The Commerson's dolphin is the most common endemic odontocete of subantarctic waters of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina incidentally caught in fishing nets. The species is classified as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN. Metallothioneins (MTs) are considered as suitable biomarkers for health and environmental monitoring. The aims of the study were to assess MT concentrations in the liver and kidney of bycaught specimens. Moreover, correlations with Zn, Se, Cd, Ag and Hg, and the molar ratios of MT:metals were estimated to evaluate if there is an indication of their respective protective role against metal toxicity in tissues. Hepatic and renal MT concentrations were similar, ranging from 11.6 to 29.1nmol·g−1 WW, and Kidney/Liver ratios ranging from 0.73 to 1.93 corresponded to normal ranges. Results suggest that MTs are related to physiological ranges for the species. This information constitutes the first MT report on Commerson's dolphins and possibly considered as baseline for species' conservation.

Changes in bed sediment chemistry of Hempstead Bay (HB) have been evaluated in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which resulted in the release of billions of liters of poorly-treated sewage into tributaries and channels throughout the bay. Surficial grab samples (top 5cm) collected before and (or) after Hurricane Sandy from sixteen sites in HB were analyzed for 74 wastewater tracers and steroid hormones, and total organic carbon. Data from pre- and post-storm comparisons of the most frequently detected wastewater tracers and ratios of steroid hormone and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations indicate an increased sewage signal near outfalls and downstream of where raw sewage was discharged. Median concentration of wastewater tracers decreased after the storm at sites further from outfalls. Overall, changes in sediment quality probably resulted from a combination of additional sewage inputs, sediment redistribution, and stormwater runoff in the days to weeks following Hurricane Sandy.

Many recreational beaches suffer from elevated levels of microorganisms, resulting in beach advisories and closures due to lack of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. We conducted the first statewide beach water quality assessment by analyzing decadal records of fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci and fecal coliform) levels at 262 Florida beaches. The objectives were to depict synoptic patterns of beach water quality exceedance along the entire Florida shoreline and to evaluate their relationships with wave condition and geographic location. Percent exceedances based on enterococci and fecal coliform were negatively correlated with both long-term mean wave energy and beach slope. Also, Gulf of Mexico beaches exceeded the thresholds significantly more than Atlantic Ocean ones, perhaps partially due to the lower wave energy. A possible linkage between wave energy level and water quality is beach sand, a pervasive nonpoint source that tends to harbor more bacteria in the low-wave-energy environment.

We propose a belt transect setting strategy for mark-recapture experiments (MREs) to evaluate the time-independent 1D diffusion coefficient (〈Dp0〉) of marine litter in the cross-shore direction that determines the backwashing flux of the litter, based on two-year MREs for plastic floats (PFs) on Wadahama Beach, Nii-jima Island, Japan. When the alongshore width of the belt transect (Lt) was of the order of, or longer than, the length scale of wave-induced nearshore current circulation (Lc), the PFs were rarely transported alongshore across the selected transects prior to being backwashed offshore. Thus, the transect residence time became longer and showed a much weaker dependence on the transect position, in contrast to when Lt was even shorter than Lc. We therefore obtained the diffusion coefficients close to the value of (〈Dp0〉) when we set Lt to the order of, or longer than, Lc.

Total mercury concentrations ([THg]), δ15N and δ13C values were determined in muscle of 693 Pacific halibut caught in International Pacific Halibut Commission setline surveys in Alaska (2002−2011). Project goals were to evaluate whether 1) δ15N and δ13C varied with region, age, sex and length of halibut, and 2) muscle [THg] varied with δ15N and δ13C (feeding ecology) while accounting for sex, length, and region. Variation in [THg] was explained, in part, by halibut feeding ecology as [THg] increased with trophic position (increasing δ15N). Halibut from the western Aleutian Island region were the exception, with overall lower δ15N values and significantly higher [THg] than halibut from other Alaskan waters. This [THg] pattern has been observed in other Aleutian biota, possibly the result of northeasterly atmospheric movement of mercury emissions from Asia and/or other local sources and processes. The significantly lower δ15N values for these halibut warrants further investigation of halibut prey.

Airborne bacteria and fungi are important biological components of bioaerosol and play an important role in the conservation environmental. A microbiological study on bioaerosoles was carried out at the Municipal Waste Utilization Plant in Northern Poland and at points located beyond the facility at the distance of 150, 450, 1000 and 1250 m. The highest emission of bioaerosol occurred in the area of the waste landfill site and during compost pile turning. The total number of mesophilic bacteria, filamentous fungi and actinomycetes reached the values up to 104 CFU/m3. Strong air contamination with mannitol-positive and mannitol-negative staphylococci occurred remarkably more frequently in the area of the test facility than in the points beyond it. The number of indicator bacteria of Pseudomonas fluorescens was quite changeable and did not depend on a distance from pollutant emission source. The number of Escherichia coli rods remained at the low level of about 102 CFU/m3, and they were only isolated sporadically in the points beyond the landfill. The highest percentage of bacterial aerosol comprised Gram-positive cocci, and then Gram-positive bacilli. Mycological analyses confirmed the presence in the studied air of fungi with potentially allergic and mycotoxinogenic properties, such as: Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus, Cladosporium herbarum and the genus Fusarium. The concentration level of microbial bioaerosol several times exceeded the threshold values recommended by the Polish Standards. The factors influenced the concentration of microorganisms in the tested air included the distance of the active landfill, weather conditions and the season.

The total air pollution model (TAPM, www.cmar.csiro.au/research/tapm) was used to explore the phenomena of spreading ambient ozone in the complex 196 km × 196 km terrain of the west coast air basin of Taiwan (including ocean area). The altitude in the air basin ranges from 0 m (sea level) to 3000+ m (high mountain). The data of 2010–2014 from 21 air-quality monitoring stations were used to ensure the accuracy of the simulation results in accordance with an average index of agreement (IOA) > 0.61. Four ozone-spreading phenomena were observed among the air basin: the north–south spreading on the offshore (N–S SOO), north–south spreading around the coast (N–S SAC), east–west spreading from the ocean (E–W SFO), and east–west spreading around the mountain front (E–W SAMF). The results indicate that when two prevailing flows meet and interact at their boundaries, they form a convergence zone. The convergence zone presents distinctive weather conditions and accumulates air pollutants. More than wind direction, the ozone concentration is dependent on the topography and surrounding conditions. The results clearly show that the ozone-spreading phenomena follow certain rules. The N–S SOO, N–S SAC, E–W SFO, and E–W SAMF phenomena are during the northeaster, fore-southwester, southwester, and fore-northeaster monsoon months, respectively. Wind fields are a major factor in the high concentration of ozone and ozone spreading, especially downdraft and onshore winds. The diversion of river valleys and the mountainous barrier between the basin/hill and mountains exert obvious influences on the local wind field, strongly affecting the ozone-spreading phenomena.

We used blood samples of the Blue-footed Booby, considering sex (female and male) and age-class (adult and chick) of individuals at different breeding stages during two breeding seasons (2010–2011 and 2011–2012) in Isla El Rancho, Sinaloa, to determine lead, cadmium, and mercury concentrations. Lead and cadmium concentrations were below our detection limit (0.05 and 0.36ppm, respectively). A higher concentration of mercury was found in early stages of breeding, likely related to changes in mercury environmental availability. Mercury concentrations in adults did not relate with their breeding output. Males and adults had higher mercury concentration than females and chicks. We provide information of temporal, sex and age-related variations in the concentrations of mercury in blood of the Blue-footed Booby.

It is suspected that land cover alteration on the southern coast of St. Thomas, USVI has increased runoff, degrading nearshore water quality and coral reef health. Chronic and acute changes in water quality, sediment deposition, and coral health metrics were assessed in three zones based upon perceived degree of human influence. Chlorophyll (p<0.0001) and turbidity (p=0.0113) were significantly higher in nearshore zones and in the high impact zone during heavy precipitation. Net sediment deposition and terrigenous content increased in nearshore zones during periods of greater precipitation and port activity. Macroalgae overgrowth significantly increased along a gradient of decreasing water quality (p<0.0001). Coral bleaching in all zones peaked in November with a regional thermal stress event (p<0.0001). However, mean bleaching prevalence was significantly greater in the most impacted zone compared to the offshore zone (p=0.0396), suggesting a link between declining water quality and bleaching severity.

A total of 141 surface sediments were collected and analyzed for their geochemistry, total organic carbon, and grain size to assess the heavy metal pollution in the Bohai and Yellow Seas. The enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni, As, and Hg were calculated to assess anthropogenic contamination, and the results suggest that moderate Pb, Cd, and As contamination occurs in the study area. Sediment quality guidelines were applied to assess the adverse biological effects of these metals. The spatial distribution of the mean Effects Range-Median quotient for the vast majority of the study area is between 0.1 and 0.5, indicating low impact and potential negative biological effects. Multivariate analysis indicates that Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni resulted primarily from lithogenic sources, whereas As, Cd, and Hg were mainly attributed to anthropogenic sources.