This study reports the first ever application of the trace element pollution index (TEPI) along a coastal, urban gradient using trace element concentrations (Ti, Mn, Co, Cu, As, Mo, Ag, Cd, Pb, Cr, Fe, Zn and Se) in the amphipod crustacean Talitrus saltator. Samples were collected from 10 sites in Galway Bay (Ireland) and concentrations of Pb showed the greatest spatial variation, likely due to the proximity of some sites to a former landfill and busy harbour. The TEPI used alongside the quartile method allowed for the assigning of sites to contamination level categories. Mapping these class levels allowed for straightforward visualisation of trace element contamination along the urban gradient. In addition, this study presents trace elements levels in T. saltator form the Atlantic Coast of Europe for the first time and the concentrations observed were comparatively lower than previously reported for T. saltator from the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.

Colour change in Acropora tenuis, a representative species of Indo-Pacific hard coral, in response to low concentrations of Irgarol 1051 was examined in the laboratory. Branches of A. tenuis were exposed to 0, 1, and 10μgIrgarol1051/L for 14days, and photographed daily using digital camera. These Irgarol 1051 concentrations were similar to those recorded at a number of sea ports. Red, green and blue (RGB) coral colour values were quantified from the photographs, with black represented by R=G=B=0 and white as R=G=B=255. Exposure to Irgarol 1051 caused RGB values to increase, moving towards the ‘white’ end of the spectrum as Irgarol 1051 concentration increased. These results suggest that the ambient levels of Irgarol 1051 recorded from port environments could be implicated in coral bleaching, if concentrations over nearby reef ecosystems are similar.

Bioaccumulation potential and associated ecological risk of sediment-bound DDT and its metabolites (DDXs) and heavy metals in Hailing Bay, a typical mariculture zone along the southern coast of China, were evaluated. The estuarine sediments were co-polluted by DDXs (120–4882ng/g dry wt.) and heavy metals (292–409mg/kg dry wt.). Both DDXs and metals in sediment were bioavailable to Nereis succinea, although the biota-sediment accumulation factors were less than 1 except for DDE. Significant transformation of DDT in organism was observed and DDE was the main metabolite. Ecological risk assessment showed that sediment-bound p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDD frequently exhibited adverse effects on benthic community in the aquaculture zone, and heavy metals would cause moderate to considerable ecological risk, with Cd dominating the risk. The highest risk occurred in the shipyard area, indicating severe pollution and urgent need to control the source of DDT and heavy metals from aquafarming activities.Estuarine sediments in South China was co-polluted by DDT and its metabolites and heavy metals due to aquafarming activities, which resulted in bioaccumulation of the contaminants in benthic invertebrates and posed potential risk to species at higher trophic levels.

In order to establish seawater contamination by emerging protozoan parasites, we used qPCR to molecularly characterize and evaluate the parasitic burden of Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Cyclospora cayetanensis in 1255 wild bivalve mollusks collected along the Tunisian coasts. T. gondii, G. duodenalis and C. cayetanensis were detected in 6.9% (99% CI=1.6–12.2%) pools of Ruditapes decussatus. None of the samples were found positive to Cryptosporidium spp.; 6.6% pools of R. decussatus were positive for T. gondii Type I, 1.6% for G. duodenalis assemblage A, and 1.6% for the association T. gondii Type I/C. cayetanensis/G. duodenalis assemblage A. R. decussatus harbored up to 77500 oocysts/sample of T. gondii, up to 395 cysts/sample of G. duodenalis, and 526 oocysts/sample of C. cayetanensis. These results provide the first evidence that the Tunisian coasts are contaminated by zoonotic protozoan parasites that can constitute a direct or indirect risk for human health.

The direct effect of atmospheric turbulence on plume rise in the current research work is studied through examining the turbulence intensity parameter. A hybrid unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) numerical approach is applied with a new mixed scale sub-grid parameterization technique in the commercial ANSYS Fluent software in order to simulate the buoyant plume behavior in a turbulent crossflow. The accuracy of the simulation method is crosschecked against the wind tunnel data available in the literature. The numerical simulation results in various operating conditions are used to derive a new plume rise formula in which the direct effect of atmospheric turbulence intensity at stack height (IAir) is explicitly introduced in the plume rise formula. Furthermore, the buoyancy parameter of the flue gas is determined at some distances upstream of the stack top surface to include the whole effects of source buoyancy on the plume rise. The value of IAir at stack height is obtained by measuring the standard deviation of wind velocity at stack height. The sensitivity analysis showed that by increasing the atmospheric turbulence intensity, the final plume rise decreases because of the updraft and downdraft motions of turbulence and it has been found that there is a linear dependency between the plume rise and (IAir)−1.22. The quantile-quantile plots show that the new model can predict the simulated plume rise with a deviation factor of 1.0025 whereas the conventional models overestimate the final plume rise at least by a factor of 2.2.

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.

In this study, total concentration and speciation of heavy metals in sediments of the Asaluyeh, one of the Iran's largest commercial ports, are investigated. 48 sediment samples were collected and analyzed for trace and major elements. Sediment quality guidelines along with calculated enrichment factors and trace metal profiles indicate that Asaluyeh port is threated by contamination, especially with respect to Hg and Cu. Normalization to Sc indicated high enrichment factors in the sediments following the decreasing order of: Hg>Cu>As>Ni>Zn>Pb≈Cr≈Mn>Co≈V≈Fe≈Al. Hg displayed the greatest potential ecological risk factor among sampling stations. The results of sequential extraction procedure revealed that in some stations >50% of Mn, V, Cu and Zn occur in potentially mobile phases and therefore are more readily mobilized in the sediments of the study area.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a persistent organic pollutant are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, which are causing serious environmental concerns. In this study, we chose BDE-47 as a representative PBDEs, to investigate its toxic effects on two microalgal species and the response of their antioxidant system. The results indicated Alexandrium minutum (a dinoflagellate) was more sensitive to BDE-47 than Dunaliella salina (a chlorophyte), as determined by growth rates, cellular structure and photosynthetic parameters. Cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were significantly elevated under the exposure of BDE-47 in both species, corresponding to an increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities, while glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities decreased in D. salina and increased in A. minutum. The different enzymes responses between the two species indicated different mechanisms in their antioxidant system, and we deduced that A. minutum might have a higher efficiency for scavenging H2O2 than D. salina.

Aquatic environments are sinks for anthropogenic contamination, whether chemical or solid pollutants. Microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles contribute to this problem. These can be plastic or non-plastic origin. Our aim was to investigate the presence and distribution of both types of anthropogenic microfibers along the length of the Hudson River, USA. Surface grab samples were collected and filtered through a 0.45μm filter paper. Abundance of fibers was determined after subtraction of potential contamination. 233 microfibers were recorded in 142 samples, averaging 0.98microfibersL−1. Subsequent micro-FTIR showed half of the fibers were plastic while the other half were non-plastic, but of anthropogenic origin. There was no relationship between fiber abundance, wastewater treatment plant location or population density. Extrapolating from this data, and using available hydrographic data, 34.4% of the Hudson River's watershed drainage area contributes an average 300 million anthropogenic microfibers into the Atlantic Ocean per day.