values. In general, bacterial titers were higher during rainy season than in dry season. For S. aureus, in both seasons, highest concentrations were found at 3pm, the time of highest tourist presence at the beaches. Our results argue for the use of these three microorganisms as part of a set of indicators in the routine microbiological evaluation of Mexican beachwaters.

Sediment contamination by metals poses risks to coastal ecosystems and is considered to be problematic to dredging operations. In Brazil, there are differences in sedimentology along the Large Marine Ecosystems in relation to the metal distributions. We aimed to assess the extent of Al, Fe, Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn contamination in sediments from port zones in northeast (Mucuripe and Pecém) and southeast (Santos) Brazil through geochemical analyses and sediment quality ratings. The metal concentrations found in these port zones were higher than those observed in the continental shelf or the background values in both regions. In the northeast, metals were associated with carbonate, while in Santos, they were associated with mud. Geochemical analyses showed enrichments in Hg, Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn, and a simple application of international sediment quality guidelines failed to predict their impacts, whereas the use of site-specific values that were derived by geochemical and ecotoxicological approaches seemed to be more appropriate in the management of the dredged sediments.

Total mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) were analyzed in near surface sediments (0–2cm) and biota (zooplankton, macro-invertebrates, finfish) collected from Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island/Massachusetts, USA) and adjacent embayments and tidal rivers. Spatial patterns in sediment contamination were governed by the high affinity of Hg for total organic carbon (TOC). Sediment MeHg and percent MeHg were also inversely related to summer bottom water dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, presumably due to the increased activity of methylating bacteria. For biota, Hg accumulation was influenced by inter-specific habitat preferences and trophic structure, and sediments with high TOC and percent silt–clay composition limited mercury bioavailability. Moreover, hypoxic bottom water limited Hg bioaccumulation, which is possibly mediated by a reduction in biotic foraging, and thus, dietary uptake of mercury. Finally, most biota demonstrated a significant positive relationship between tissue and TOC-normalized sediment Hg, but relationships were much weaker or absent for sediment MeHg. These results have important implications for the utility of estuarine biota as subjects for mercury monitoring programs.

The impacts of ocean acidification on coastal biofilms are poorly understood. Carbon dioxide vent areas provide an opportunity to make predictions about the impacts of ocean acidification. We compared biofilms that colonised glass slides in areas exposed to ambient and elevated levels of pCO₂ along a coastal pH gradient, with biofilms grown at ambient and reduced light levels. Biofilm production was highest under ambient light levels, but under both light regimes biofilm production was enhanced in seawater with high pCO₂. Uronic acids are a component of biofilms and increased significantly with high pCO₂. Bacteria and Eukarya denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profile analysis showed clear differences in the structures of ambient and reduced light biofilm communities, and biofilms grown at high pCO₂ compared with ambient conditions. This study characterises biofilm response to natural seabed CO₂ seeps and provides a baseline understanding of how coastal ecosystems may respond to increased pCO₂ levels.

Boring isopods damage expanded polystyrene floats under docks and, in the process, expel copious numbers of microplastic particles. This paper describes the impacts of boring isopods in aquaculture facilities and docks, quantifies and discusses the implications of these microplastics, and tests if an alternate foam type prevents boring. Floats from aquaculture facilities and docks were heavily damaged by thousands of isopods and their burrows. Multiple sites in Asia, Australia, Panama, and the USA exhibited evidence of isopod damage. One isopod creates thousands of microplastic particles when excavating a burrow; colonies can expel millions of particles. Microplastics similar in size to these particles may facilitate the spread of non-native species or be ingested by organisms causing physical or toxicological harm. Extruded polystyrene inhibited boring, suggesting this foam may prevent damage in the field. These results reveal boring isopods cause widespread damage to docks and are a novel source of microplastic pollution.

Ballast water treatment consists of the elimination of exotic species. Currently, the development of alternative methods for this process is directed toward treatment onboard ships. However, we present onshore treatment as a viable alternative for ballast water treatment. We investigated onshore treatment in two iron ore ports with movement capacities of 25 and 90million tons annually (Mta) that receive 7.5 and 25million cubic meters annually (Mm³) of ballast water, respectively. Discrete event simulation was used as the method of analysis, considering the processes of arrival, berthing, ship loading and capture and treatment of ballast water. We analyzed data from 71 ships operating in these ports to validate our simulation model. We were able to demonstrate that onshore treatment does not impact the cargo capacity, occupation rate or average queuing time of ships at these ports. We concluded that implementation of onshore ballast water treatment may be practicable in ports that receive high volumes of ballast water.

This study investigates the potential for leaching of coal trace elements to seawater from a grounded bulk carrier. The coal type and ecological scenario was based on the grounding of the “Shen Neng” (April 2010) at Douglas Shoal located within the Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia). The area is of high ecological value and the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines (2009) provided threshold limits to interpret potential impacts. Coal contains many trace elements that are of major and moderate concern to human health and the environment although many of these concerns are only realised when coal is combusted. However, “unburnt” coal contains trace elements that may be leached to natural waterways and few studies have investigated the potential ecological impact of such an occurrence. For example, coal maritime transport has increased by almost 35% over the last five reported years (Jaffrennou et al., 2007) and as a result there is an increased inherent risk of bulk carrier accidents. Upon grounding or becoming submerged, coal within a bulk carrier may become saturated with seawater and potentially leach trace elements to the environment and impact on water quality and ecological resilience. The worst case scenario is the breakup of a bulk carrier and dispersal of cargo to the seafloor.

Recent changes in ocean temperature have impacted marine ecosystem function globally. Nevertheless, the responses have depended upon the rate of change of temperature and the season when the changes occur, which are spatially variable. A rigorous statistical analysis of sea surface temperature observations over 25years was used to examine spatial variability in overall and seasonal temperature trends within the wider Caribbean. The basin has experienced high spatial variability in rates of change of temperature. Most of the warming has been due to increases in summer rather than winter temperatures. However, warming was faster in winter in the Loop Current area and the south-eastern Caribbean, where the annual temperature ranges have contracted. Waters off Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas had a tendency towards cooling in winter, increasing the amplitude of annual temperature ranges. These detailed patterns can be used to elucidate ecological responses to climatic change in the region.