Environmental plastic pollution constitutes a significant hazard to marine turtles, human health and well-being. We describe a transdisciplinary approach to draw together findings from diverse disciplines in order to highlight key environmental pollution problems and their consequences, together with social marketing-based strategies to address the problems. The example of plastic pollution and impacts to marine turtles illustrates the severity of the problem. Wildlife tourism and sustainable tourism activity have not focussed on specific behaviours to change and have had minimal impact on subsequent human behaviour regarding environmental issues, indicating the need for new strategies. Social marketing principles offer promise, but there is a need to investigate the utility of various theoretical foundations to aid the design and implementation of interventions. We offer insight towards using sophisticated multi-method research to develop insights into behaviours and segmentation-based strategies, that can aid the identification of barriers to, and enablers of, sustained behaviour change.

The feasibility of a potential ecological indicator based on functional groups of planktonic ciliates for bioassessment of water quality status were studied in a bay, northern Yellow Sea. Samples were biweekly collected at five stations with different water quality status during a 1-year period. The multivariate approach based on “bootstrap-average” analysis was used to summarize the spatial variation in functional structure of the samples. The functional patterns represented a significant spatial variability, and were significantly correlated with the changes of nutrients (mainly nitrate nitrogen, NO3-N), alone or in combination with dissolve oxygen and salinity among five stations. The functional diversity represented a clear spatial variation among five stations, and was found to be significantly related to the nutrient NO3-N. According to the results, we suggest that the ecological parameter based on functional groups of planktonic ciliates may be used as a potential bioindicator of water quality status in marine ecosystems.

Microplastics such as pellets have been reported for many years on sandy beaches around the globe. Nevertheless, high variability is observed in their estimates and distribution patterns across the beach environment are still to be unravelled. Here, we investigate the small-scale temporal and spatial variability in the abundance of pellets in the intertidal zone of a sandy beach and evaluate factors that can increase the variability in data sets. The abundance of pellets was estimated during twelve consecutive tidal cycles, identifying the position of the high tide between cycles and sampling drift-lines across the intertidal zone. We demonstrate that beach dynamic processes such as the overlap of strandlines and artefacts of the methods can increase the small-scale variability. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the methodological considerations needed to understand the distribution of pellets in the beach environment, with special implications for studies focused on patterns of input.

While the effects of coastal disposal of dredged material on benthic assemblage structure have been well studied, our understanding of the mechanism of such responses, and their potential ecological implications, remain relatively unknown. Data from a licenced disposal site off the northeast coast of England are analysed to address this and improve our ability to make informed licencing decisions for this activity. Assemblages within the disposal site displayed reduced number of species and total invertebrate density, an altered assemblage taxonomic structure, and a shift towards a greater numerical dominance of less-productive individuals. Following separate analyses of biological response and effect traits, a novel approach for marine benthic trait analysis, we identify the traits responsible (i.e. response traits) for the observed structural alterations. Furthermore, analysis of the effect traits revealed that the assemblages characterising the disposal site possess a greater bioturbative capability compared to those not directly impacted by disposal.

The present study evaluates the PCB-dehalorespiring capabilities and dynamics of indigenous Dehalococcoides mccartyi population in a PCB contaminated marine sediment. Specialized PCB-dechlorinase genes pcbA1, pcbA4 and pcbA5 previously characterized in pure cultures of D. mccartyi, were here found for the first time in environmental samples. Reductive dechlorination was stimulated by spiking Aroclor1254 to the sediment and by imposing strictly anaerobic conditions both with and without bioaugmentation with a Dehalococcoides mccartyi enrichment culture. In line with the contaminant dechlorination kinetics, Dehalococcoides population increased during the entire incubation period showing growth yields of 4.94E+07 Dehalococcoides per μmolCl−1 and 7.30E+05 Dehalococcoides per μmolCl−1 in the marine sediment with and without bioaugmentation respectively. The pcbA4 and pcbA5 dechlorinase genes, and to a lesser extent pcbA1 gene, were enriched during the anaerobic incubation suggesting their role in Aroclor1254 dechlorination under salinity conditions.

Polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, and high-density polyethylene pre-production plastic pellets were weathered for three years in three experimental treatments: dry/sunlight, seawater/sunlight, and seawater/darkness. Changes in chemical bond structures (hydroxyl, carbonyl groups and carbon-oxygen) with weathering were measured via Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. These indices from experimentally weathered particles were compared to microplastic particles collected from oceanic surface waters in the California Current, the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, and the transition region between the two, in order to estimate the exposure time of the oceanic plastics. Although chemical bonds exhibited some nonlinear changes with environmental exposure, they can potentially approximate the weathering time of some plastics, especially high-density polyethylene. The majority of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre polyethylene particles we measured have inferred exposure times>18months, with some >30months. Inferred particle weathering times are consistent with ocean circulation models suggesting a long residence time in the open ocean.

This study is to investigate the effect of biological seawater properties on sea spray aerosols (SSA). Concentrations of chlorophyll-a and bacteria were measured at coastal site in Korea in fall and summer seasons. Also, aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) was used to determine chemical constituents (organics, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride) of non-refractory submicrometer aerosols sprayed from seawaters using a bubble bursting system. The average concentration of chlorophyll-a in seawater in fall was 1.75±0.78μg/l, whereas it significantly increased to 5.11±2.16μg/l in summer. It was found that the fraction of organics in the submicrometer SSA was higher in summer (68%) than fall (49%), and that the organic fraction in the SSA increased as the concentration of chlorophyll-a increased in seawater, suggesting that the high phytoplankton biomass in seawater could lead to the enhancement of organic species in the SSA.

In order to evaluate the levels and the influence on phytoplankton productivity of dissolved nutrients, concentrations and distribution of N, P and Si were studied in coastal areas profoundly influenced by human activities in Guangdong Province, South China. Generally, concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen were high in wet periods because of the inputs from strong seasonal land runoff. Si and P concentrations were generally low in summer due to the consumption by phytoplankton growth. Dissolved organic N and P were important in study area. Chl a and primary productivity (PP) were relatively high and showed seasonal and geographical variations. Concentrations of Chl a were the highest in summer, and the high water temperature and sufficient illumination accelerated the growth of phytoplankton, especially in surface water. Additionally, water stratification in summer decreased mixed layer depth and trapped PP in upper layer.

Little is known regarding the use and ambient levels of pesticides in Chilean agricultural regions. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most used active ingredients in Chile and in the world. However, few investigations have been conducted to understand its environmental distribution and fate. In this study, PUF disk passive air samples were deployed during ∼one year in two areas, Angol (5 sites) and Villarrica (2 sites), in the Araucanía Region. The concentration in air of CPF ranged from ten to thousands of pg m−3 (∼20–14 600). The highest CPF concentrations were detected at the Angol sites (∼14 600 pg m3) during period 2 (August–December 2008). These results were higher by a factor of ∼10–15 than those detected in Villarica sites (∼2000 pg m3) in period 1 (April–July 2008). Seasonal CPF variations were observed, at both sites, within the sampling periods. Air back trajectory analyses showed that air masses from nearby agricultural zones contributed most of the CPF detected in Angol sites when the wind speed was low and at Villarrica when those sources were likely located north of the VMA site. These results provide initial data for CPF in the Chilean atmosphere and contribute new information to understanding distribution of CPF in Chilean environments.

This study aims to determine fine particles (PM2.5) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bounded with PM2.5 emitted from incense burning at shrine to assess human health risk. The PM2.5 samples were collected by a mini volume air sampler during special occasions and normal period at a shrine located in the city center of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The samples were analyzed for 16-PAHs by GC–MS. The descending order of 8- and 24-hrs PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3) were 625 ± 147 and 406 ± 159 (Chinese New Year) > 184 ± 85 and 133 ± 71 (other special occasions) > 100 ± 35 and 50 ± 20 (normal period). Their concentrations in each occasion were significantly different due to number of visitors and amount of incense being burned. Total PAHs concentrations (ng/m3) for 8- and 24-hrs in descending order were 90 ± 41 and 45 ± 29 (Chinese New Year), 71 ± 30 and 30 ± 12 (other special occasions) and 25 ± 15 and 14 ± 9 (normal periods). Correlation between PM2.5 and total PAHs concentrations was relatively strong. In addition, PM2.5 concentrations were highly correlated (r = 0.618) with carcinogenic PAHs (c-PAHs) indicated that carcinogenic compounds were dominant in particulate PAHs and generated from incense burning. The values of toxicity equivalent concentration (TEQ) indicate human health risk from PAHs inhalation. According to European guideline, it should be less than1 ng/m3 in ambient air. During Chinese New Year, they were relatively high (32 ± 27 ng/m3 (8 h) and 10 ± 4 ng/m3 (24 h)). Moreover, the isometric ratio analysis revealed that emission from incense burning was the main source of PM2.5 and PM2.5-bound PAHs.