No baseline existed for the radionuclides in Kuwait territorial water. With changing trend in the region to embrace nuclear energy, the baseline study is imperative to create a reference and to record the influence-functioning of upcoming power plants. The first one in Bushehr, Iran is ready to start and several more are likely to come-up in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The present baseline concentration of the four considered radionuclide’s show low concentration of tritium, polonium, strontium and cesium; their concentration is comparable to most oceanic waters.

Isotopic and biochemical features of suspended particulate organic matter (POM) in the water column and of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) were investigated seasonally in the Bay of Marseilles. Biochemical compounds (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins) were consistently more concentrated in POM than in SOM, with SOM mainly composed of insoluble carbohydrates. POM displayed lower δ¹³C and higher δ¹⁵N values than SOM. Phytoplanktonic production represented the major contributor of POM year-round with spatial and seasonal variations. Climatic parameters and wind-induced currents created differences in POM contributions, with more important inputs of terrestrial OM at one sampling site. Spatial and seasonal variations were lower for SOM. The composition of this pool appeared to be linked with the permanent inputs of phytoplankton and Posidonia oceanica detritus. The combined use of biochemical and isotopic analyses was a useful tool to characterize OM pools and would help understanding the trophic functioning of this coastal environment.

Benthic macroinvertebrates communities are the most consistently emphasized biotic component of aquatic ecosystems and are one of the biological indicators required for assessment by the European Water Framework Directive. In this context, several indices based on these communities have been developed in order to assess ecological quality of estuarine systems. In the present work we used AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX and BAT to distinguish ecological status of five small estuarine systems of the Portuguese south and southwest coasts. Although indices outputs did not differ between systems and sampling seasons, results indicated that the metrics in which these indices are based could differentiate community structures as a result of two main gradients that force these communities: the natural variability, and the anthropogenic impact.

Taxonomic distinctness has been applied successfully for the exploration of biodiversity patterns, yet its relevance in environmental impact assessment is far from being unquestioned. In this study, we assessed the potential of taxonomic distinctness to discern perturbed and unperturbed sites by analysing Mediterranean nematode assemblages. Geographic and habitat-related effects on the performance of the index were also explored. Above all, our findings do not corroborate the conjecture that taxonomic distinctness could be largely unaffected by natural variability, habitat features, and biogeographic context, casting doubts on potential generalization concerning its application as an indicator of environmental stress. Taxonomic distinctness represents an excellent metric to identifying taxonomic properties of ecological systems but, as for other ecological indices, it should be viewed as a complementary tool in environmental impact assessment, due to its sensitiveness to specific environmental features of systems being investigated.

This study examined the efficacy of heated seawater for the treatment and remediation of fouled vessel sea chest habitats. In laboratory trials, three temperature regimes (37.5°C for 60min, 40°C for 30min and 42.5°C for 20min) were tested on a range of temperate taxa commonly found in sea chests. Field validation trials further assessed the efficacy of heat treatment within a replica sea chest environment. During laboratory trials, 100% mortality was achieved across all three treatments for the majority of taxa; the exceptions being the barnacle Elminius modestus and the oyster Crassostrea gigas. Temperature tolerance limits observed in the laboratory were successfully replicated under simulated sea chest conditions; however, a failure to achieve even heat distribution was an obstacle to achieving uniform mortality. This study provides guidance on the temperature/exposure parameters required for vessels plying temperate latitudes, and demonstrates that heated seawater has potential for controlling biofouling in vessel sea chests.

Using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) we characterized and modeled the fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in samples from the Penobscot River, Androscoggin River, Penobscot Bay, and the Gulf of Maine (GoM). We analyzed excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) using an existing PARAFAC model (Cory and McKnight, 2005) and created a system-specific model with seven components (GoM PARAFAC). The GoM PARAFAC model contained six components similar to those in other PARAFAC models and one unique component with a spectrum similar to a residual found using the Cory and McKnight (2005) model. The unique component was abundant in samples from the Androscoggin River immediately downstream of a pulp mill effluent release site. The detection of a PARAFAC component associated with an anthropogenic source of DOM, such as pulp mill effluent, demonstrates the importance for rigorously analyzing PARAFAC residuals and developing system-specific models.

This article assesses the ecological and economic impacts of land reclamation and dredging through consulting recent environmental impact assessment reports. Geographic features of Bahrain during 1963–2008 are produced using Geographical Information System. Extensive but inexpensive shallow coastal areas and tidal flats have been reclaimed particularly from 1997 to 2007 at a high rate of 21km²/year. Formal records show the increase in the original land mass by the year 2008 to be 91km². An estimated total cumulative loss of major habitats resulting from 10 reclamation projects was around 153.58km². Also much larger scale impacts should be considered resulting from the borrow areas used for the extraction of sand or infill materials. A number of key habitats and species are affected in the vicinity of these projects. The study attempts to assign a monetary value to the marine ecosystem functions. There is a need for efficient coastal zone management to regulate a sustainable use of the marine resources.

Oil exposure has been shown to be detrimental to several salt marsh plants however little information is available for Juncus roemerianus. Thirty-two mesocosms were established with J. roemerianus sod and replicate marshes were exposed to Louisiana sweet crude oil to test oil dose (6, 12, and 24Lm⁻²) and weathering (oil weathered for 0days, 3days, and 3weeks). Juncus were monitored following oil exposure for culm survival, photosynthetic rates, and C-assimilation rates. Oil dosage had a significant effect among wetlands with low-dose (6Lm⁻²) mesocosms having higher culm survival, photosynthetic rates, and C-assimilation rates than medium or high dose wetlands (12 or 24Lm⁻²). Oil weathering did not elicit significant differences between treated wetlands however full strength wetlands (un-weathered oil) consistently had the lowest culm survivorship, photosynthetic rates, and C-assimilation rates. From our results, J. roemerianus marshes may be very susceptible to oil exposure.

Understanding the linkages between coastal watersheds and adjacent coral reefs is expected to lead to better coral reef conservation strategies. Our study aims to examine the main predictors of environmental proxies recorded in near shore corals and therefore how linked near shore reefs are to the catchment physical processes. To achieve these, we developed models to simulate hydrology of two watersheds in Madagascar. We examined relationships between environmental proxies derived from massive Porites spp. coral cores (spectral luminescence and barium/calcium ratios), and corresponding time-series (1950–2006) data of hydrology, climate, land use and human population growth. Results suggest regional differences in the main environmental drivers of reef sedimentation: on annual time-scales, precipitation, river flow and sediment load explained the variability in coral proxies of river discharge for the northeast region, while El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and temperature (air and sea surface) were the best predictors in the southwest region.

Particulate metal concentrations were assessed before, during and after a flood episode in the Tagus estuary. Particulate metal concentrations showed a decrease during the flood period and very similar values in the months before and after the flood event. Before this period, sampling station characteristics were verified to be homogenous during the peak of the flooding event, as all of the sampling stations assumed very specific characteristics. One of the main consequences from the flood, concurrent with a decrease in particulate metal concentrations, was the high input of SPM into the estuarine area. This finding indicates higher levels of heavy metals in fine-sized particles at low SPM concentration than those present in coarser particles at high SPM levels. These periodic flood events can be considered as estuarine contamination masks and should be interpreted as periods of dilution in heavy metal contamination rather than as an estuarine cleansing process.