The Batu Hijau copper–gold mine on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia operates a deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP) facility to dispose of the tailings within the offshore Senunu Canyon. The concentrations of trace metals in tailings, waters, and sediments from locations in the vicinity of the DSTP were determined during surveys in 2004 and 2009. In coastal and deep seawater samples from Alas Strait and the South Coast of Sumbawa, the dissolved concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb and Zn were in the sub μg/L range. Dissolved copper concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 0.65μg/L for all depths at these sites. Dissolved copper concentrations were the highest in the bottom-water from within the tailings plume inside Senunu Canyon, with up to 6.5μg Cu/L measured in close proximity to the tailings discharge. In general, the concentrations of dissolved and particulate metals were similar in 2004 and 2009.

The total concentrations of twelve, likely carcinogenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (i.e., phenanthrene (Phe), anthracene (An), fluoranthene (Fluo), pyrene (Pyr), benz[a]anthracene (B[a]A), chrysene (Chry), benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F), benzo[k]fluoranthene (B[k]F), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (Ind), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (D[a,h]A), and benzo[g,h,i]perylene (B[g,h]P) in backwash deposits of the 2004 Khao Lak tsunami were carefully investigated and compared with the concentrations of world marine sediments (WMS). In general, ∑12PAHs in this study (i.e., 69.43±70.67ngg−1) were considerably lower than those values observed in marine sediments from Boston (54,253ngg−1), coastal sediments from Barcelona Harbour (15,069ngg−1), and riverine sediment from Guangzhou Channel (12,525ngg−1), but were greater than values from coastal sediments in Rosas Bay (12ngg−1), Santa Ponsa Bay (26ngg−1) and Le Planier (34ngg−1). The total toxic benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (TEQCarc) values calculated for Khao Lak coastal sediments (KCS), Khao Lak terrestrial soils (KTS), and Songkhla Lake sediments (SLS) were 10.3±12.2ngg−1, 16.0±47.7ngg−1, and 5.67±5.39ngg−1, respectively. Concentrations of PAHs at all study sites resulted in risk levels that fell into the “acceptable” range of the US EPA model and were much lower than those of other WMS. The cancer risk levels of PAH content in KCS ranged from 7.44×10−8 to 2.90×10−7, with an average of 1.64×10−7±8.01×10−8; this value is 119 times lower than that of WMS. In addition, soil cleanup target levels (SCTLs) for both non-carcinogens (i.e., Phe, An, Fluo and Pyr) and carcinogens (i.e., B[a]A, Chry, B[b]F, B[k]F, B[a]P, Ind, D[a,h]A and B[g,h,i]P) in the KTS samples were estimated for all target groups, with an average value of 115,902±197,229ngg−1.

In the heavily industrialized Masan Bay of southern coast, Korea, the potential harmful effects of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn, and Hg) were evaluated in terms of the pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk assessment index (ERI) methods, and the results obtained were considered alongside the health of the macrobenthic fauna communities. The results revealed that the bay sediments, especially in the inner bay and the outfall area of a sewage treatment plant, are exposed to moderate to serious levels of metal pollution. Hg and Cd contributed the most to the potential toxicity response indices in sediments recently deposited in the bay. The potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in the bay was highlighted by the use of the benthic biological pollution index (BPI), suggesting that the ERI is a useful toxicity response index, which can quantify the overall ecological risk level to a target environment.

Estuarine environments are particularly vulnerable to human impacts. In this study, trace elements in Ruppia megacarpa, Halophila ovalis, sediment and porewater were analysed to assess the potential contamination of the Leschenault Estuary, Western Australia, from a primarily agricultural drain. Sediment concentrations of Cd, Cu, Mn, and Ni and were highest nearest the drain while Al, As, Cr, Fe and Zn and were highest further from the drain. H. ovalis showed greater accumulation of Fe, Al, and As than R. megacarpa. Concentrations of Fe, Al, As, and Ni were generally higher in below-ground plant parts than above, suggesting uptake of these trace elements via the sediment-route pathway. This study suggested that the drain was a source of Cu and Mn, with these elements entering the estuary through water inflows. As and Fe, were highest furthest from the drain suggesting input of trace elements from sources other than the drain under study.

Plastic marine debris affects species on most trophic levels, including pelagic fish. While plastic debris ingestion has been investigated in planktivorous fish in the North Pacific Ocean, little knowledge exists on piscivorous fish. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of occurrence and the composition of ingested plastic marine debris in longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox), a piscivorous fish species captured in the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fishery. Nearly a quarter (47 of 192) of A. ferox sampled contained plastic marine debris, primarily in the form of plastic fragments (51.9%). No relationship existed between size (silhouette area) or amount of plastic marine debris ingested and morphometrics of A. ferox. Although A. ferox are not consumed by humans, they are common prey for fish commercially harvested for human consumption. Further research is needed to determine residence time of ingested plastic marine debris and behavior of toxins associated with plastic debris.

Estuaries are increasingly under threat from a variety of human impacts. Recreational and commercial boat traffic in urban areas may represent a significant disturbance to fish populations and have particularly adverse effects in spatially restricted systems such as estuaries. We examined the effects of passing boats on the abundance of different sized fish within the main navigation channel of an estuary using high resolution sonar (DIDSON). Both the smallest (100–300mm) and largest (>501mm) size classes had no change in their abundance following the passage of boats. However, a decrease in abundance of mid-sized fish (301–500mm) occurred following the passage of boats. This displacement may be attributed to a number of factors including noise, bubbles and the rapidly approaching object of the boat itself. In highly urbanised estuarine systems, regular displacement by boat traffic has the potential to have major negative population level effects on fish assemblages.

The halophytic shrub Halimione portulacoides demonstrates a high tolerance to heavy metal contamination and a capacity for accumulating metals within its tissues. On the Iberian Peninsula, this species has colonized habitats with high levels of metal pollution. The aim of this study is to analyze the response of H. portulacoides stem cuttings to this pollution. Growth, photosynthesis and metal uptake were examined in H. portulacoides through an experiment in which stem cuttings were replanted in metal-contaminated soil. This condition decreased growth and lowered both photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. Reduced photosynthetic performance was largely due to the reduced concentration of photosynthetic pigments. Despite these responses, there was some important evidence suggesting the phytoremediatory potential of Halimione stem cuttings. The results of our study indicate that this salt-marsh shrub may represent a biotool of value in the restoration of polluted areas.

The Bay of Bakar is one of the most heavily polluted bays at the Eastern Adriatic. Three major industrial companies potentially endanger the bay. The concentration of major, minor and trace elements in surface sediments from thirteen stations was discussed in relation to the sediment type and foraminiferal assemblages. The distribution of major elements in the bay is influenced by geological nature of surroundings. Heavy metal distribution depends on pollution sources and on amount of mud fraction: fine-grained sediments are enriched by them in comparison with coarse-grained ones. Different sediment quality criteria complicate the pollution assessment in the bay. Heavy metal concentrations generally fall into allowed depositional values for marine environments; only area in front of the coke plant and the City of Bakar harbor is heavily polluted. Stress-tolerant foraminiferal species dominate at stations with higher concentrations of heavy metals and coarse-grained sediments consist of larger number of epifaunal taxa.

Nutrient bioindicators are increasingly being recognised as a diagnostic tool for nutrient enrichment of estuarine and marine ecosystems. Few studies, however, have focused on field translocation of bioindicator organisms to detect nutrient discharge from industrial waste. The brown macroalgae, Sargassum flavicans, was investigated as a potential bioindicator of nutrient-enriched industrial effluent originating from a nickel refinery in tropical north-eastern Australia. S. flavicans was translocated to a number of nutrient enriched creek and oceanic sites over two seasons and assessed for changes in stable isotope ratios of 15N and 13C within the plant tissue in comparison to reference sites. Nutrient uptake in macroalgae, translocated to the nutrient enriched sites adjacent to the refinery, increased 3–4-fold in δ15N, compared to reference sites. Using δ15N of translocated S. flavicans proved to be a successful method for monitoring time-integrated uptake of nitrogen, given the current lack of passive sampler technology for nutrient monitoring.

To investigate fine particulate air pollution generated by public transport and its microenvironment, PM2.5 measurements and particle number counts for six particle size ranges (0.3–0.5 µm, >0.5–1.0 µm, >1.0–3.0 µm, >3.0– 5.0 µm, >5.0–10 µm and >10 µm) were obtained for four public transport modes: bus, metro–bus, car and walking. The measurements were repeated for each transport mode twice a day for 7–10 measurement days. The highest average PM2.5 concentration was measured inside a bus (106 µg/m3) during rush hours. The highest single peak measurement was a concentration of 316 µg/m3 for walking during non–rush hours. The PM2.5 level in a car with the air conditioning fan off was approximately 2.5 times lower than the level with the air conditioning fan on. Moderate correlations were found between PM2.5 concentrations and wind speed. Weak correlations were found between PM2.5 concentrations, relative humidity and temperature. The results showed that the diameters of most of the particles were smaller than 0.5 µm, regardless of the transport mode. The average fine particle number (size range 0.3–0.5) for all transport modes ranged from 54 647 to 209 746 particles/103 cm3 during rush hours and from 49 423 to 184 866 particles/103 cm3 during non–rush hours.