Sea level rise induced-salinization is lowering coastal soils productivity. In order to assess the effects that increased salinity may provoke in terrestrial plants, using as model species: Trifolium pratense, Lolium perenne, Festuca arundinacea and Vicia sativa, two specific objectives were targeted: i) to determine the sensitivity of the selected plant species to increased salinity (induced by seawater-SW or by NaCl, proposed as a surrogate of SW) and, ii) to assess the influence of salinization in total biomass under different agricultural practices (mono- or polycultures).The four plant species exhibited a higher sensitivity to NaCl than to SW. Festuca arundinacea was the most tolerant species to NaCl (EC₅₀,ₛₑₑd gₑᵣₘᵢₙₐₜᵢₒₙ and EC₅₀,gᵣₒwₜₕ of 18.6 and 10.5 mScm⁻¹, respectively). The other three species presented effective conductivities in the same order of magnitude and, in general, with 95% confidence limits overlapping. Soil moistened with SW caused no significant adverse effects on seed germination and growth of L. perenne. Similar to NaCl, the other three species, in general, presented a similar sensitivity to SW exposure with EC₅₀,ₛₑₑd gₑᵣₘᵢₙₐₜᵢₒₙ and EC₅₀,gᵣₒwₜₕ within the same order of magnitude and with confidence limits overlapping.The agricultural practice (mono-vs polyculture) showed some influence on the biomass of each plant species. When considering total productivity, for aerial and root biomass, it was higher in control comparatively to salinization conditions. Under salinization stress, the practice of polyculture was associated with a higher aerial and root total biomass than monocultures (for instance with combinations with T. pratense and F. arundinacea).Results suggest that the effects of salinity stress on total productivity may be minimized under agricultural practices of polyculture. Thus, this type of cultures should be encouraged in low-lying coastal ecosystems that are predicted to suffer from salinization caused by seawater intrusions.

This study examined the long-term trends in chemical components in PM₂.₅ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) samples collected at Lulin Atmospheric Background Station (LABS) located on the summit of Mt. Lulin (2862 m above mean sea level) in Taiwan in the western North Pacific during 2003–2018. High ambient concentrations of PM₂.₅ and its chemical components were observed during March and April every year. This enhancement was primarily associated with the long-range transport of biomass burning (BB) smoke emissions from Indochina, as revealed from cluster analysis of backward air mass trajectories. The decreasing trends in ambient concentrations of organic carbon (−0.67% yr⁻¹; p = 0.01), elemental carbon (−0.48% yr⁻¹; p = 0.18), and non–sea-salt (nss) K⁺ (−0.71% yr⁻¹; p = 0.04) during 2003–2018 indicated a declining effect of transported BB aerosol over the western North Pacific. These findings were supported by the decreasing trend in levoglucosan (−0.26% yr⁻¹; p = 0.20) during the period affected by the long-range transport of BB aerosol. However, NO₃⁻ displayed an increasing trend (0.71% yr⁻¹; p = 0.003) with considerable enhancement resulting from the air masses transported from the Asian continent. Given that the decreasing trends were for the majority of the chemical components, the columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) also demonstrated a decreasing trend (−1.04% yr⁻¹; p = 0.0001) during 2006–2018. Overall decreasing trends in ambient (carbonaceous aerosol and nss-K⁺) as well as columnar (e.g., AOD) aerosol loadings at the LABS may influence the regional climate, which warrants further investigations. This study provides an improved understanding of the long-term trends in PM₂.₅ chemical components over the western North Pacific, and the results would be highly useful in model simulations for evaluating the effects of BB transport on an area.

Oxytracycline (OTC) is a broad spectrum antibiotic authorized for use in European aquaculture. Its photo-degradation has been widely studied in synthetic aqueous solutions, sometimes resorting to expensive methods and without proven effectiveness in natural waters. Thus, this work studied the possibility to apply the solar photo-degradation for removal of OTC from marine aquaculture's waters. For that, water samples were collected at different locals of the water treatment circuit, from two different aquaculture companies. Water samples were firstly characterized regarding to pH, salinity, total suspended solids (TSS), organic carbon and UV–Vis spectroscopic characteristics. Then, the samples were spiked with OTC and irradiated using simulated sunlight in order to evaluate the matrix effects on OTC photo-degradation. From kinetic results, the apparent quantum yields and the outdoor half-life times, at 40°N for midsummer and midwinter days were estimated by the first time for these conditions. For a midsummer day, at sea level, the outdoor half-life time predicted for OTC in these aquaculture's waters ranged between 21 and 25 min. Additionally, the pH and salinity effects on the OTC photo-degradation were evaluated and it has been shown that high pH values and the presence of sea salt increase the OTC photo-degradation rate in aquaculture's waters, compared to results in deionised water. The results are very promising to apply this low-cost methodology using the natural sunlight in aquaculture's waters to remove OTC.

Coastal wetland soils serve as a great C sink or source, which highly depends on soil carbon flux affected by complex hydrology in relation to salinity. We conducted a field experiment to investigate soil respiration of three coastal wetlands with different land covers (BL: bare land; SS: Suaeda salsa; PL: Phragmites australis) from May to October in 2012 and 2013 under three groundwater tables (deeper, medium, and shallower water tables) in the Yellow River Delta of China, and to characterize the spatial and temporal changes and the primary environmental drivers of soil respiration in coastal wetlands. Our results showed that the elevated groundwater table decreased soil CO₂ emissions, and the soil respiration rates at each groundwater table exhibited seasonal and diurnal dynamics, where significant differences were observed among coastal wetlands with different groundwater tables (p < 0.05), with the average CO₂ emission of 146.52 ± 13.66 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ for deeper water table wetlands, 105.09 ± 13.48 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ for medium water table wetlands and 54.32 ± 10.02 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ for shallower water table wetlands. Compared with bare land and Suaeda salsa wetlands, higher soil respiration was observed in Phragmites australis wetlands. Generally, soil respiration was greatly affected by salinity and soil water content. There were significant correlations between groundwater tables, electrical conductivity and soil respiration (p < 0.05), indicating that soil respiration in coastal wetlands was limited by electrical conductivity and groundwater tables and soil C sink might be improved by regulating water and salt conditions. We have also observed that soil respiration and temperature showed an exponential relationship on a seasonal scale. Taking into consideration the changes in groundwater tables and salinity that might be caused by sea level rise in the context of global warming, we emphasize the importance of groundwater level and salinity in the carbon cycle process of estuarine wetlands in the future.

Salinisation of soil is associated with urban pollution, industrial development and rising sea level. Understanding how high salinity is managed at the plant cellular level is vital to increase sustainable farming output. Previous studies focus on plant stress responses under salinity tolerance. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the mechanisms involved from stress state until the recovery state; our research aims to close this gap. By using the most tolerance genotype (SS1-14) and the most susceptible genotype (SS2-18), comparative physiological, metabolome and post-harvest assessments were performed to identify the underlying mechanisms for salinity stress recovery in plant cells. The up-regulation of glutamine, asparagine and malonic acid were found in recovered-tolerant genotype, suggesting a role in the regulation of panicle branching and spikelet formation for survival. Rice could survive up to 150 mM NaCl (∼15 ds/m) with declined of production rate 5–20% ranged from tolerance to susceptible genotype. This show that rice farming may still be viable on the high saline affected area with the right selection of salt-tolerant species, including glycophytes. The salt recovery biomarkers identified in this study and the adaption underlined could be empowered to address salinity problem in rice field.

Eleven years, January 2008 to June 2019, of hourly nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels recorded at El Arenosillo observatory (Southwestern Europe) were analyzed. Annual averages ranged between 4 μg m⁻³ and 6 μg m⁻³ with peaks exceeding 40 μg m⁻³. A slight monthly variation was observed with maximum and minimum values in the cold (∼6 μg m⁻³) and warm (∼4 μg m⁻³) seasons respectively. A diurnal pattern was found with a weak amplitude (∼3 μg m⁻³). The monthly trends were investigated using surface observations and OMI (Ozone Monitoring instrument) satellite measurements. An unexpected upward trend was obtained in the last five years. The periods with elevated NO₂ concentrations in the last years were analyzed, showing an increase in its frequency and concentrations, linked with the upward trend observed. The weather conditions in these NO₂ peaks were studied using local surface meteorology, mean sea level pressure and wind fields from the data reanalysis of ERA5. The transport of NO₂ was explored using TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) measurements. The events occurred under conditions governed by high-pressure systems, which induced weak synoptic airflows or the development of mesoscale processes. Four scenarios of NO₂ transport were identified, associated with weak synoptic flows from inland or Southern Portugal and with mesoscale processes. The gulf of Cadiz plays an important role as a reservoir where the NO₂ coming from the south of Portugal, the Western Mediterranean Basin and urban-industrial areas can be accumulated and later transported inland. A strong correlation was found between the increase of NO₂ observed in the last years and positive anomalies of the temperature and geopotential height at 850 and 500 hPa levels. These findings could indicate that the causes of the changes in the NO₂ would be attributed to alterations in the weather patterns associated with a warmer climate.

More than 35 million people in coastal Bangladesh are vulnerable to increasing freshwater salinization. This will continue to affect more people and to a greater extent as climate change projections are realised in this area in the future. However the evidence for health effects of consuming high salinity water is limited. This research examined the association between drinking water salinity and blood pressure in young adults in coastal Bangladesh. We conducted a cross-sectional study during May-June 2014 in a rural coastal sub-district of Bangladesh. Data on blood pressure (BP) and salinity of potable water sources was collected from 253 participants aged 19–25 years. A linear regression method was used to examine the association between water salinity exposure categories and systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) level. Sixty five percent of the study population were exposed to highly saline drinking water above the Bangladesh standard (600 mg/L and above). Multivariable linear regression analyses identified that compared to the low water salinity exposure category (<600 mg/L), those in the high water salinity category (>600 mg/L), had statistically significantly higher SBP (B 3.46, 95% CI 0.75, 6.17; p = 0.01) and DBP (B 2.77, 95% CI 0.31, 5.24; p = 0.03). Our research shows that elevated salinity in drinking water is associated with higher BP in young coastal populations. Blood pressure is an important risk factor of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Given the extent of salinization of freshwater in many low-lying countries including in Bangladesh, and the likely exacerbation related to climate change-induced sea level rise, implementation of preventative strategies through dietary interventions along with promotion of low saline drinking water must be a priority in these settings.

Surface carbon dioxide concentrations were measured using a non-dispersive infrared carbon dioxide sensor at Lampang Rajabhat University from April to May 2013 and at the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus starting September 2013. Factors influencing the variations in these measurements were determined using multiple linear regression and a Lagrangian transport model. Air temperature and sea level pressure were the dominant meteorological factors that affect the CO2 variations. However, these factors are not enough. Surface CO2 flux and transboundary transport needs to be considered as well.

The present study aimed to reveal correlations between environmental events and geochemistry variation and ecological risks of the coastal Tajan River. Sediment quality indices (Cf, Cd, Er, and RI) were applied to achieve the research objectives based on the concentration of toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn). The probably effective level is based on the concentration of As, Cr, and Ni observed. The coastal zone and the urban sector of the river have experienced a moderate ecological risk since 1975, especially during wet seasons (1988–1997) with a mean sedimentation rate of 2 cm/year. A significant correlation (r=0.439–0.633, p-values < 0.0001) between the toxic metal concentration and the Caspian Sea level fluctuation was obtained. The lowest concentration of toxic metals coincided with the high stand water level. Management practices recommend controlling toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni, Cr, Pb) from the sources and dredging of retention pounds along the Tajan River.

In Small Island Developing States (SIDS), water pollution is not monitored or assessed frequently enough to fully understand the processes, impacts of water quality issues and what solutions are available This study investigated flushing time in Erakor lagoon and Port Vila Bay, Vanuatu using a numerical model developed in Delft3D. Microbial contamination by Escherichia coli was detected in multiple locations in the lagoon system with counts exceeding thresholds related to human health concerns. Modelling demonstrated a poor flushing time overall with a further decrease as the influence of waves and wind increased, especially in Vila Bay. Sea level rise resulted in an increase in flushing time downstream of the lagoon near the open sea, while with a decrease upstream and in Vila Bay. Based on these results, we recommend long-term continuous monitoring and identification of higher risks areas to prioritise decisions around wastewater management.