Contributed Measurements of BVOC emissions, meteorological parameters, and solar radiation were carried out in a temperate forest, China during the summer seasons in 2010 and 2011. Terpenoid emissions were measured using the Relaxed Eddy Accumulation (REA) technique on an above-canopy tower. Isoprene contributed 79.1% and 82.0% of terpenoid emissions in 2010 and 2011 summer. The monoterpene emissions were dominated by α–pinene, contributing 6.3% and 12.2% of the total terpenoid emissions in 2010 and 2011 summer. Terpenoid emissions exhibited strong diurnal variations. Isoprene and monoterpene emissions maxima typically occurred a few hours after the noon PAR peak and coincided with the daily temperature maximum. During 2011 summer, the mean isoprene emission flux (mg m–2 h–1) was 0.889, mean total monoterpene emission flux was 0.143. Emission factors, representing the emission expected at a temperature of 30 °C, for this site were 0.32mg m–2 h–1 for total monoterpenes and 4.3mg m–2 h–1 for isoprene. The observations were used to evaluate the isoprene and monoterpene emission magnitude and variability predicted by the MEGANv2.1 model. Canopy scale isoprene and monoterpene emission factors based on these observations fall within the range of emission factors assigned to locations within 50km of the site by the MEGANv2.1 emission model. When using the site specific landcover data for the site, the measured emission factors are 12% for isoprene and 20% for monoterpenes lower than the MEGANv2.1 emission factors. MEGANv2.1 predicts that variations in light intensity should result in significant changes in isoprene emissions during the study but this was not evident in the observations. Observed diurnal, seasonal and interannual variations in isoprene and monoterpene emissions were strongly correlated with air temperature which was the dominant driving variable for MEGANv2.1 during the study period. The observed temperature response for isoprene and monoterpenes is similar to the temperature sensitivity of the MEGANv2.1 response functions.

Present-day habitats of the Ebro Delta, NE Iberian Peninsula, have been ecologically altered as a consequence of intensive human impacts in the last two centuries (especially rice farming). Benthic foraminiferal palaeoassemblages and sediment characteristics of five short cores were used to reconstruct past wetland habitats, through application of multivariate DCA and CONISS techniques, and dissimilarity coefficients (SCD). The timing of environmental changes was compared to known natural and anthropogenic events in order to identify their possible relationships. In deltaic wetlands under altered hydrological conditions, we found a decrease in species diversity and calcareous-dominated assemblages, and a significant positive correlation between microfaunal changes and organic matter content. Modern analogues supported palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the recent evolution of the Delta wetlands. This research provides the first recent reconstruction of change in the Ebro Delta wetlands, and also illustrates the importance of benthic foraminifera for biomonitoring present and future conditions in Mediterranean deltas.

The accumulation of heavy metals and its impact on the C/N ratio of Avicennia marina of the Patalganga and Amba estuaries were studied. Vadinar was selected as a relatively uncontaminated location for comparison. Cd was accumulated in leaves of the Patalganga and Amba estuarine mangroves; however, at Vadinar it was accumulated and arrested only in roots and stems. Negative correlation of Cr, Cd, Pb and Zn with C in the mangroves suggested that their accumulation may lead to lowered C content in the mangroves. The average C/N ratios in mangroves of the inner Patalganga estuary, Patalganga mouth, and Amba estuary were found to be 80.1±7.3, 105.8±12.5 and 52.4±3.4 respectively, whereas at Vadinar it was well within the expected range (26.4±2.8). The results of the present study suggest: (i) metal accumulation, leading to less carbon content in plants; (ii) heavy metal enrichment in the root zone sediment, affecting the uptake of nitrogen by plants and resulting in altered C/N ratio.

Pollution caused by particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5μm (PM2.5) is now a major environmental problem in many Asian cities. Planting more trees has been suggested as an unconventional approach to alleviate the problem. In this study, we developed a ranking approach to evaluate the PM2.5 removal efficiency, negative impacts on air quality, and the suitability to urban environments of commonly occurring urban tree species. The results showed that the most frequently occurring tree species in global cities were not the best performers in removing PM2.5. Among the ten most frequently occurring tree species, only London plane (Platanus acerifolia (Aiton) Wild.), silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) and honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) were ranked above average. However, there is great potential for improving the removal of PM2.5 from urban air by using species that have high PM2.5 removal efficiency, especially conifer species. Use of conifer species requires choosing the correct gender and matching trees with appropriate sites. The results from this study can assist environmental management agencies in the selection of tree species for urban greening projects focusing on PM2.5 control.

This paper reexamines policies and outcomes concerning the NY Bight Restoration Plan, and the NY–NJ Harbor Estuary Program (NYNJHEP) precipitated by washups of marine debris and medical wastes in the New York Bight some 25-years ago. Findings indicate progress has been made but further work is necessary. Extensive beach closures have not occurred since 1987–88, although localized closings occur annually from pathogens. Objectives of “0” beach closures may not be feasible for some beaches, not to exceed 5% closures may be more achievable. Pathogen and DO data show further reductions of the last 10–20% will be more challenging and costly, suggesting “hot spots” be a focus for further remediation. Marine debris show increasing trends on beaches; presence of balloons, plastic bags, syringes and personal hygiene items found annually is another concern. Future challenges are on two fronts, upstream (harbor estuary based)-toxics, nutrient/organic loads, and atmospheric (bight based)-toxics, metals.

In order to assess metal contamination on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, 45 sediment samples, seawaters and bivalve specimens were collected from Rosetta coastal area for Mg, Al, K, Fe, Sr, Zn, Pb, Mn, As, Ce, Ni, Cr and Zr analyses by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer. The Enrichment Factor (EF), the Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) and the Contamination Factor (CF) indicated that the coastal sediments of Rosetta area were severely enriched, strongly polluted with As, Pb and very highly contaminated with As, Pb, Ni, Ce, mostly as a result of anthropogenic inputs. Comparison with other samples from the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and abroad coasts suggested that the studied samples have higher concentrations of Fe, Pb, As, Zn and Ni. The natural sources of heavy metals in the study area are attributed to weathering and decomposition of mountain ranges of the Sudan and Ethiopia, while the anthropogenic ones are the metals produced from industrial, sewage, irrigation and urban runoff.

The USEPA and the WHO now advocate the use of enterococci as indicators for marine water quality. This study investigated the outcomes for Hong Kong beach water quality assessment by comparing enterococcus measures with data from the HKEPD's monitoring programme. Six beaches were tested once every 2–3months from November 2013 to June 2014 in order to identify the most contaminated sites, followed by intensive water sampling in sites found to have the highest enterococci densities (Clear Water Bay Second and Golden) every five to six days for six sampling events over a 30-day period in 2014. The geometric means of enterococci were found to be 124 and 41cfu/100mL at Clear Water Bay Second and Golden respectively, indicating that there may be higher risks of illness associated with swimming at both beaches than previously known. Moreover, beach sediments contained higher concentrations of enterococci than water, and warrant further study.

A core task in endangered species conservation is identifying important habitats and managing human activities to mitigate threats. Many marine organisms, from invertebrates to fish to marine mammals, use acoustic cues to find food, avoid predators, choose mates, and navigate. Ocean noise can affect animal behavior and disrupt trophic linkages. Substantial potential exists for area-based management to reduce exposure of animals to chronic ocean noise. Incorporating noise into spatial planning (e.g., critical habitat designation or marine protected areas) may improve ecological integrity and promote ecological resilience to withstand additional stressors. Previous work identified areas with high ship noise requiring mitigation. This study introduces the concept of “opportunity sites” — important habitats that experience low ship noise. Working with existing patterns in ocean noise and animal distribution will facilitate conservation gains while minimizing societal costs, by identifying opportunities to protect important wildlife habitats that happen to be quiet.

Marine clams Ruditapes philippinarum were exposed under laboratory conditions to sediments sampled at five sites affected by wastewater effluents at the Bay of Cádiz (SW, Spain). Contamination and early biological stress were determined. Metabolism and antioxidant system differed according to seasons. Health status diminished in summer. Metabolism of detoxification, and oxidative effect were related to concentration of metals, PAH, secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS) and antibiotics in winter. Antioxidant system and DNA damage were linked to metals and pharmaceutical products. Phase I and antioxidant system were associated to PAH and SAS in summer. Oxidative stress and effects were related to pharmaceuticals. Phase II was linked to metals and pharmaceuticals. Seasonality of sediment contamination by organic compounds and biological responses was determined. Clams were useful bioindicators, since the set of biomarkers applied was validated as potential tools for sediment quality assessment of wastewater discharges areas.

Sediments collected from the coastal area of China, embracing west coast of Bohai Sea, south coast of Shandong Peninsula, and the Changjiang estuary (listed in order of decreasing north latitude), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). ∑PAH (Sixteen US EPA priority PAHs) were 2.7–350.9ng/g. Petroleum residue was the major contributor of PAHs in the coastal sediments of China due to oil leakage from ships and offshore oil fields. The contribution of vehicular emissions in coast of North China was significantly lower than that in the Changjiang Estuary, and the reverse was true for coal combustion. PAH concentrations in the sediment core of the Changjiang estuary steadily increased upward and the variation was primarily due to economic development and severe floods. The impact on PAHs by vehicular emissions (37.2%) and petrogenic sources (45.8%) overwhelmed combustion sources (17.0%).