Aqueous concentrations of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in coastal sites of two marine protected areas (MPAs), that is, Asinara and the La Maddalena Archipelago, in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea). The use of semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) enabled the detection of dissolved PAHs and PCBs, even in very low concentrations of (pgL−1), in seawater. The results reveal significant differences between the two sampling areas relative to the concentration of the individual PAHs, which provide information concerning the pollution sources affecting relatively pristine environments. The PCBs were generally observed at levels below the detection limits of the utilised method.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region of Queensland, Australia, encompasses a complex and diverse array of tropical marine ecosystems of global significance. The region is also a World Heritage Area and largely within one of the world’s best managed marine protected areas. However, a recent World Heritage Committee report drew attention to serious governance problems associated with the management of ports and shipping. We review the impacts of ports and shipping on biodiversity in the GBR, and propose a series of guiding principles to improve the current governance arrangements. Implementing these principles will increase the capacity of decision makers to minimize the impacts of ports and shipping on biodiversity, and will provide certainty and clarity to port operators and developers. A ‘business as usual’ approach could lead to the GBR’s inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2014.

Following the release of crude oil from the Macondo well in 2010, a wide range of weathering processes acted on the spilled oil. A recent study revealed that samples from this spill were oxidized into oxygenated hydrocarbons (OxHC) comprising more than 50% of the extracted hydrocarbons. The precursors of these compounds were not identified despite using a wide range of analytical tools, including gas chromatography (GC). To search for these precursors, over 40 samples were analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), one of the largest studies of its kind to date. Partial least squares regression was employed to elucidate the GC×GC peaks that could be the precursors of OxHC in our samples. We found that the formation of OxHC correlated with the disappearance of saturated hydrocarbons, including alkylcyclopentanes, alkyl cyclohexanes, alkylated bicyclic saturated compounds, tricyclic terpanpoids, and alkylbenzenes. These results indicate a previously under-reported chemodynamic process in oil spill weathering.

Making nature’s value visible to humans is a key issue for the XXI century and it is crucial to identify and measure natural capital to incorporate benefits or costs of changes in ecosystem services into policy. Emergy analysis, a method able to analyze the overall functioning of a system, was applied to reckon the value of main ecosystem services provided by Posidonia oceanica, a fragile and precious Mediterranean seagrass ecosystem. Estimates, based on calculation of resources employed by nature, resulted in a value of 172€m−2a−1. Sediment retained by meadow is most relevant input, composing almost the whole P. oceanica value. Remarks about economic losses arising from meadow regression have been made through a time-comparison of meadow maps. Suggested procedure represents an operative tool to provide a synthetic monetary measure of ecosystem services to be employed when comparing natural capital to human and financial capitals in a substitutability perspective.

Ambient visibility is a complex manifestation arising out of interactions among many atmospheric variables, including ambient aerosol load, and region specific geophysical characteristics. To functionally relate visibility impairment in Delhi region during winter months-months marred with poor visibility conditions–a novel experiment was designed to relate visibility with ambient aerosol load (PM2.5), and relevant meteorological variables: dew point temperature (Dp), height of planetary boundary layer (PBL), ambient temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS) and wind direction (WD). Time series data sets of Visibility(t) and other variables were subjected to non–linear decomposition using Empirical Mode Decomposition Method (EMD), enabling to obtain total cyclic and acyclic–trend components embedded in all data–sets. Extracted total cyclic visibility components were functionally related with the corresponding components associated with PM2.5 load and meteorological variables. Decomposed acyclic–trend component of the visibility, representing time dependent acyclic trend (AT), was separately related with the corresponding AT components of the considered meteorological variables. The decomposed components of the visibility (total cyclic and AT) were subjected to multiple linear regression to establish a functional relationship between them and a set of variables among the considered variables. The analysis suggests that acyclic–trend associated with Visibility(t) can be predicted better as opposed to the Visibility(t)cyclic component.

The toxicity of the water associated fraction (WAF) of Alaska North Slope Crude oil (ANSC), Corexit 9500A and the dispersant enhanced WAF (DEWAF) of ANSC:Corexit 9500A mixtures were examined on the model ammonia oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea. Corexit 9500A was not toxic at environmentally relevant concentrations. Corexit 9500A greatly increased the toxicity of ANSC by increasing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the DEWAF. However, a majority of the DEWAF compounds were not toxic to N. europaea. Weathered WAF and DEWAF were not toxic to N. europaea even though their COD did not change compared to non-weathered controls, suggesting that toxicity was due to a small volatile fraction of the ANSC. The over-expression of the NE1545 gene, a marker for aromatic hydrocarbon exposure, in N. europaea cells exposed to WAF and DEWAF suggests that aromatic hydrocarbons are bioavailable to the cells and may play a role in the observed toxicity.

An annual investigation on the seasonal changes of benthic community structure associated with Amphioxus Sand was conducted at two sites in the eastern waters of subtropical Hong Kong, where three species of amphioxus, Branchiostoma belcheri, B. japonicum and B. malayanum coexist. A total of 84 species and 4169 individuals were recorded at Tai Long Wan, whereas a total of 87 species and 3915 individuals were recorded at Pak Lap Wan. Benthic polychaetes were dominant, including high abundance of Onuphis eremita and Prionospio malmgreni. Results of cluster analysis showed significant community structures between the two areas because of difference in sediment granulometry. However, temporal changes within these Amphioxus Sand communities were minimal. In general, the Amphioxus Sand communities in Hong Kong showed higher species richness of Polychaeta as compared with similar studies elsewhere, possibly implying an increased level of organic pollution in Hong Kong waters.

We examined persistent organic pollutant and trace element concentrations in eggs of magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), a species of conservation concern breeding in the West Indies. Despite that frigatebirds feed at high positions in tropical marine food chains, we detected low levels of most contaminants, suggesting limited contamination of their prey.

This study assessed the impact of secondary hard substrate, as being introduced into marine ecosystems by the establishment of wind farm pillars, on the occurrence and distribution of the moon jelly Aurelia aurita in the southwestern Baltic Sea. A two-year data sampling was conducted with removable settlement plates to assess the distribution and population development of the scyphozoan polyps. The data collected from these samples were used to set up a model with Lagrangian particle technique. The results confirm that anthropogenic created hard substrate (e.g. offshore wind farms) has the potential to increase the abundance of the A. aurita population. The distribution of wind farm borne jellyfish along Danish, German and Polish coasts indicates conflicts with further sectors, mainly energy and tourism.

Based on raw kapok fiber, two kinds of oil absorbers with high sorption capacity were prepared by a facile solution–immersion process. The coated polymer with low surface energy and rough fiber surface play important role in the retention of oil. The as-prepared fiber can quickly absorb gasoline, diesel, soybean oil, and paraffin oil up to above 74.5%, 66.8%, 64.4% and 47.8% of oil sorption capacity of raw fiber, respectively. The absorbed oils can be easily recovered by a simple vacuum filtration and the recovered coated-fiber still can be used for several cycles without obvious loss in oil sorption capacity. The thermodynamic study indicates that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic, with complex physisorption and chemisorption. The results suggest that the coated fiber can be used as a low-cost alternative for the removal of oil spilled on water surface.