Industrial areas on estuarine systems are commonly affected by heavy metals, affecting all local biota. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to evaluate genetic diversity of Ucides cordatus at mangroves in southeastern Brazil (Juréia, J; São Vicente, SV; and Cubatão, C), with distinct pollution levels by metals. The genetic diversity of this species was compared with concentrations of metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr and Hg) in the environment. A pollution gradient was confirmed (SV>C>J), with low levels detected in water, except for mercury in SV. All metals in the sediment samples were below Threshold Effect Level (TEL), without an apparent biological risk to the biota. Genetic distance was very similar between J and C, with SV occurring as an out-group. RAPD was a powerful tool to investigate the effect of metal pollution on genetic diversity of this mangrove crab, and to evaluate the conservation status of the mangrove ecosystem.

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAFs) of nonylphenols (NPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Ruditapes philippinarum from the Venice Lagoon (Italy) were determined with the aim to verify whether the routine biomonitoring studies are reliable in contaminated sites. Clams and sediments were collected in field campaigns (October 2003 to June 2004) in three sites of the Venice Lagoon. Results showed that Marghera and Campalto sediments were more contaminated by NPs and PAHs than Poveglia. Different trends were observed in the contamination of clams with the highest BSAFs found at Poveglia. BSAF trend appeared to be inversely related to the contaminant pressure on the sites. These results suggest that clam bioaccumulation is not always representative of the chemical pressure on aquatic biota. The direct correlation between sediment and biota concentrations in contaminated sites can be lost as a function of the site-specific conditions such as sediment toxicity and food availability.

The present work analysed the characteristics of aerosol optical, physical properties over Thiruvananthapuram, a coastal site in southern part of India using Sky-radiometer (Model POM-02, Prede Co. Ltd, Japan) for a period 2011–2015. The lowest value of AOD was found during winter season which was followed by monsoon season. The highest value of AOD was found in pre-monsoon. The Angstrom Exponent which characterizes the size of the aerosols, decreases from January to June and increases from June to December months. The monthly back trajectory analysis using HYSPLIT describes the source of air masses for the station. The fine mode particles are dominant during winter season, which may be associated with the anthropogenic emissions and long range transport. A gradual increase in the coarse mode aerosol load was found from pre-monsoon season to the monsoon season, because of the large air mass coming from the ocean. A decrease in coarse mode aerosol was found during the post-monsoon period, due to the preferential washout of coarse mode particles during monsoon season. The result showed the dominance of mixed type aerosols during all seasons. The C1 cluster originating from Bay of Bengal contributed 29.8% of ensemble of trajectories, C2 cluster from Arabian Sea 31.9%, C3 cluster from the Indian Ocean (Northern hemisphere) 18.0%, and C4 cluster Indian Ocean (Southern hemisphere) 20.3%.

Fifty-one surface sediment samples were collected from eleven sea areas along the Guangdong coast in southern China. Biogenic elements, metals and dinoflagellate cysts were analyzed. Twenty-one cyst taxa in 12 genera were identified. The cyst concentrations ranged between 14 and 250 cysts/g, with an average of 69 cysts/g. The low cyst production was caused by coarse sediments, high sedimentation rates, and high anthropogenic disturbances. Biogenic elements were comparable with those reported. However, the metal concentrations were far lower than the sediment quality guidelines. Both biogenic elements and metals were higher in the Mid Coast and lower in the Western Coast. Eutrophication slightly enhanced the productivity of autotrophic dinocysts, and cysts of Scrippsiella indicated eutrophication. Cd had inhibitory effects on cyst production. Alexandrium and Diplopsalis cysts were sensitive to metal contamination; however, Gyrodinium, Pheopolykrikos, and Lingulodinium cysts had high resistance to metal contamination.

Glyphosate-based herbicides include active matter and adjuvants (e.g. polyethoxylated tallow amines, POEAs). In addition to a previous investigation on the effect of glyphosate on oysters, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of sub-chronic exposures (35days) to three concentrations (0.1, 1 and 100μgL−1) of Roundup Express® (REX) and POEAs on oysters belonging to the same age group. Low mortality rates were calculated, and only few significant differences (i.e. shell length) between exposure conditions were observed at a given date. However, when comparing the biomarker's temporal variations, some different patterns (e.g. condition index, reproduction, parameters of oxidative stress) were observed depending on the molecules and concentrations. These results suggest that a longer exposure to an environmental concentration (0.1μgL−1) of REX and POEAs could induce harmful effects on oysters.

This study examined the influence of environmental concentrations of Aroclor 1254 (10, 100, and 1000ng/L) on metamorphosis of Paralichthys olivaceus, and analyzed the mechanisms in relation to thyroid disruption. Results showed that 100 and 1000ng/L Aroclor 1254 delayed metamorphosis and that 1000ng/L Aroclor 1254 caused abnormal morphology. Thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels in the control group were significantly elevated at metamorphic climax, but treatment with 100 and 1000ng/L delayed the increase in thyroid hormones (THs) and retarded metamorphic processes. In larvae exposed to 1000ng/L Aroclor 1254, TH levels at metamorphic climax were significantly lower than those of the control group at the same metamorphic stage. We suggest that the effects of Aroclor 1254 on larval metamorphosis can be explained by disruption of thyroid homeostasis. These findings provide a new perspective and biological model for thyroid-disrupting chemicals (TDCs) screening and investigating interference of thyroid function by TDCs.

A three-dimensional fecal coliform transport model was developed and incorporated into a hydrodynamic and suspended sediment transport model to better understand the microbiological water quality in the tidal Tamsui River estuarine system of northern Taiwan, which includes three main tributaries: Dahan River, Xindian River, and Keelung River. The model was calibrated using the water level, salinity, suspended sediment concentration, and fecal coliform data measured in 2010. The predictive skill, a statistical approach, is used to evaluate the model performance. There was quantitatively good agreement between the simulation and measurement results. Further, the calibrated model underwent model sensitivity analysis by varying the model parameters which include the settling velocity, darkness decay rate, partition coefficient, and fecal coliform concentration in the sediment bed. The results indicated that the settling velocity played the most important role in affecting fecal coliform concentrations followed by partition coefficient, darkness decay rate, and fecal coliform concentration in the sediment bed. The model was also used to investigate the effects of salinity and suspended sediment on fecal coliform contamination. The salinity module was excluded in the simulations, resulting in an increase of fecal coliform concentration. However the effect of salinity on fecal coliform concentration is minor. If the suspended sediment transport was excluded in the simulations, the predicted results of fecal coliform concentration decrease to be underestimated the measured data. The modeling results revealed that the inclusion of the suspended sediment transport model in the simulations was of crucial importance because the fecal coliform concentrations were significantly influenced by the suspended sediment concentration in the estuarine system.

Trace metal concentrations in muscle and liver tissues from two offshore species of skate were examined. Concentrations of mercury in muscle of Leucoraja circularis (n=20; 23–110.5cm total length, 157–490m water depth) and L. fullonica (n=24; 28.5–100cm total length, 130–426m water depth) were 0.02–1.8 and 0.04–0.61mgkg−1, respectively. Concentrations of both As and Hg increased with total length. Only the largest specimen had a concentration of Hg in muscle >1.0mgkg−1. Data were limited for specimens>90cm long, and further studies on contaminants in larger-bodied skates could usefully be undertaken.

Traffic-related air pollutant emissions have become a global environmental problem, especially in urban areas. The estimation of pollutant emissions is based on complex models that require the use of detailed travel-activity data, which is often unavailable and in particular, in developing countries. In order to overcome this issue, an alternative multiple-input–multiple-output general regression neural network model, based on basic socioeconomic and transport related indicators, is proposed for the simultaneous prediction of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and particulate matter emissions at the national level. The best model, created using only six inputs, has MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) values on testing in the range of 12–15% for all studied pollutants, except NMVOC (MAPE = 21%). The obtained predictions for SOx, NH3 and PM10 emissions were in good agreement with the reported emissions (R2 ≥ 0.93), while the predictions for NOx and NMVOC are somewhat less accurate (R2 ≈ 0.85). It can be concluded that the presented ANN approach can offer a simple and relatively accurate alternative method for the estimation of traffic-related air pollutant emissions.

In 2014, the concentrations of 13 heavy metals in surface sediments from 14 sampling stations were analyzed and compared to samples from previous years to evaluate the remediation effectiveness of the “rest-year” (RY) system and capping with dredged material at the Yellow Sea-Byung dumping site offshore Korea. Since the 2006 introduction of the RY system, annual variations in metal concentrations at stations within the RY zone have gradually decreased over time. Heavy metal concentrations at most stations were lower than sediment quality guidelines, indicating the success of the RY system. Additionally, the effects of capping the contaminated sediment with dredged materials were investigated. The results indicate that dredged materials successfully capped the contaminated sediment within the dredged material dumping area, as the concentrations of Cr and total organic carbon were significantly reduced. We conclude that dredged materials may be used as capping materials for the remediation of contaminated sediments.