To assess effects of urban discharges, biomarkers were measured in caged mussels in northern Iberian Peninsula. Lysosomal membrane stability and histopathology of gonad and digestive gland were analysed as general effect biomarkers. Exposure to specific pollutants was evaluated by autometallographical detection of metals, peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase activity, micronucleus test and transcription levels of vitellogenin and MT20 genes. Health status of mussels was impaired after 3days of caging at the untreated outfall discharge and at the waste water treatment plant effluent discharge to the estuary. The most relevant finding was the significant up-regulation of vitellogenin gene transcription in male mussels exposed to the untreated outfall discharge. Metals and xenoestrogenic endocrine disruptors were bioavailable in some discharges and disturbed the health status of mussels. Biomarkers were effective in the assessment of effects of urban discharges and could be implemented in operative controls required to assess the risks associated to effluent discharges.

Spatial trends of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners were examined by using high resolution gas chromatography – low resolution electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS) in 414 samples of young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) collected from a total of 29 nursery habitats along the US Atlantic coastline from Massachusetts to Florida. Of the 26 target PBDE congeners, BDE-47 (4 Br), BDE-100 (5 Br), BDE-49 (4 Br), BDE-99 (5 Br), and BDE-154 (6 Br) were the five most frequently detected congeners in the order of decreasing importance. The sum of the concentrations of five major PBDE congeners, referred to as ΣPBDEs, varied between estuaries and also among samples from a given estuary. ΣPBDEs were lowest in YOY bluefish from Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound, Great Bay, Delaware Bay, Lynnhaven Bay, Cape Lookout, and Crescent Beach, with maximum ΣPBDE concentrations below 10ng/g wet weight. ΣPBDEs in three bluefish samples from Stamford Harbor were detected at relatively high to unusually high concentrations of 69.1, 205, and 561ng/g wet weight. ΣPBDE values for other Stamford Harbor bluefish were generally low. Highest PBDE concentrations were detected in the vicinity of industrial and urban locations within the New York – New Jersey metropolitan complex. Among them, bluefish from Newark Bay were generally the most contaminated with an average ΣPBDE value of 56.6±30.8ng/g wet weight. ΣPBDEs in bluefish from Newark Bay were numerically greater than ΣPBDEs in bluefish from all locations, however these differences were not statistically significant. Modest to good correlations between ΣPBDEs and lipids were observed for YOY bluefish from Buzzards Bay, Upper New Bedford Harbor, Lower New Bedford Harbor, Outer New Bedford Harbor, Providence Harbor, Housatonic River, Norwalk Harbor, Little Neck Bay, Newark Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Great Bay, Delaware Bay, Patuxent River and Crescent Beach. Poor correlations between ΣPBDE and lipids were observed for bluefish from other estuaries. ΣPBDEs were not always correlated with fish length or weight. ΣPBDEs in YOY bluefish along the US Atlantic coastline modestly paralleled ΣPBDEs in mussels and oysters, from not exact but geographically loosely similar locations, reported in the NOAA Mussel Watch Program. A number of researchers who used the high resolution mass spectrometry reported additional PBDE congeners. Although PBDE congeners we report do appear to be the prominent congeners in these studies, it is likely that the comparisons will be skewed in certain instances.

Test facilities such as lab basins and wave tanks are essential when evaluating the use of chemical dispersants to treat oil spills at sea. However, these test facilities have boundaries (walls) that provide an ideal environment for surface (interfacial) film formation on seawater. Surface films may form from surfactants naturally present in crude oil as well as dispersant drift/overspray when applied to an oil spill. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of surface film formation on oil spreading rates in a small scale lab basin and on dispersant effectiveness conducted in a large scale wave tank. The process of crude oil spreading on the surface of the basin seawater was influenced in the presence of a surface film as shown using a 1st order kinetic model. In addition, interfacial film formation can greatly influence chemically dispersed crude oil in a large scale dynamic wave tank.

Blooms of Alexandrium species, in particular the species Alexandrium catenella, accounted for more than 50% of algal related, shellfish aquaculture harvest zone closures in New South Wales (NSW) Australia since 2005. While there are indications that species of Alexandrium are more abundant than they were formerly, there is little data available on the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of the genus in NSW. A six and a half year dataset comprising a total of 8649 fortnightly samples from 31 estuaries spread over 2000km of NSW coastline was analysed. The greatest abundances of Alexandrium spp. were observed during the austral Spring and Summer, in estuaries in the mid and southern latitudes of the state. In identifying these high risk zones, we propose variables such as season, temperature, rainfall and estuarine flushing to be targeted in intensive site specific studies, to support the development of predictive tools for resource managers.

In this study, the activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb were determined in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected from Didim and Izmir Bay (Turkish coast of Aegean Sea) during the period of April 2006–March 2007. The concentrations activity of 210Po were determined spectroscopically through its 5.30MeV alpha particle emission, using 209Po as an internal tracer. The 210Pb activity concentrations were determined from the ingrowth of 210Po, assuming zero initial 210Po activity. The results of 210Po and 210Pb activity concentrations were found to vary between 34±9 and 1855±98Bqkg−1 dry weight and ND (lower than limit of detection) – 64±6Bqkg−1 dry weight, respectively. 210Po/210Pb ratio ranged between 1.00 and 106.87. The highest 210Po activities were found in mussels collected from Didim.

Spatial variation in the density and biomass of Branchiostoma caribaeum was analyzed along a sewage contamination gradient identified by fecal steroids in a subtropical estuary, southern Brazil. Sampling, repeated in the austral winter and summer, followed a hierarchical design nested at four spatial scales (sector>1km; area>100m; site>10m; replicate<1m). Density and biomass were significantly lower at sites characterized by high concentrations of fecal steroids. The best combinations of variables that explained the biological similarities among sites involved contamination indicators. Most of the variation of biological data was found at the smallest scales and could be related with the sediment texture. Our study highlighted the usefulness of a multi-scale perspective to evaluate distribution patterns of benthic invertebrates as a biological indication of environmental pollution. Gradient analyses at larger spatial scales may be invalidated by the patchy distribution of benthic fauna if they do not account for such small scale variability.

The waters of the Cres–Lošinj archipelago are subject to intense boat traffic related to the high number of leisure boats frequenting this area during the summer tourist season. Boat noise dominates the acoustic environment of the local bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population. This study investigates the spatial and temporal change in the underwater noise levels due to intense boating, and its effect on the distribution of the bottlenose dolphins. In the period 2007–2009 sea ambient noise (SAN) was sampled across ten acoustic stations. During data collection the presence of leisure boats was recorded if they were within 2km of the sampling station. Bottlenose dolphin spatial distribution was monitored in the same period. Results showed a strong positive correlation between high SAN levels and boat presence, particularly in the tourist season. Dolphin distribution indicated significant seasonal displacements from noisy areas characterized by the intense leisure boating.

Liver tumours in flatfish have been diagnosed using histopathology for decades in order to monitor the impacts of marine pollution in coastal and estuarine environments. This traditional method has been coupled with molecular analyses of tumours in the liver of the dab, Limanda limanda, in order to elucidate underpinning molecular level aetiology of such disease. A laser capture microdissection technique for molecular investigation of cancer has been applied in fish. The present study provides optimized steps for environmental sample utilisation: a procedure for field sample collection and handling; a method allowing reliable identification of lesions on frozen tissue sections; and, downstream molecular analyses of tumourigenesis markers (retinoblastoma gene) in laser microdissected samples. This approach facilitates the use of wild flatfish as a model of environmentally-induced tumourigenesis, and has wide applicability to any disease pathology for which the underpinning molecular aetiology is required.

Storm-water drainage systems have potential to collect and focus nutrient enriched runoff into coastal systems. Storm-drain effluent could support macroalgal production and result in altered communities. To test this hypothesis, we assessed species composition and percent cover of native and non-native benthic macroalgae at eight intertidal sites along ‘Ewa Beach, Hawai‘i. Three sites contain storm-drainage outlets (drain 16–52acres) that deliver effluent into the intertidal zone whereas five sites were located⩾100m away and served as comparisons to determine differences related to the presence of storm-water. Results revealed lush and diverse macroalgal assemblages, similar at all sites. Furthermore, the abundance of non-native species (Acanthophora spicifera, Hypnea musciformis) was not related to presence of storm-drains. The finding that macroalgal assemblages are not related to storm-waters is contrary to an earlier investigation in the same location and underscores the importance of sampling design and habitat variation when assessing impacts.

We report concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (HCB, HCHs, DDTs, dieldrin) and PCBs in the blubber of 43 common dolphins bycaught in fisheries operating off the SW coast of the UK from 1992 to 2006. Concentrations of ΣDDT (summed p,p′-DDT and its metabolites, p,p′-DDE and p,p′-TDE) and of 25 summed CB congeners ranged from 0.2 to 16.1 and 2.1 to 62.4mgkg−1 lipid weight, respectively. Concentrations of sum HCH, HCB and dieldrin were lower, ranging from not detected to 0.14, 0.01 to 0.27 and 0.01 to 0.73mgkg−1 lipid weight, respectively. All contaminants studied showed a downward time trend but only that for HCHs was statistically significant. Overall, 72% of the dolphins analysed had blubber PCB concentrations above an established toxicity threshold value.