Anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) is frequently studied on sandy beaches and occasionally in coastal waters, but links between these two environments have rarely been studied. High densities of AMD were found in coastal waters and on local shores of a large bay system in northern-central Chile. No seasonal pattern in AMD densities was found, but there was a trend of increasing densities over the entire study period. While plastics and Styrofoam were the most common types of AMD both on shores and in coastal waters, AMD composition differed slightly between the two environments. The results suggest that AMD from coastal waters are deposited on local shores, which over time accumulate all types of AMD. The types and the very low percentages of AMD with epibionts point to mostly local sources. Based on these results, it can be concluded that a reduction of AMD will require local solutions.

Jellyfish blooms are generally attributed to a biological response to the environment, neglecting the role of transport patterns in redistributing existing populations. Here, we use high-resolution (1.25km) ocean modeling to examine the role of transport in the onshore arrival and abundance of the pelagic stinging jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca on the Ligurian Sea coast. Jellyfish are modeled as Lagrangian particles with a 0–300-m diel vertical migration typical of P. noctiluca. Over the course of a year, onshore arrivals are not restricted to the summer. Arrivals are concentrated at capes, but abundance can reach maxima in bays and in the lee of capes. Two factors impact jellyfish arrivals at the coast: the position of the Northern Current and the wind. A comparison of summer 2006 and available onshore jellyfish observations suggests a correct capture of the main stranding events by the model. These results have implications for understanding long-term fluctuations.

Despite its EU-wide ban in 2004 the triazine herbicide atrazine (ATR) and its transformation products (TPs) are frequently detected in the aqueous environment. In this study, concentrations of ATR, two of its TPs, and terbuthylazine (TERB) are presented and discussed in coastal waters of the Northern Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Baltic Sea (Germany), the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy), and the coastline close to Barcelona (Spain). The water samples (n=132) were taken in 2009–2011. Sediment samples (n=7) were taken from Baltic Sea (Germany) and Thermaikos Gulf (Greece). Maximum ATR concentrations (31–41ngL−1) were detected in Istanbul and the Dardanelles. A concentration gradient from East to West in the Aegean Sea was observed, indicating ongoing ATR contamination via the Dardanelles. Low concentrations and detection frequencies were observed at the other locations, indicating the success of the prohibition. However, the presence of TERB in the Northern Adriatic Sea raises concern.

Watershed discharge, water quality, and seagrass assemblages were examined along the western coast of Yap Proper, Micronesia. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) during low tides associated with new and full moons contributed disproportionally to freshwater delivery where compromised Thalassia habitats existed. Despite SGD influence, nutrient sampling indicated that one characteristic regime may be a net import of new nitrogen and phosphorous (NO3 and PO4) from offshore to inshore waters, agreeing with sparse watershed development. Biologically recycled nitrogen (NH4), however, was highest where SGD contribution was largest. Time-and-tide-limited sampling likely precluded generalized relationships between SGD and NH4 across the entire study area, however, spatial profiling of SGD during low-tide events (i.e., a proxy to nutrient input) was strongly associated with seagrass habitat condition (defined within). Concomitantly, sea cucumber densities were over a magnitude of order lower than in regionally comparable Thalassia habitats, and negatively correlated with seagrass condition. Both top-down and bottom-up considerations are discussed.

Mediterranean coastal regions are particularly exposed to oil pollution due to extensive industrialization, urbanization and transport of crude and refined oil to and from refineries. Bioremediation of contaminated beach sand through landfarming is both simple and cost-effective to implement compared to other treatment technologies. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of alternative nutrients on biodegradation of crude oil contaminated beach sand in an effort to reduce the time required for bioremediation employing only indigenous hydrocarbon degraders.A natural sandy soil was collected from Agios Onoufrios beach (Chania, Greece) and was contaminated with weathered crude oil. The indigenous microbial population in the contaminated sand was tested alone (control treatment) or in combination with inorganic nutrients (KNO3 and K2HPO4) to investigate their effects on oil biodegradation rates. In addition, the ability of biosurfactants (rhamnolipids), in the presence of organic nutrients (uric acid and lecithin), to further stimulate biodegradation was investigated in laboratory microcosms over a 45-day period.Biodegradation was tracked by GC/MS analysis of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons components and the measured concentrations were corrected for abiotic removal by hopane normalizations. It was found that the saturated fraction of the residual oil is degraded more extensively than the aromatic fraction and the bacterial growth after an incubation period of approximately 3weeks was much greater from the bacterial growth in the control.The results show that the treatments with inorganic or organic nutrients are equally effective over almost 30days where C12–C35n-alkanes were degraded more than 97% and polyaromatic hydrocarbons with two or three rings were degraded more than 95% within 45days. The results clearly show that the addition of nutrients to contaminated beach sand significantly enhanced the activity of indigenous microorganisms, as well as the removal of total recoverable petroleum hydrocarbons (TRPH) over a 45-day study period.

The environmental impact of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels has become of more interest in recent years. This, in relation to globally rising CO2 levels and related considerations of geological CO2 storage as a mitigating measure. In the present study effect data from literature were collected in order to conduct a marine ecological risk assessment of elevated CO2 levels, using a Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD). It became evident that information currently available from the literature is mostly insufficient for such a quantitative approach. Most studies focus on effects of expected future CO2 levels, testing only one or two elevated concentrations. A full dose-response relationship, a uniform measure of exposure, and standardized test protocols are essential for conducting a proper quantitative risk assessment of elevated CO2 levels. Improvements are proposed to make future tests more valuable and usable for quantitative risk assessment.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been gaining much visibility in environmental chemical studies due to their similarity to PCBs and growing reports of harmful effects. The fact that these contaminants have not yet undergone bans or restrictions on the global level underscores the need for data on their occurrence. In the present study, fat samples from 26 White-chinned Petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis) and 3 Spectacled Petrels (P. conspicillata) collected dead ashore or as bycatch of longline fisheries in southern Brazil were analyzed to determine concentrations of seven congeners (IUPAC #28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154 and 183). Concentrations of ΣPBDEs ranged from not detectable to 72.70ngg−1 (wet weight), comparatively lower than concentrations reported for seabird samples in northern hemisphere. The most detected congeners were 153, 154 and 183. This pattern is close to that previously reported for birds of the same group, but not those from the same region.

PCB production reduced or stopped in most countries in the late 1970s. According to the Stockholm Convention all the party countries have to list their PCB containing equipment and prepare national inventories. A national implementation plan was prepared in Turkey however, this plan is inadequate. Furthermore, there has not been any information prepared about stationary emission sources, contributing to atmospheric PCB inputs so far. It is aimed in this study to meet this deficit. This study will also help to make stronger comments on identifying sources of atmospheric PCB concentrations. PCB emission factors were utilized to determine the emissions. An average of 920 kg yr–1 of PCB emission is estimated in this study within the borders of Turkey. Highest contribution occurs in Kocaeli located on the North–West of the country by 47% of the overall emissions. Secondary most pollutant site is determined to be Aliaga on the west of the country. Both of this regions are heavily, industrialized and several different industrial processes are present. Iron–steel manufacturing and copper smelting processes comprises the 94% of the PCB releases from stationary sources. A simple box model was applied at two hot spots to determine potential contribution of the estimated emissions to atmospheric concentrations. In Dilovasi, the average contribution from industrial sources was determined as 244 pg m–3 while the average contribution for Aliaga was calculated as 126 pg m–3 within a 50 km x 50 km grid.

The bioaccumulation of organochlorines (OCs) in the muscle tissue of sea-run (anadromous) and freshwater-resident (fluvial) white-spotted charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis) was determined to assess the ecological risk related to intraspecies variations in diadromous fish life history as they migrate between sea and freshwater. Generally, there were significant correlations between the accumulation of OCs such as DDTs, HCB, HCHs and CHLs. In addition, various biological characteristics, such as total length (TL), body weight (BW) and age, and number of downstream migration (NDM) were correlated. A positive correlation occurred between the lipid content and the OC concentrations. Close linear relationships were found between TL, BW and NDM and the lipid content. Although they are both the same species, the OCs concentrations in the anadromous fish were significantly higher than those in the fluvial individuals. These results suggest that anadromous S. leucomaenis have a higher ecological risk for OCs exposure than the fluvial fish.