Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), n-alkanes, petroleum-related biomarkers of terpanes and steranes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in the intertidal sediments in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia/New Brunswick, Canada. Sites close to the harbour and more densely populated areas had higher TPH levels than other pristine areas. n-Alkanes presented a typical single bell-shape in n-C₁₆ to n-C₃₅ range and an obvious odd to even carbon preference. Most sites had trace amounts of petroleum biomarkers. Abundant non-alkylated PAHs and lower amounts of alkylated PAHs represented the major input of the incomplete combustion of solid (e.g., coal, coke, biomass, and coal tar) and liquid fuels. The toxicity estimation for PAHs indicates that they did not have potential toxicity to benthic organisms at most sampling sites. However, possible to probable negative effects from the measured PAH concentrations were found for the two samples from Courtenay Bay and Saint Andrews.

This study provides the first evidence of nylon filament occurrence in the stomach of an economically important target shrimp species in the Mediterranean Sea, Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787). Samples were collected monthly from November 2014 to October 2015 from shallow (10–30 m) and deeper waters (150–170 m). The occurrence of plastics in the stomachs of the Narwal shrimp was 5.93% and identified as Nylon by FT-IR analysis. Higher percentages of ingested plastics were found in females from shallower depths and in males from deeper waters. The maximum number of plastics was recorded in January and March, possibly related to the higher feeding intensity of females prior to their reproduction period. A total of 10.3% of females and 4.8% of males with ingested plastics had almost empty stomachs. The presence of plastics in the stomach of P. narval is an evidence of passive ingestion which in this study related to fishing activities.

Increasing accessibility of coral reefs from the latter third of the 20th century led quickly to recognition of the vulnerability of coral reef communities to a combination of direct and indirect human impacts. Coral reefs are confronted by the stark threats of climate and ocean changes from the increasing number, intensity and forms of human use impacting global and marine systems. Management, particularly of accessible coral reefs, occurs in the context of multiple scale transboundary water column linkages of lifecycle processes and increasing human use of coastal and marine space. Four decades of experience have demonstrated the combined importance of biophysical and socio-economic sciences and sharing knowledge with communities for developing implementing effective management. In the face of environmental and socio-economic change the challenge for science and management is to develop knowledge and management responses that can better understand and increase resilience to improve he outlook for coral reef communities.

This paper introduces a Semivariance-Transinformation (S-T) based method for designing an optimum bay water nutrients monitoring network in San Francisco bay (S.F. bay), USA. Phosphorus and nitrogen are the most important nutrients that lead to eutrophic condition. The monthly phosphate and nitrate+nitrite data recorded during September 2006 to August 2015 was obtained over 14 active stations located at S.F. bay and was used in the research. Semivariance and discrete transinformation entropy have been applied to calculate the optimum range of the monitoring distance. The study indicated the ranges of 28 to 82 and 37 to 50km for the phosphate and nitrate+nitrite respectively. Useful information can be obtained from the monitoring network, if the monitoring distance is included in the mentioned intervals. The findings of the research introduce a new approach in the field of water quality monitoring networks design.

Marine anthropogenic litter was analysed in eleven beaches along the Portuguese coast, over a two-year period (2011−2013). Of all collected items, 99% were plastic and 68% were microplastics (MP; 1–5 mm in diameter). Higher MP concentrations were found in winter/autumn, near industrial areas and/or port facilities and in beaches exposed to dominant winds. Resin pellets (79%) were the dominant category close to industrial areas and high concentrations of fragments and polymeric foams were found near fishing ports. The most frequent pellet size classes were 4 and 5 mm (respectively 47% and 42%). Results suggest that MP have predominately a land-based origin and are deliberately discarded or accidentally lost in watercourses and/or coastal areas. A combination of measures within stakeholders, namely industry and fishing sectors and share of good practices are needed to prevent marine anthropogenic litter.

Spatial patterns in perfluoroalkyl substances were quantified for exploited fish and crustaceans across two contrasting Australian estuaries (Port Stephens and Hunter River). Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was detected in 77% of composites from Port Stephens and 100% of composites from Hunter River. Most species from Port Stephens showed a clear trend with distance to source. In contrast, only a subset of species showed this trend in the Hunter River, potentially due to species movement patterns and differing hydrology. Spatial modelling showed that PFOS concentrations were expected to exceed the relevant trigger value up to ~13,500 m from the main point source for Port Stephens and ~9000 m for the Hunter River. These results represent the first major investigation of bioaccumulation of PFASs in exploited species in Australian estuaries, and highlight various factors that can contribute to spatial patterns in bioaccumulation.

Underwater noise pollution from shipping is a significant ecological concern. Acoustic propagation models are essential to predict noise levels and inform management activities to safeguard ecosystems. However, these models can be computationally expensive to execute. To increase computational efficiency, ships are spatially partitioned using grids but the cell size is often arbitrary. This work presents an adaptive grid where cell size varies with distance from the receiver to increase computational efficiency and accuracy. For a case study in the Celtic Sea, the adaptive grid represented a 2 to 5 fold increase in computational efficiency in August and December respectively, compared to a high resolution 1 km grid. A 5 km grid increased computational efficiency 5 fold again. However, over the first 25 km, the 5 km grid produced errors up to 13.8 dB compared to the 1 km grid, whereas, the adaptive grid generated errors of less than 0.5 dB.

Ailian Bay is an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture bay with approximately 60 years maricultural activities in North China. The floating raft culture of kelp and shellfish is the unique mariculture mode. In this study, the impacts of intensive mariculture activities on seasonal carbon and nutrient dynamics in Ailian Bay were systematically analysed via seasonal surveys between 2015 and 2016. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen and silicon reached the maximum concentrations during summer, which were mainly attributed to the release of shellfish metabolic by-products and their filter-feeding effects on diatoms. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were significantly elevated when kelps were rotting in summer and kelp seeding were occurring in winter. Meanwhile, the fluorescence intensity of humic-like chromophoric dissolved organic matter was relatively high in kelp mariculture zone. As most humic-like DOC are potentially refractory substances, we propose that kelp mariculture would contribute importantly to the increase of refractory DOC pool in oceans.

Metal release from the deposition of sulfide-containing tailings in seawater was investigated using a batch reaction experiment inside a temperature and dissolved oxygen-controlled chamber. Two hundred grams of tailings from a porphyry Cu-Au and a sediment-hosted Cu deposit were submerged in 1.8 L synthetic seawater. The sulfides present in the porphyry Cu-Au tailings are pyrite (FeS2), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and bornite (Cu5FeS4) while in the sediment-hosted Cu tailings are bornite, chalcocite (Cu2S) and covellite (CuS). Galena occurs as a minor sulfide in both tailings. Pore water and overlying seawater samples were collected and analyzed for pH, redox potential and trace metals (Cu, Pb and Fe) concentration. Results show that there is very low Cu (10–40 μg/L), Pb (1–10 μg/L) and Fe (5–50 μg/L) released into solution throughout the course of 87 days. Long-term trace metal release from tailings in seawater is therefore theorized to be low and is a slow process.

The distribution, sources, and risk assessment of eight quinotone antibiotics (QNs) in the surface sediments from the wetland in Jiaozhou Bay were investigated. The results showed that QNs were detected in all samples, and the total concentrations of QNs in the sediments ranged from 0.276 to 5.229ng/g. The highest concentration occurred at the entrance to the Yang River wetland. Principal component analysis suggested that the QNs mainly originated from sewage discharges from hospitals, human and aquaculture industries. Risk assessment, based on risk quotients, indicated the current ofloxacin level might be a medium risk level, while other QNs were all low risk. Nevertheless, there should still be concerns due to high consumption of QNs by human beings, animals, and aquatic organisms in the wetland. This investigation provides baseline data that the government can use as a reference guide to control QNs residues in Jiaozhou Bay wetland.