Based upon surveys conducted in November 2012 and June 2013, the distribution and dynamics of aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) were investigated in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) of China. In summer, surface water Ωarag ranged from 2.1–3.8 and enhanced biological production fueled by Changjiang River freshwater input increased Ωarag to 3.8 in the southern SYS. However, subsurface water Ωarag was <2.0 in the central SYS. During autumn, surface water Ωarag was 2.0–2.9, lower than that in summer due to ventilation between surface and low Ωarag (1.0–1.4) subsurface waters in the central SYS. Community respiration and/or aerobic remineralization dominated low Ωarag in subsurface waters, while water stratification influenced the level and scale of acidity accumulation. By the end of this century, waters with Ωarag>2.0 could disappear from the SYS with increasing atmospheric CO2, while bottom waters Ωarag may become undersaturated due to the impact of eutrophication.

In the present research, the gamma-emitting radionuclides in beach sands along the coastal regions of the Ordu, Giresun and Trabzon provinces, Turkey have been determined. The natural and anthropogenic radionuclide concentrations of the samples have been measured employing a germanium (HPGe) detector with high resolution and purity. The activity for 238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs of the samples were found to vary in the range from below detection limit (BDL) to 65Bq·kg−1, from BDL to 28Bq·kg−1, from 9 to 1936Bq·kg−1 and from BDL to 22Bq·kg−1, respectively. The activity concentrations were compared with those in the literature. The associated radiological hazard indices were estimated, and were compared to the internationally recommended values. The radiological map of beach sand in the surveyed area was imaged. The data presented in the study are crucial since they constitute a baseline for the radiological mapping of the region in the future.

Global stressors like ocean acidification (OA) are expected to influence the quality or palatability of primary producers like algae. Such changes can trigger a response on algal consumers' feeding strategies, and this response may not necessarily be the same for the consumers during the ontogeny. We used a mesocosm's system to expose algae to current and projected OA conditions (390 and 1000ppm, respectively) and then compared the feeding behavior and absorption efficiency of juvenile and adult stages of the amphipod Orchestoidea tuberculata. Specifically, we measured consumption rates (with and without a choice) and absorption efficiency on algae exposed and not exposed to OA. Our results show that OA affect the amphipod's consumption and feeding preferences, and that these effects were related with the analyzed ontogenetic stage (juveniles versus adults). These results support the existence of an ontogenetic change in the response of this species and others similar marine invertebrates to OA, which highlight the need to incorporate different life stages in the study of OA or others global stressors.

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α-, β-, and γ-), DDT and its metabolites (DDD and DDE) were detected in five individuals of Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis Linnaeus, 1761 from the Sea of Okhotsk. The average amount of HCHs in the organs of fulmars ranged from 608±177ng/g lipids in the total homogenate of the organs to 2093±264ng/g lipids in the feathers with skin. The average range of the amounts of DDTs was from 3606±333ng/g lipids in the feathers with skin to 4076±1624ng/g lipids in the feathers. The bioaccumulation of DDTs by seabirds of the Sea of Okhotsk is approximately equal to that of birds from other regions of the world's oceans, while the HCHs concentration is significantly higher.

The heavy fuel oils (HFOs) and crude oils are the main oil types in the marine oil spill accidents in China. It is usually a challenge to distinguish the HFOs from crude oils due to the highly similar physicochemical characteristics. In this paper, the distributions of phenanthrene (Phe), anthracene (Ant), methyl-phenanthrene (MP) and methyl-anthracene (MA) in hundreds of HFOs and crude oils samples which were collected from all over the world were characterized. Nine new diagnostic indexes, such as Ant/(Ant+Phe) and other eight diagnostic ratios based on the MP isomers and MA, were developed for effective distinguishing HFOs from crude oils. The histogram with normal fit plots, the double ratio plots and Bayes discriminant analysis (BDA) method were employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the new diagnostic indexes. BDA model based on nine new diagnostic indexes demonstrated high precision with discriminant ratio which lay between 93.92% and 99.32%.

The concentrations of mercury (Hg), selenium (Se) and metallothioneins (MT) were evaluated in fetuses, calves, juveniles and adults of the endangered coastal Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) from Argentina. Mercury concentrations varied among analyzed tissues (liver, kidney, muscle and brain), with liver showing the higher concentrations in all specimens. An age-dependent accumulation was found in liver, kidney and brain. No significant relationship between Hg and MT concentrations was found for all tissues analyzed. Hepatic Hg molar concentrations were positively correlated with those of Se, indicating a great affinity between these two elements. Furthermore, dark granules of HgSe were observed in Kupffer cells in the liver by electron microscopy, suggesting the role of this macrophage in the detoxification of Hg. A transfer of Hg through placenta was proved. The presence of Hg in brain in all age classes did not show concentrations associated with neurotoxicity.

Estuaries generally act as sediment traps and may retain a range of contaminants associated to this matrix. Aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs) were investigated in Capibaribe Estuarine System and adjacent shelf, Northeast of Brazil, to evaluate the contamination and to better understand its functionality related to the coast. Fourteen sediment samples were analyzed, using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Total AHs concentrations ranged from 7.5 to 190.3μgg−1 and n-alkanes ranged from below detection limit (<DL) to 9.47μgg−1. The highest concentrations were in the upper portion of the estuary, which receives domestic and industrial effluents. The observed UCM and other geochemical markers, indicated contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons. The concentration decrease (about 90%) towards the adjacent shelf suggested an estuarine high retention capacity but dilution and degradation processes cannot be neglected. Similar AHs characteristics reported in sediments from the adjacent shelf suggested that this system may also export contaminants.

To analyze the distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and evaluate their potential ecological risks, the concentrations of 16 PAHs were measured in 43 surface sediment samples from the Bering Sea and western Arctic Ocean. Total PAH (tPAH) concentrations ranged from 36.95 to 150.21ng/g (dry weight). In descending order, the surface sediment tPAH concentrations were as follows: Canada Basin>northern Chukchi Sea>Chukchi Basin>southern Chukchi Sea>Aleutian Basin>Makarov Basin>Bering Sea shelf. The Bering Sea and western Arctic Ocean mainly received PAHs of pyrogenic origin due to pollution caused by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. The concentrations of PAHs in the sediments of the study areas did not exceed effects range low (ERL) values.

The contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg and As in the surface sediments of over 668 sites were monitored in a comprehensive program for assessing the degree of heavy-metal pollution and adverse biological effects of the offshore sediments in China. The contamination factor and geoaccumulation index indicated that As and Pb might be two of the most influential pollution loading in these metals. Cluster analysis separated 19 areas in China's near seas into 7 groups with different pollution characteristic, where the sediments along Zhejiang coast were the most highly-contaminated. Based on biological adverse effects index and sediment quality guideline for As, nearly half of sites in China's near seas induced slight adverse biological effects. With correlation analysis, self-organizing map and factor analysis, different sources as well as various adsorption mechanisms/anthropogenic factors were suggested to be important roles in altering the concentration of heavy metals in the sediments.

This study assessed the concentrations of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside vehicle cabins under different practical vehicle driving conditions in China. The mean concentrations of the VOCs, including benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and acrolein, were 16.73 μg/m3, 66.02 μg/m3, 14.20 μg/m3, 6.78 μg/m3, 28.09 μg/m3, 16.43 μg/m3, 12.47 μg/m3, and 20.65 μg/m3 (the sum of acetone and acrolein), respectively. All the specified VOCs inside vehicle cabins were not exceeded the limits of the national standard. The in-cabin VOCs concentrations were investigated for 16 private vehicles under three ventilation conditions: (i) fan off and recirculation (RC) off, (ii) fan on and RC off, and (iii) fan on and RC on. The VOCs concentrations increased 50.46% (mean of the measured VOCs) when the ventilation condition changed from (ii) to (i), and increased 51.38% (mean of the measured VOCs) when ventilation condition changed from (ii) to (iii). Two vehicle models (vehicle model A and vehicle model B) were tested in the study to investigate the influence on in-cabin VOCs concentrations of two typical interior trims (leather, fabric). The VOCs concentrations inside B vehicles (leather interiors) were averagely 1.42 times larger than the concentrations in A vehicles (fabric interiors). For new vehicles, the concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone and acrolein were larger than the concentrations inside old vehicles by 12.89%, 103.54%, 123.14%, 104.20%, 6.26%, 6.31%, and 10.67%, respectively. The VOCs concentrations significantly increased as the raise of ambient temperature. Toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were the most sensitive VOCs to temperature, which increased 513.6%, 544.8%, 767.0%, and 597.7% as the temperature increased from 11 °C to 25 °C.