The disturbance and subsequent dispersion of sediment arising from aggregate dredging results in increases in suspended sediment concentrations and, potentially, settlement of fine sediment or sand onto the bed, which may both cause adverse effects on local ecology. This subject is one area which has seen much research over many years and this paper sets out to synthesise some basic general conclusions for use when assessing the significance of planned operations. The literature detailing the dispersion of fine sediment plumes, and the longer term dispersion of sand released through the dredging process, is scrutinised, and in some cases re-evaluated, and used to identify an evidence-based footprint of potential impact.

In this study, the occurrence and spatial distribution of 38 antibiotics in surface water and sediment samples of the Hailing Bay region, South China Sea, were investigated. Twenty-one, 16 and 15 of 38 antibiotics were detected with the concentrations ranging from <0.08 (clarithromycin) to 15,163ng/L (oxytetracycline), 2.12 (methacycline) to 1318ng/L (erythromycin–H2O), <1.95 (ciprofloxacin) to 184ng/g (chlortetracycline) in the seawater, discharged effluent and sediment samples, respectively. The concentrations of antibiotics in the water phase were correlated positively with chemical oxygen demand and nitrate. The source analysis indicated that untreated domestic sewage was the primary source of antibiotics in the study region. Fluoroquinolones showed strong sorption capacity onto sediments due to their high pseudo-partitioning coefficients. Risk assessment indicated that oxytetracycline, norfloxacin and erythromycin–H2O posed high risks to aquatic organisms.

Children's exposure to air pollutants is an important public health challenge. Particular attention should be paid to preschools because younger children are more vulnerable to air pollution than higher grade children and spend more time indoors. The purpose of this study was to compare the indoor air quality (IAQ) at nursery schools located in Gliwice, Poland.We investigated the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM) and bacterial and fungal bioaerosols, as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in younger and older children's classrooms during the winter season at two urban nursery schools, located within traffic and residential areas. The concentration of the investigated pollutants in indoor environments was higher than those in outdoor air. The results clearly indicate the problem of elevated concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 inside the classrooms. High levels of CO2 exceeding 1000 ppm in relation to outdoor air also confirmed the low indoor air quality of classrooms. This is concerning in terms of the exposure effects on the health of children. The relation between IAQ in older and younger children's classrooms was also statistically significant in the case of PM and CO2.Improving ventilation, decreasing the occupancy per room and completing cleaning activities following occupancy periods can contribute to alleviating high CO2 and particle levels.

Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 41 surface sediment samples and a sediment core (50cm) from the Beibu Gulf, a significant low-latitude developing gulf, were analyzed. PAHs concentrations were 3.01–388ngg−1 (mean 95.5ngg−1) in the surface sediments and 10.5–87.1ngg−1 (average 41.1ngg−1) in the sediment core. Source apportionment indicated that PAHs were generated from coke production and vehicular emissions (39.4%), coal and biomass combustion (35.8%), and petrogenic sources (24.8%). PAHs were mainly concentrated in the industrialized and urbanized regions and the harbor, and were transported by atmospheric deposition to the marine matrix. The mass inventory (1.57–2.62t) and probability risk showed sediments here served as an important reservoir but low PAH risk. Different from oil and natural gas in developed regions, coal combustion has always been a significant energy consumption pattern in this developing region for the past 30years (56±5%).

Intersex, the appearance of female characteristics in male gonads, has been identified in several aquatic species. It is a widespread phenomenon in populations of the bivalve, Scrobicularia plana, from the southwest coast of the U.K. Genes previously identified as differentially expressed (ferritin, testicular haploid expressed gene, THEG, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA; receptor activated protein kinase C, RACK; cytochrome B, CYB; and cytochrome c oxidase 1, COX1) in intersex clams relative to normal male clams, were selected for characterisation and an environmental survey of the Channel region. Transcripts were significantly differentially expressed at sites with varying intersex incidence and contaminant burdens. Significant correlations between specific gene expressions, key contaminants and sampling locations have been identified, though no single gene was associated with intersex incidence. The results highlight the difficulty in understanding the intersex phenomenon in molluscs where there is still a lack of knowledge on the control of normal reproduction.

The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest sea areas with intense shipping and port activity juxtaposed with recreation, communications and important conservation areas. Opportunities for marine renewable energy vie with existing activities for space. The current governance of the English Channel is reviewed and found to lack integration between countries, sectors, legislation and scientific research. Recent developments within the EU’s marine management frameworks are significantly altering our approach to marine governance and this paper explores the implications of these new approaches to management of the English Channel. Existing mechanisms for cross-Channel science and potential benefits of an English Channel scale perspective are considered. In conclusion, current management practices are considered against the 12 Malawi Principles of the ecosystem approach resulting in proposals for enhancing governance of the region through science at the scale of the English Channel.

Oil fingerprints have been a powerful tool widely used for determining the source of spilled oil. In most cases, this tool works well. However, it is usually difficult to identify the source if the oil spill accident occurs during offshore petroleum exploration due to the highly similar physiochemical characteristics of suspected oils from the same drilling platform. In this report, a case study from the waters of the South China Sea is presented, and multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) is introduced to demonstrate how oil fingerprints can be combined with mathematical methods to identify the source of spilled oil from highly similar suspected sources. The results suggest that the MDS calculation based on oil fingerprints and subsequently integrated with specific biomarkers in spilled oils is the most effective method with a great potential for determining the source in terms of highly similar suspected oils.

Apart from the physiological impacts on marine organisms caused by ingesting microplastics, the toxicity caused by substances leaching from these particles into the environment requires investigation. To understand this potential risk, we evaluated the toxicity of virgin (raw) and beach-stranded plastic pellets to the development of embryos of Lytechinus variegatus, simulating transfers of chemical compounds to interstitial water and water column by assays of pellet–water interface and elutriate, respectively. Both assays showed that virgin pellets had toxic effects, increasing anomalous embryonic development by 58.1% and 66.5%, respectively. The toxicity of stranded pellets was lower than virgin pellets, and was observed only for pellet–water interface assay. These results show that (i) plastic pellets act as a vector of pollutants, especially for plastic additives found on virgin particles; and that (ii) the toxicity of leached chemicals from pellets depends on the exposure pathway and on the environmental compartment in which pellets accumulate.

A disposable instrument for measuring water turbidity in rivers and coastal oceans is described. It transmits turbidity measurements and position data via a satellite uplink to a processing server. The primary purpose of the instrument is to help document changes in sediment runoff from river catchments in North Queensland, Australia. The ‘river drifter’ is released into a flooded river and drifts downstream to the ocean, measuring turbidity at regular intervals. Deployment in the Herbert River showed a downstream increase in turbidity, and thus suspended sediment concentration, while for the Johnstone River there was a rapid reduction in turbidity where the river entered the sea. Potential stranding along river banks is a limitation of the instrument. However, it has proved possible for drifters to routinely collect data along 80km of the Herbert River. One drifter deployed in the Fly River, Papua New Guinea, travelled almost 200km before stranding.

Samples of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS) were evaluated by fluorescent Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) combined with Parallel Factorial Analysis (PARAFAC). Three terrestrial humic-like components (C1, C2 and C3) and one autochthonous protein-like component (C4) were identified. As for seasonal variations, CDOM displayed the following order on the whole: summer>spring>autumn. The C1, C2 and C3 components were mainly dominated by terrestrial inputs and their spatial distributions and temporal variations also can be influenced by primary productivity of phytoplankton, microbial activities and photobleaching. C4 was produced by phytoplankton and microorganisms and consumed by marine bacteria, and besides its distribution was attributed to the influence of riverine inputs. Terrestrial inputs were the dominant sources of CDOM in the SYS and ECS.