A microfluidic chip was designed to assess the toxicity of pollutants in a high-throughput way by using marine phytoplankton motility as a sensor signal. In this chip, multiple gradient generators (CGGs) with diffusible chambers enable large scale of dose-response bioassays to be performed in a simple way. Two mobile marine phytoplankton cells were confined on-chip and stimulated by 8 concentrations (generated by CGG) of Hg, Pb, Cu and phenol singly, as well as Cu and phenol jointly. CASA system was used to characterize motility by motile percentage (%MOT), curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP) and straight line velocity (VSL). In all cases, dose-dependent inhibitions of motility were observed. In the present system, only 2h was needed to predict EC50. Thus, the developed microfluidic chip device was proved to be useful as a rapid/simple and high-throughput test method in marine pollution toxicity assessment.

Underwater noise pollution has become a major concern in marine habitats. Guanabara Bay, southeastern Brazil, is an impacted area of economic importance with constant vessel traffic. One hundred acoustic recording sessions took place over ten locations. Sound sources operating within 1km radius of each location were quantified during recordings. The highest mean sound pressure level near the surface was 111.56±9.0dB re 1μPa at the frequency band of 187Hz. Above 15kHz, the highest mean sound pressure level was 76.21±8.3dB re 1μPa at the frequency 15.89kHz. Noise levels correlated with number of operating vessels and vessel traffic composition influenced noise profiles. Shipping locations had the highest noise levels, while small vessels locations had the lowest noise levels. Guanabara Bay showed noise pollution similar to that of other impacted coastal regions, which is related to shipping and vessel traffic.

We measured total selenium and total mercury concentrations ([TSe] and [THg]) in hair (n=138) and blood (n=73) of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from California to assess variation by geography and sex, and inferred feeding relationships based on carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotopes. Harbor seals from Hg-contaminated sites had significantly greater [THg], and lesser [TSe] and TSe:THg molar ratios than seals from a relatively uncontaminated site. Males had significantly greater [THg] than females at all locations. Sulfur stable isotope values explained approximately 25% of the variability in [THg], indicating increased Hg exposure for seals with a greater use of estuarine prey species. Decreased [TSe] in harbor seals from Hg-contaminated regions may indicate a relative Se deficiency to mitigate the toxic effects of Hg. Further investigation into the Se status and the potential negative impact of Hg on harbor seals from Hg-contaminated sites is warranted.

The north of Liaodong Bay is one of the most severely polluted areas in Bohai Sea. Because the self-purification capacity from the sea water exchange process is limited, the pollutants from the land and river sources cannot be completed degraded and an obviously contaminated zone was formed in the north of Liaodong Bay. Therefore the self-purification capacity from biological process is essential for maintaining ecosystem balance. Marine heterotrophic bacteria play an important role in degradation of the dissolved organic matters and constitution of the primary production in the coastal areas. The shift of water temperature between winter and summer is about 28°C in the north of Liaodong Bay, which causes changes in the self-purification capacity of the sea area. Certain indexes of water quality in Liaodong Bay were investigated in order to detect how these indexes response to the changing of water temperature. The experimental results show that COD, DO and the concentration of fecal coliform vary a little with the changing of water temperature; TBC increases dramatically when the water temperature is over 16°C; and TBC in summer is 30 times more than that in winter. By this study, the paper provides a reference to assess the environmental purification capacity of the sea area during different seasons.

Increased frequency and enhanced damage to the marine environment and to human society caused by green macroalgae blooms demand improved high-resolution early detection methods. Conventional satellite remote sensing methods via spectra radiometers do not work in cloud-covered areas, and therefore cannot meet these demands for operational applications. We present a methodology for green macroalgae bloom detection based on RADARSAT-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Green macroalgae patches exhibit different polarimetric characteristics compared to the open ocean surface, in both the amplitude and phase domains of SAR-measured complex radar backscatter returns. In this study, new index factors are defined which have opposite signs in green macroalgae-covered areas, compared to the open water surface. These index factors enable unsupervised detection from SAR images, providing a high-resolution new tool for detection of green macroalgae blooms, which can potentially contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms related to outbreaks of green macroalgae blooms in coastal areas throughout the world ocean.

Sea microlayer (SML) and subsurface water (SSW) samples were collected around Xiamen Island to study the enrichment and partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total PAH concentrations ranged from 93.43 to 411.05ng L−1 in the SML and 49.29–279.42ng L−1 in the SSW. Compared with the results of previous studies before pollution control measurements, PAHs levels decreased significantly. The enrichment factors (EFs) of dissolved and particulate PAHs varied from 0.68 to 2.71 and 0.43–3.56. EFs showed the consistent enrichment trends with sites and exhibited different enrichment characteristics between 2 and 3 ring PAHs and 4 ring PAHs. Furthermore, the much higher concentrations of BaP (strong carcinogenicity) were accompanied by higher EFs in the SML samples from the Western Xiamen Harbour, which together indicated the risk of impacts to the fish eggs that usually float on the SML water after exposure to oil spills and combustion, contributed directly by the port and shipping activities.

Concentrations of eight metals and metalloids (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Ni and As) were evaluated from 41 nesting females (blood) and 13 dead (tissues) Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), a species classified as vulnerable and also listed in Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The mean blood, liver and kidney lead concentration were 0.02±0.01, 0.11±0.08 and 0.06±0.03μgg−1 ww respectively, values lower than other turtle species and locations, which it could be due to the gradual disuse of leaded gasoline in Mexico and Central America since the 1990s. Mean concentration of cadmium was 0.17±0.08 (blood), 82.88±36.65 (liver) and 150.88±110.99μgg−1 (kidney). To our knowledge, the mean renal cadmium levels found is the highest ever reported worldwide for any sea turtle species, while other six elements showed a concentration similar to other studies in sea turtles.

To determine the characteristics of metal pollution sources in Ulsan Bay, East Sea, 39 surface and nine core sediments were collected within the bay and offshore area, and analyzed for metals and stable lead (Pb) isotopes.Most surface sediments (>95% from 48 sites) had high copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and Pb concentrations that were as much as 1.3 times higher than background values. The primary source of metal contamination came from activities related to nonferrous metal refineries near Onsan Harbor, and the next largest source was from shipbuilding companies located at the mouth of the Taehwa River. Three different anthropogenic sources and background sediments could be identified as end-members using Pb isotopes. Isotopic ratios for the anthropogenic Pb revealed that the sources were imported ores from Australia, Peru, and the United States. In addition, Pb isotopes of anthropogenic Pb discharged from Ulsan Bay toward offshore could be determined.

The island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles supports an ongoing, legal cetacean hunt, which targets several species for human consumption. Little is known regarding the healthfulness and potential health risks of these foods in this setting. Following established methodologies we analyzed 39 raw muscle tissue samples and 38 raw blubber samples from two cetacean species for total mercury and methyl-mercury. We also analyzed samples of muscle tissue from an unknown cetacean species prepared for consumption. We report high concentrations of total mercury and methyl-mercury in these tissues as compared to published data for other seafood products. Further, our findings indicate that the traditional preparation method most often used locally in St. Vincent yields a finished food product with a much higher mercury concentration than the unprocessed tissue. Our results highlight the potential for negative human health effects related to the consumption of these food products in St. Vincent.

The Atlantic invasion of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/P. miles) has been as swift as it has been disastrous. Lionfish are non-native to the Mediterranean, but an invasion is perhaps even more likely than for the Atlantic. First, as for the Atlantic, there are many major cities on the coast of the Mediterranean (where aquarium-keeping is a common practice and chances of accidental and deliberate releases are high), and second, lionfish are native to the Red Sea, to which the Mediterranean is connected via the Suez Canal. Furthermore, there have already been four records of lionfish in the Mediterranean and so the pretext for an invasion is already in place. Up until now, however, it has been difficult to gauge the likelihood of an infestation of lionfish in the Mediterranean as, unlike the Atlantic, this sea has not been examined in terms of its hydrodynamics, ocean climate, and bathymetry, all factors known to be relevant to assessing the possibility of invasion. Motivated by this knowledge-gap, this study used remote sensing and computer modeling to investigate the connectivity between areas along the Mediterranean coastline that fulfill the necessary physical criteria to serve as potential lionfish habitat. Model results from the Mediterranean were compared and contrasted to those from the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. The Atlantic was considered because the lionfish invasion there has been voracious. Meanwhile, the eastern Pacific is interesting as a site without native lionfish, but with plenty of opportunity for their introduction, but no invasion yet recorded. Results indicated that, unlike in the Atlantic, connectivity among potential lionfish habitats in the Mediterranean was low in the study and comparable to that in the eastern Pacific. Although oceanographic conditions in the Mediterranean were found unfavorable for wide dispersion of lionfish larvae, hotspots where numerous lionfish sightings would forewarn an impending invasion were identified. This paper can therefore serve as a guide to the most efficient monitoring of lionfish in the Mediterranean and to where removal efforts should be concentrated, should the species become established.