Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, and hydro-biological measurements were used to detect two very severe blooms in the southern Caspian Sea in 2005 and 2010. The MERIS Cyanobacteria Index (CIMERIS) was more reliable for detecting cyanobacterial blooms. The CIMERIS and MODIS cyanobacteria indices (CIMODIS) were compared in an effort to find a reliable method for detecting future blooms, as MERIS data were not available after April 2012. The CIMODIS had a linear relationship with and similar spatial patterns to the CIMERIS. On the CIMODIS images, extremely high biomass cyanobacteria patches were masked. A comparison of classified in situ data with the CIMODIS and Floating Algal Index (FAI) from four images of a severe bloom event in 2005 showed that the FAI is a reliable index for bloom detection over extremely dense patches. The corrected CIMODIS, the MODIS FAI and in situ data are adequate tools for cyanobacterial bloom monitoring in the southern Caspian Sea.

After the first report of Undaria pinnatifida in north Portugal (between 1999 and 2007), a rapid spread of this species could be expected due to the presence of a stable population and the favourable environmental conditions proposed by distribution models. However, field surveys showed that U. pinnatifida was not present in most of the rocky shores in north Portugal. It seems that U. pinnatifida cannot outcompete native species outside of marinas in north Portugal. The only population in natural rocky shores was found in Buarcos, where this species was frequent. This study provides density data of U. pinnatifida that will be useful in the future to monitor changes on its abundance and distribution in the centre and south of Portugal.

Preliminary impact assessment of two large oil spill incidents at Bodo Creek, in the Niger Delta, was undertaken, focusing on intertidal macrozoobenthos. Post-spill number of species and abundance were measured against recent pre-spill baseline data from the same study area. Results show that surface and infauna communities suffered severe reduction in abundance and number of species reduced by 81% after the spills, with two of the resampled sites having no taxa at all. Capitella capitata populations increased several-fold over pre-spill numbers. The impact of the oil spills is discussed in relation to local livelihoods and ecosystem integrity. The Niger Delta endemic lucinid, Keletistes rhizoecus, is proposed as a potential bioindicator for monitoring hydrocarbon contamination in Niger Delta estuaries.

Changes in water clarity across the shallow continental shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef were investigated from ten years of daily river load, oceanographic and MODIS-Aqua data. Mean photic depth (i.e., the depth of 10% of surface irradiance) was related to river loads after statistical removal of wave and tidal effects. Across the ∼25,000 km2 area, photic depth was strongly related to river freshwater and phosphorus loads (R2=0.65 and 0.51, respectively). In the six wetter years, photic depth was reduced by 19.8% and below water quality guidelines for 156days, compared to 9days in the drier years. After onset of the seasonal river floods, photic depth was reduced for on average 6–8months, gradually returning to clearer baseline values. Relationships were strongest inshore and midshelf (∼12–80km from the coast), and weaker near the chronically turbid coast. The data show that reductions in river loads would measurably improve shelf water clarity, with significant ecosystem health benefits.

In order to assess the environmental quality of the Bizerte lagoon (Tunisia), biomarker and contaminant levels were measured in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from five selected sites. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were quantified in whole body and enzyme activities such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in gills. Despite the relatively low levels of organic contaminants, the selected biomarkers responded differently according to the pollution level at the different sites. GST and AChE activities were correlated with the amount of DDTs in mussel tissues. These two enzymatic activities were also correlated to temperature and pH. No significant difference was observed for CAT activity. Principal component analysis showed a clear separation of sampling sites in three different assemblages which is consistent with POP body burden in mussels. Our results confirmed the usefulness of combining biomarker and chemical analyses in mussels to assess chemical pollution in the Bizerte lagoon.

The potential impacts of underwater noise on marine mammals are widely recognised, but uncertainty over variability in baseline noise levels often constrains efforts to manage these impacts. This paper characterises natural and anthropogenic contributors to underwater noise at two sites in the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation, an important marine mammal habitat that may be exposed to increased shipping activity from proposed offshore energy developments. We aimed to establish a pre-development baseline, and to develop ship noise monitoring methods using Automatic Identification System (AIS) and time-lapse video to record trends in noise levels and shipping activity. Our results detail the noise levels currently experienced by a locally protected bottlenose dolphin population, explore the relationship between broadband sound exposure levels and the indicators proposed in response to the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and provide a ship noise assessment toolkit which can be applied in other coastal marine environments.

We assessed the effects of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) on spawning and reproductive behavior of the brackish medaka Oryzias melastigma at environmental concentrations. Breeding pairs were exposed to EE2 at either lower concentrations (0, 1, and 10ng/L) or higher concentrations (0, 50, and 100ng/L) for 14days. Swimming performance and reproductive behavior (following, dancing, and copulation) of the males were analyzed at the end of exposure. Additionally, gonad histology was conducted in the males in the higher EE2 experiment. We found that spawning was significantly inhibited in the 50–100ng/L EE2 groups. Swimming performance was not affected in all groups. Dancing and copulation were significantly suppressed in the 50–100ng/L groups. No effect was observed in testis histology in the 50–100ng/L groups. Our data suggests that reproductive behavior of O. melastigma can be utilized as a behavioral endpoint for ecotoxicology studies of endocrine disruptors in estuarine/marine environments.

A recent study demonstrated that 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) may have an adverse effect on the reproduction in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma), but the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the protein expression profiles of male and female gonads of O. melastigma exposed to dietary BDE-47 at two dosages (0.65 and 1.30μg/g/day, respectively) for 21days. Extracted proteins were labeled with iTRAQ and analyzed on a MALDI TOF/TOF analyzer, as results, 133 and 144 unique proteins were identified in testis and ovary, respective, and they exerted dose- and sex-dependent expression patterns. In testis, among the 42 differentially expressed proteins; down-regulation of histone variants and parvalbumins implicated BDE-47 may disrupt the spermatogenesis and induce sterility in fishes. In ovary, 38 proteins were differentially expressed; the elevation of vitellogenins and apolipoprotein A–I expression indicated BDE-47 acts as an estrogen-mimicking compound and led to reproductive impairment in O. melastigma.

Surface sediments were collected from five nearshore (wastewater discharges, aquaculture facilities and a seaport) sites in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay, China. The equilibrium partitioning (EqP) model and empirical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were applied to assess the potential metal toxicity in the collected sediments. The results show that, based on the EqP model, 35% of stations exhibited potential metal toxicity. Several metals (Cu, Ni and Cr) exceeded the empirical SQGs (9–93% of the time), however these guidelines may not be suitable for use in the Bohai Sea owing to the background concentrations. The EqP model is a more useful method for assessing potential metal toxicity in Bohai Sea sediment than the empirical SQGs. Additionally, we have provided new understanding about methods for assessing sediment metal toxicity in the Bohai Sea that may be useful in other coastal areas in China.

2D URANS CFD simulations were conducted to study the effect of short–time variations of wind velocity on mass transfer rate between street canyons and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). A street canyon with a height–to– width ratio (aspect ratio) of three was considered as a case study. The study is of practical interest since it illustrates a skimming flow regime, the regime where pollutants are less effectively exchanged between the canyon and the above atmosphere, typically found in many urban areas in Mediterranean countries. Short–time variations of wind velocity magnitude were simulated assuming a sinusoidal function with average magnitude = 4m s−1; amplitude ±2m s−1 and period from 1 to 40 s, and subsequently with short–time averaged (0.1 s, 1 s and 10 s) real world data measured with an ultrasonic anemometer (50Hz). Mass transfer rate between the canyon and the ABL was evaluated as the rate of reduction of spatially averaged concentration of a passive pollutant, carbon monoxide (CO), in the street canyon. Results show that mass transfer rate increases with the frequency of short–time variations. In CFD studies pertaining to pollutant dispersion in street canyons, wind hourly average velocity is usually assumed as a reference value to simulate real world cases. Our results show that this input data must be completed with additional information about the extent of variation in wind intensity and its frequency in the hour.