Using enrichment culture technique, three isolates marked as ODB-1, ODB-2 and ODB-3, were selected from oil contaminated seawater. 16S rDNA gene sequencing indicated that ODB-1 affiliated with Pseudomonas sp. while ODB-2 and ODB-3 affiliated with Brevundimonas sp. Subsequently, the bacterial cells were immobilized on the surface of expanded graphite (EG), expanded perlite (EP) and bamboo charcoal (BC). Among the three isolates, ODB-1 showed a strong binding to the bio-carriers through extracellular polysaccharides, while ODB-2 and ODB-3 made the adhesion to bio-carrier through direct physical adsorption. The immobilized bacteria exhibited good salinity tolerance compared with the planktonic bacteria. Their total diesel oil removal rates were more than 85% after 6 days’ incubation. Adsorption–biodegradation process played an important role in the oil-pollution remediation. EG-bacteria system was treated as a promising remediation method, which achieved nearly 100% removal of diesel oil. Thereinto, over 83% removal of diesel oil owed to biodegradation.

Environmental monitoring in the scope of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) is usually expensive and requires considerable human effort. In this study, we analyzed data obtained by a WFD coastal waters monitoring network over a three-year period (35 campaigns), with the aim to ascertain is it possible to increase the monitoring efficiency and obtain more accurate results. As the trophic condition of the coastal waters of Valencia is primarily, but not entirely, determined by continental loads and hydrodynamic conditions, additionally we analyzed related river basin pluviometry (daily frequency) and oceanographic (one hour frequency) data. Chlorophyll a, salinity, rain and wave data time series were analyzed separately, to identify any possible pattern. Analyzing coastal water bodies integrating all four parameters, it is found strong interactions between coastal waters trophic conditions, sea hydrodynamics and related basin pluviometry. Eight phytoplankton biomass scenarios associated to environmental conditions are identified and finally developed basis for a new efficient monitoring strategy and more accurate coastal waters assessment.

This baseline study highlights the 210Po and 210Pb concentration in two species of the benthic macroalgae Sargassum from northern Gulf, also known as the ROPME Sea Area (RSA). Within the marine environment, 210Po is initially absorbed from water and concentrated by phytoplankton and macroalgae, and this concentrated 210Po can then readily be passed along to the higher trophic level of the marine food web. The 210Po concentration measured in Sargassum boveanum (22.5–25.6Bqkg−1) was higher than that in Sargassum oligocystum (20.2–22.5Bqkg−1), but is not statistically significant (p>0.064), where as the difference between 210Pb concentrations in Sargassum boveanum (15.3–16.8Bqkg−1) and Sargassum oligocystum (18.4–22.0Bqkg−1) was statistically significant (p>0.019). The measured concentration factor for 210Po in Sargassum in the northern Gulf varied between 0.55 and 1.2×104, values higher to the IAEA recommended value of 1×103. The 210Po enrichment is observed in both the species of Sargassum,210Po/210Pb ratio was >1 at all the stations for all the samples.

Estrogenic activity of 12 sediment samples from Liaohe River protected areas was evaluated by the recombinant yeast bioassays. The bioassay-derived 17β-estradiol equivalents of crude extracts (Bio-EEQcrudes) were between 52.2 and 207.6pg/g dry weight. The most concerned estrogenic receptor (ER) agonists including estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), 4-nonylphenols (4-NP), bisphenol A (BPA), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined. The concentrations of E1, E2, E3, EE2, BPA, andΣ10OCPs ranged up to 203.3pg/g, 185.8pg/g, 237.7pg/g, 188.5pg/g, 51.0ng/g, and 3.6ng/g, respectively. Taken together with polarity-based fractionation, in vitro bioassay and chemical analysis, it indicated that E1, E2, and EE2 were the predominant ER agonists and were mainly from the discharge of domestic wastewater and breeding wastewater. Meanwhile, this study showed that the establishment of protected areas had not obviously reduced the ecological risk caused by ER agonists in Liaohe River protected areas sediments.

Previous models on simulating gas releases in deepwater were not focused on the dissolved component and its impact on water quality. This paper presents a new model developed for simulating the transport/spread of dissolved methane from an underwater release and its impact on dissolved oxygen in ambient water. Methane dissolves into ambient water from gas phase, direct from hydrate phase, and from dissociating hydrates formed earlier. Dissolved methane affects the dissolved oxygen levels in ambient water due to microbial interaction and possible direct absorption of oxygen into methane bubbles. We use new model simulations of Deepspill field experiments to compare with instantaneous profiles which were unpublished until now. The comparisons are very good with a short time lag, but are within the acceptable discrepancy for models for emergency response and contingency planning. Scenario simulations show the effect on dissolved oxygen due to different methane release situations.

The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcal enterotoxins, as well as Salmonella spp. and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibilities of the isolates from fish samples. A total of 100 fish samples were analysed consisting of 30 anchovy, 35 trout and 35 sea bream. The presence of SEs was detected using ELISA and its genes confirmed by mPCR. Also, S. aureus and Salmonella spp. were detected in 9 (9%) and 5 (5%) samples, respectively. None of the S. aureus isolates had SEs and SEs genes. The resistance rates of the S. aureus isolates to erythromycin, tetracycline, and penicillin G were found to be 33% while Salmonella spp. isolates were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin and neomycine in 20%, 20% and 80%, respectively of the samples. It is of utmost important for public health that retail fish markets need to use hygienic practices in handling and processing operations.

Shifting seasons greatly influence the use and management practices in residential built environments which subsequently affect the level of exposure to various pollutants indoors. The levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were monitored in fifteen households of Lahore, Pakistan during different seasons. DustTrak aerosol monitors (model 8520, TSI Inc.) were run simultaneously in the kitchens and living rooms of the selected sites for seventy two hours each. To aid analysis, houses were categorized in three groups according to floor area. For non–smoking houses there was little variation between 24h average PM2.5 concentrations in kitchens (270 to 295μg/m3) although there was an increase in concentrations in living rooms as floor area increased. Across all houses the average PM2.5 concentration was observed to vary during the seasons. In the kitchens the average PM levels were 326μg/m3 during the spring falling to 133μg/m3 in summer, 180μg/m3 in monsoon, 395μg/m3 in autumn and 448μg/m3 during the winter. Similarly, in the living rooms, the mean PM levels observed were 190μg/m3 in spring, 101μg/m3 in summer, 158μg/m3 in monsoon, 458μg/m3 in autumn and 590μg/m3 in winter. Factors contributing towards these levels were cooking (involving frequent frying), floor sweeping, and also movement of the occupants. Smoking at two sites and use of gas heaters during the winter were also identified as contributing sources. Apart from these sources, ventilation was identified to be the most singular attributing factor to the above mentioned variations in PM levels. Ventilation during the warm season ranged from 3.51 air changes per hour (ACH) to 7.68 ACH. On the contrary, ventilation decreased during the autumn and winter season (2.5 to 5.64 ACH) and this resulted in an accumulation of PM indoors. The levels of fine particulate matter were observed to be 3 to 23 times higher than the WHO established standard of 25μg/m3.

We provide the first report on winter concentrations of 32 trace metals from dovekies (Alle alle), a small, Arctic seabird that has a seasonal shift in diet from small zooplankton in the breeding season to larger zooplankton and small fish in the non-breeding season. Concentrations of selected trace elements, as well as stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope concentrations for a sample of 25 dovekies, were similar between adult males and females, and there was evidence that dovekies feeding at higher trophic levels had higher hepatic Hg. We also found plastic debris in nine of 65 (14%) gizzards examined. Our study helps provide a more complete picture of the foraging ecology and contaminant profile of dovekies, an important species in Arctic marine food webs.

The geochemical distribution and enrichment of trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were determined in the surface sediments of Arabian Sea, along southwest India, Kerala coast. The results of geochemical indices indicated that surficial sediments of five transects are uncontaminated with respect to Mn, Zn and Cu, uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Co and Ni, and moderately to strongly contaminated with Pb. The deposition of trace elements exhibited three different patterns i) Cd and Zn enhanced with settling biodetritus from the upwelled waters, ii) Pb, Co and Ni show higher enrichment, evidenced by the association through adsorption of iron–manganese nodules onto clay minerals and iii) Cu enrichment observed close to major urban sectors, initiated by the precipitation as Cu sulfides. Correlation, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used to confirm the origin information of metals and the nature of organic matter composition.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are frequently detected in biota from Antarctica, whereas no data are available for their replacements, such as novel flame retardants (N-FRs). This study presented the occurrence of several N-FRs, PBDEs, and PCBs in tissue samples of an Antarctic rock cod (Trematomus bernacchii), a young gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), and a brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) collected from King George Island. The total concentrations of N-FRs (ΣN-FRs; mean: 931pg/g dry weight (dw)) were comparable to PBDEs (Σ8PBDEs; 681pg/gdw), which were much lower than PCBs (ΣDL-PCBs; 12,800pg/gdw). Overall, skua contained two to three orders of magnitude higher contamination than penguin and fish. In the future, more attention should be focused on the fate of N-FRs in Antarctica, where usages have increased since PBDEs were banned. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N-FRs in biota from Antarctica.