Two microbial isolates from oil polluted Red Sea water in Egypt, designated as RS-Y1 and RS-F3, were found capable of degrading Belayim mix (BX) crude oil. Strains RS-Y1 and RS-F3 were assigned to the genera Lipomyces tetrasporus and Paecilomyces variotii based on their morphological and physiological characteristics. Both isolates were compared for the biodegradation of crude petroleum-oil hydrocarbons in basal salt medium supplemented with 5% (w/v) of BX-crude oil. Gas chromatography profile showed that the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) inoculated with L. tetrasporus (68.3%) and P. variotii (58.15%) along with their consortium (66%) significantly reduced TPHs levels as compared to the control after 30days. L. tetrasporus (44.5%) was more effective than P. variotii strain (32.89%) in reducing the unresolved complex mixtures (UCM) content from the medium. Both isolates exhibited a strong growth over a wide range of salinity (5–45g/L NaCl).

Seasonal trend of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with PM10 particles was assessed in an urban area in Cordoba, Argentina, during 2011–2013. In addition, we quantified the contribution of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, atmospheric pressure and wind speed on total and individual PAH concentrations. Mean PAH concentrations were higher during autumn and winter. Temperature was the meteorological parameter that affected the most total and individual PAHs. Its influence was stronger in lightweight than in heavy PAHs, since they are more easily partitioned in the vapor phase. We found also that temperature has a lagged effect on PAHs concentration with the strongest association observed with 2-day lag temperature. Wind speed and relative humidity were also significant predictors for both light and heavy PAHs. Despite the fact that we observed a decreasing trend in the concentration levels of PAHs, they are still high enough to pose a risk to human health due to chronic exposure.

In the present study, particulate matter (PM10) was collected from two different locations viz. Jogannapalem and Parawada sites of Visakhapatnam. During study period, PM10 concentrations were found in the range from 34.8 to 109.7 μg/m3 and from 32.3 to 137.3 μg/m3 at Jogannapalem and Parawada sites respectively. Chemical characterization of PM10 was carried out to estimate the concentration levels of various particle bound chemical species (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd, Cl−, F-, NO3-, SO42−, Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+). Among different species, Al was observed to have highest average concentration (4.1 μg/m3 at Jogannapalem and 3.8 μg/m3 at Parawada) at both the sampling sites followed by K at Jogannapalem and Ca at Parawada. PM10 concentration as well as trace metals concentration (except Mn and Fe) was observed to have higher concentrations at Parawada site as compared to Jogannapalem site, indicating higher pollution at Parawada.Source apportionment study carried out using PMF (USEPA PMF5.0) receptor model identified six major sources at Jogannapalem and seven predominant sources at Parawada, which are contributing to collected PM. The two study locations share five common sources viz. crustal, sea salt spray, coal combustion, fuel oil combustion and metal industry. The other sources include biomass burning at Jogannapalem; road traffic and secondary aerosols at Parawada. At Jogannapalem, biomass burning (35%) is the predominant source, whereas coal combustion (22.6%) is dominating at Parawada. PMF factor profiles were observed to have similar elemental profiles obtained at different industrial locations of Visakhapatnam.

Plastic ingestion by marine biota has been reported for a variety of different taxa. In this study, we investigated 290 gastrointestinal tracts of demersal (cod, dab and flounder) and pelagic fish species (herring and mackerel) from the North and Baltic Sea for the occurrence of plastic ingestion. In 5.5% of all investigated fishes, plastic particles were detected, with 74% of all particles being in the microplastic (<5mm) size range. The polymer types of all found particles were analysed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Almost 40% of the particles consisted of polyethylene (PE). In 3.4% of the demersal and 10.7% of the pelagic individuals, plastic ingestion was recorded, showing a significantly higher ingestion frequency in the pelagic feeders. The condition factor K was calculated to test differences in the fitness status between individuals with and without ingested plastic, but no direct effect was detected.

This study determined the effect of monsoonal changes on the composition of atmospheric surfactants in coastal areas. The composition of anions (SO42−, NO3−, Cl−, F−) and the major elements (Ca, K, Mg, Na) in aerosols were used to determine the possible sources of surfactants. Surfactant compositions were determined using a colorimetric method as methylene blue active substances (MBAS) and disulphine blue active substances (DBAS). The anion and major element compositions of the aerosol samples were determined by ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. The results indicated that the concentrations of surfactant in aerosols were dominated by MBAS (34–326pmolm−3). Monsoonal changes were found to significantly affect the concentration of surfactants. Using principal component analysis-multiple linear regressions (PCA-MLR), major possible sources for surfactants in the aerosols were motor vehicle emissions, secondary aerosol and the combustion of biomass along with marine aerosol.

In this paper we determine whether a realistic mixture of hydrophobic chemicals affects the growth dynamics of a marine diatom and how this effect compares to the effect of temperature, light regime and nutrient conditions. To do so, we examine the specific growth rate of Phaeodactylum tricornutum in a 72h algal growth inhibition test using a full factorial design with three nutrient regimes, two test temperatures, three light intensities and three chemical exposures. Passive samplers were used to achieve exposure to realistic mixtures of organic chemicals close to ambient concentrations. Nutrient regime, temperature and time interval (24, 48 and 72h) explained 85% of the observed variability in the experimental data. The variability explained by chemical exposure was about 1%. Overall, ambient concentrations of hydrophobic compounds present in Belgian coastal waters, and for which the passive samplers have affinity, are too low to affect the intrinsic growth rate of P. tricornutum.

A risk based approach to assessing compliance with EU limit values is described, using the advanced chemical transport model CMAQ to determine the regional component of NO2 and particulate matter under various conditions over the UK. A new air quality data analysis retrieval tool AirDART is used to extract concentrations for selected areas of the country. Roadside concentrations in a street canyon are then calculated using a dispersion model. The two model calculations need to be combined to obtain concentrations in future years assuming appropriate changes in emission. To merge the local and regional contributions exactly requires assumptions regarding parameterisations and is computationally expensive. From a risk based viewpoint not every possible condition need be considered in order to make policy decisions. Instead future trends under typical conditions are estimated, allowing the direct effect of local action plans and of national measures to be assessed. The approach is applied to London, this being a worst case UK example, to demonstrate the procedure.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) is a powerful instrument aimed at reducing spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOPs). As BWMC is expected to enter into force soon, shipping companies will start seeking exemptions for ballast water management in accordance with BWMC Regulation A-4. However, without scientifically robust risk assessment (RA) and consistent rules, the exemptions may introduce a new form of risk within a convention generally designed to reduce risks. This paper describes an adaptive system for granting exemptions, consisting of six major components: target species selection procedure, port-to-port RA, monitoring, information support, administrative decision and review process. The system is based on key principles defined in the IMO guidelines for RA and is designed to continuously accumulate evolving experience on granting exemptions. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the control of the spread of HAOPs, without placing an unnecessary burden on the shipping industry.

We quantified mangrove disturbance resulting from Super Typhoon Haiyan using a remote sensing approach. Mangrove areas were mapped prior to Haiyan using 30m Landsat imagery and a supervised decision-tree classification. A time sequence of 250m eMODIS data was used to monitor mangrove condition prior to, and following, Haiyan. Based on differences in eMODIS NDVI observations before and after the storm, we classified mangrove into three damage level categories: minimal, moderate, or severe. Mangrove damage in terms of extent and severity was greatest where Haiyan first made landfall on Eastern Samar and Western Samar provinces and lessened westward corresponding with decreasing storm intensity as Haiyan tracked from east to west across the Visayas region of the Philippines. However, within 18months following Haiyan, mangrove areas classified as severely, moderately, and minimally damaged decreased by 90%, 81%, and 57%, respectively, indicating mangroves resilience to powerful typhoons.

The Cystoseira ericaefolia group is conformed by three species: C. tamariscifolia, C. mediterranea and C. amentacea. These species are among the most important habitat forming species of the upper sublittoral rocky shores of the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic coast. This species group is sensitive to human pressures and therefore is currently suffering important losses. This study aimed to assess the influence of anthropogenic pressures, oceanographic conditions and local spatial variability in assemblages dominated by C. ericaefolia in the Alboran Sea. The results showed the absence of significant effects of anthropogenic pressures or its interactions with environmental conditions in the Cystoseira assemblages. This fact was attributed to the high spatial variability, which is most probably masking the impact of anthropogenic pressures. The results also showed that most of the variability occurred on at local levels. A relevant spatial variability was observed at regional level, suggesting a key role of oceanographic features in these assemblages.