Total metal concentrations (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb), acid volatile sulfide and simultaneously extracted metals (AVS–SEM), and heavy metal fractionation were used to assess the heavy metals contamination status and ecological risk in the sediments of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and adjacent shelf. Elevated concentrations at estuarine sites and lower concentrations at adjacent shelf sites are observed, especially for Cu and Zn. Within the PRE, the concentration of heavy metals in the western shore was mostly higher than that in the middle shore. The metals from anthropogenic sources mainly occur in the labile fraction and may be taken up by organisms as the environmental parameters change. A combination of total metal concentrations, metal contamination index and sequential extraction analysis is necessary to get the comprehensive information on the baseline, anthropogenic discharge and bioavailability of heavy metals.

In 2007, the Rhodophyceae Alsidium corallinum C. Ag., a marine taxon, bloomed in the eutrophic lagoon of Orbetello (Tuscany, Italy) for the first time, becoming the dominant species in spring and summer. In November, its biomass collapsed. The hypothesis examined in this study is that the bloom expressed a relatively low eutrophic level of the ecosystem after intense disposal of accumulated sedimentary organic matter (OM) by dystrophic processes in the two years preceding the bloom. To verify the hypothesis, we compared water physical–chemical variables, sediment redox (Eh) and OM, and standing crops of macroalgae and seagrass from the database of routine monitoring between 2005 and 2008. We also used dissolved nutrient data obtained in 2007 and 2008, as well as data on chlorophyll and total suspended matter in the water column during the microalgal bloom of 2007, and C, N and P content in thalli of the Chlorophycea Chaetomorpha linum and the Rhodophyceae Gracilariopsis longissima and A. corallinum obtained in 2007. In 2007, unusually low values of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were recorded. Combined with stable values of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRPs), low DIN led to a reduction of about one order of magnitude in the DIN:SRP atomic ratio with respect to the past and to 2008. G. longissima accumulated C, N and P more than the other species and A. corallinum proved to be less demanding. Sediment OM was lower in the autumn of years characterized by dystrophy, confirming that summer dystrophic events coincided with maximum energy dissipation in this ecosystem. However, as soon as OM and DIN values increased (2008), the vegetation shifted towards blooms of G. longissima and C. linum, while A. corallinum almost disappeared. The results sustain the hypothesis that the bloom of A. corallinum was due to a decline in DIN that limited G. longissima, and to intense turbidity of the water caused by microphytes that developed after the dystrophic event of summer 2006. The latter probably limited the development of C. linum, which could only develop at the edges of the lagoon.

Ballast water has been identified as one of the key pathways for the movement of species between different ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the biological efficacy and the potential toxicological impact of a proposed ballast water treatment using hydroxyl radicals as the main active substances. Living biomass of organisms kept in treated water for 2days met the requirement stated in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ballast Water Convention (Regulation D-2), and no re-growth was observed over a period of 5days. Aquatic toxicity tests of three trophic levels for the treated ballast water were performed. The results indicated that the toxicological risk of the discharge water to the receiving environment was not significant.

Forty-two surface sediment samples collected from the southern coastal East China Sea (ECS) were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The results showed high concentrations of DDTs and parent DDT fractions in the nearshore area, suggesting that there is still a fresh input of these species from non-point sources, probably due to the recent usage of relevant products. However, for HCHs, the high concentrations with elevated β-HCH fraction were focused at the local major river estuaries, indicating that soils-released HCH input was mainly from the major river runoffs. The distribution and composition of OCPs in the coastal ECS could be more prominently controlled by the direct regional inputs rather than the general natural sorption process on particulate organic carbon. DDTs and chlordane are more important for their potential ecotoxicological risk on neighboring benthic community in the nearshore region and the local major river estuaries.

In this study we compared reproductive characteristics and steroid hormone levels in the non-indigenous scleractinian coral, Oculina patagonica, inhabiting contaminated vs. uncontaminated reference sites along the Israeli Mediterranean coast. Our results indicate significantly higher steroid levels in both seawater and coral tissue samples from contaminated sites as compared to reference sites, suggesting that corals tend to accumulate steroids from the surrounding waters. Despite their higher steroid levels, corals from the contaminated sites showed reproductive potential comparable to those of the reference sites. Interestingly, a clear distinction could be seen between corals exposed to pollution for long vs. short durations, with the latter showing a failure to complete gametogenesis. This suggests that reproduction in O. patagonica is susceptible to acute rather than chronic stress. The involvement of adjustment/adaptation processes may explain this species tolerance, and may reflect the ability of O. patagonica to successfully invade new areas in the Mediterranean Sea.

The impact of drilling mud components on the filtration activity and survival of bivalve molluscs was investigated by exposing them to suspensions of ‘standard’ barite, finely milled barite, ilmenite and bentonite in sea water. Introduction of the components stimulated filtration activity in all four bivalves. In addition, the introduction of standard barite and ilmenite both had lethal effects, with none of the bivalves surviving the full duration of the experiments. In-vivo observations of the gill surfaces provided direct evidence of physical damage caused by the administration of barite and ilmenite. A marked difference between filtration activity and survival of animals dosed with ‘standard’ barite and ‘fine’ barite suggests that the observed effects were primarily caused by physical interference with gill function. The results also suggest that the use of fine barite in offshore drilling may provide a more favourable environmental impact profile than the use of ilmenite.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in the Sarno River and its environmental impact on the Gulf of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea, Central Mediterranean Sea) were estimated. The 16 PAHs identified by the USEPA as priority pollutants and perylene were determined in the water dissolved phase (DP), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediments. Total PAHs concentrations ranged from 23.1 to 2670.4ngL⁻¹ in water (sum of DP and SPM) and from 5.3 to 678.6ngg⁻¹ in sediment samples. Source analysis revealed that PAHs mainly came from combustion process. Contaminant discharges of PAHs into the sea were calculated in about 8530gd⁻¹ showing that this river should account as one of the main contribution sources of PAHs to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Biomonitoring of estuarine pollution is the subject of active research, and benthic foraminifera are an attractive group to use for these purposes due to their ubiquitous presence in saline water and wide diversity. Here, we describe a case study of biomonitoring using benthic foraminifera in the French Mediterranean lagoon, Bages-Sigean lagoon. In this case, the major pollutants of interest are heavy metals in the sediment, particularly contaminated by Cu and Cd derived from industrial and agricultural sources. The foraminiferal assemblages of the Bages-Sigean lagoon are typical of normal paralic environments, but unusually almost completely lack agglutinated forms. The density of benthic foraminifera was shown to be more influenced by the sediment characteristics rather than heavy metal pollution. However, the relative abundance of Quinqueloculina bicostata was shown to increase in the most polluted areas and we propose that this taxon may be used as an indicator of heavy metal pollution.

Marine sediment preserves a useful archive for contaminants and other properties that associate with particles. However, biomixing of sediments can smear the record on a scale of years to thousands of years, depending on sedimentation rate and on the depth and vigour of mixing within a particular sediment. Where such mixing occurs, dates can no longer be associated with discrete sediment depths. Nevertheless, much can still be learned from biomixed profiles, provided that mixing is accounted for. With no modelling at all, it is possible to calculate an inventory of a contaminant at a site and a maximum possible sedimentation rate, and to determine whether the contaminant has increased or decreased over time. Radiodating the core with ²¹⁰Pb permits the estimation of sedimentation and mixing rates, which can be combined with the surface contaminant concentration to estimate an approximate flux of the contaminant. Numerical models that incorporate sedimentation and mixing rates (determined using ²¹⁰Pb and other transient signals with known deposition histories) can provide the basis to propose plausible histories for contaminant fluxes.

Influences of marine cage culture and monsoonal disturbances, northeasterly (NE) and southwesterly (SW) monsoons on the proximal marine environment were investigated across a gradient of sites in a semi-enclosed bay, Magong Bay (Penghu Islands, Taiwan). Elevated levels of ammonia produced by the cages were the main pollutant and distinguished the cage-culture and intermediary zones (1000m away from the cages) from the reference zone in the NE monsoon, indicating currents produced by the strong monsoon may have extended the spread of nutrient-enriched waters without necessarily flushing such effluents outside Magong Bay. Moreover, the levels of chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity were distinguishable between two seasons, suggesting that resuspension caused by the NE monsoon winds may also influence the water quality across this bay. It indicated that the impacts of marine cage culture vary as a function of distance, and also in response to seasonal movements of water driven by local climatic occurrences.