Caribbean reef corals have declined sharply since the 1980s, but the lack of prior baseline data has hindered identification of drivers of change. To assess anthropogenic change in reef environments over the past century, we tracked the composition of subfossil assemblages of bivalve and gastropod mollusks excavated from pits below lagoonal and offshore reefs in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The higher prevalence of (a) infaunal suspension-feeding bivalves and herbivorous and omnivorous gastropods in lagoons and (b) epifaunal and suspension-feeding bivalves and carnivorous and suspension-feeding gastropods offshore reflected the greater influence of land-based nutrients/sediments within lagoons. Temporal changes indicated deteriorating environmental conditions pre-1960 in lagoons and post-1960 offshore, with offshore communities becoming more similar to lagoonal ones since 1960. Relative abundances of dominant bivalve species tracked those of their coral hosts, revealing broader ecosystem effects of coral community change. The nature and timing of changes implicate land-based runoff in reef deterioration.

Surface sediments from the intertidal zone of the southwestern Laizhou Bay were analyzed for heavy metals to seek their concentrations, distributions, pollution status, potential ecological risks and possible sources. The concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were in the ranges of 4.65–9.65, 0.11–0.28, 25.85–42.75, 7.57–21.29, 0.022–0.054, 12.85–25.35, 9.65–17.65 and 38.22–73.81μgg−1 dry sediment weight, respectively. Cd and Hg presented a status of no pollution to moderate pollution and moderate to considerable potential ecological risks; they were enriched to some extent at some sampling stations, while the other studied metals were not. The combined effects of the studied metals in the sediments made them have a 21% probability of being toxic to biota. The results indicated that As, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb were mainly from natural contribution, while a significant portion of Cd and Hg was likely from anthropogenic discharges in addition to natural inputs.

Although considered pristine, Antarctica has not been impervious to hydrocarbon pollution. Antarctica’s history is peppered with oil spills and numerous abandoned waste disposal sites. Both spill events and constant leakages contribute to previous and current sources of pollution into marine sediments. Here we compare the response of the benthic diatom communities over 5years to exposure to a commonly used standard synthetic lubricant oil, an alternative lubricant marketed as more biodegradable, in comparison to a control treatment. Community composition varied significantly over time and between treatments with some high variability within contaminated treatments suggesting community stress. Both lubricants showed evidence of significant effects on community composition after 5years even though total petroleum hydrocarbon reduction reached approximately 80% over this time period. It appears that even after 5years toxicity remains high for both the standard and biodegradable lubricants revealing the temporal scale at which pollutants persist in Antarctica.

The removal of ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−), and phosphate (PO4−3) in a closed silvofishery system was examined using three mangrove species (i.e., Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle). Specifically, six closed tanks were installed for this experiment with a population of 60 Dormitator latifrons fishes per tank. We planted 40 seedlings in each of three experimental tanks separated by species, while the remaining tanks were used as control. During 15weeks, nutrient concentrations among the three mangrove systems presented no significant differences (P>0.05). However, nutrient removal variability was minimum during the last 2–5weeks. Mangroves presented an average efficiency of 63% for the removal of NH4+ and NO2−. Contrary, the average removal potential of NO3− and PO4−3 was 50%. Results from this study suggest that the three mangrove species could be used in a closed silvofishery systems for the biological removal of NH4+, NO2−, NO3−, and PO4−3.

Changes in sediment input to marine systems can influence benthic environments in many ways. Sponges are important components of benthic ecosystems world-wide and as sessile suspension feeders are likely to be impacted by changes in sediment levels. Despite this, little is known about how sponges respond to changes in settled and suspended sediment. Here we review the known impacts of sedimentation on sponges and their adaptive capabilities, whilst highlighting gaps in our understanding of sediment impacts on sponges. Although the literature clearly shows that sponges are influenced by sediment in a variety of ways, most studies confer that sponges are able to tolerate, and in some cases thrive, in sedimented environments. Critical gaps exist in our understanding of the physiological responses of sponges to sediment, adaptive mechanisms, tolerance limits, and the particularly the effect of sediment on early life history stages.

Concentration of toxic cyanobacteria blooms on the downwind shore of high recreational amenity water bodies with largely increases the risk of exposure to cyanotoxins. In this study analysis of phytoplankton structure, cyanotoxin composition and concentration was performed on cyanobacteria scum material, high- and low-density bloom samples in the Curonian Lagoon. We found that the concentration of cyanotoxins in the scum material increased from ∼30 to ∼300-fold compared to bloom samples. In Microcystis aeruginosa dominated samples microcystin-LR was present at the highest concentration, while the dominance of Planktothrix agardhii was associated with the occurrence of dmMC-RR as the major microcystin variant. The toxicological potential of cyanobacterial scums in the Curonian Lagoon is emphasized, and management by removal of these scums is proposed.

In order to evaluate the spatial distribution and potential ecological risk of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Hg, the surface sediments were collected from 18 sites in the Shuangtaizi estuary. The concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Hg were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry after digestion. The particle sizes of the sediments were analyzed using a laser diffraction particle size analyzer. The results show that the heavy metal contents in the sediments are observed in the following order: Zn (18.25–126.75mg/kg)>Pb (4.38–9.65mg/kg)>Cu (1.80–17.68mg/kg)>Cd (0.241–0.764mg/kg)>Hg (0.007–0.021mg/kg). In comparison with the concentrations of heavy metals in other regions, the concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Zn in the Shuangtaizi estuary are generally low, and the Cd concentrations are close to those reported in other regions. Both the potential ecological risk index and the geoaccumulation index reveal that the heavy metal pollution in Shuangtaizi estuary is mainly dominated by Cd.

Bioavailability of petroleum substances is a complex issue that is affected by substance composition, the physicochemical properties of the individual constituents, and the exposure preparation system. The present study applies mechanistic fate and effects models to characterize the role of droplet oil on dissolved exposure and predicted effects from both neat and weathered crude oils, and refined fuel oils. The main effect from droplet oil is input of additional dissolved hydrocarbons to the exposure system following preparation of the initial stock solution. Toxicity was characterized using toxic units (TU) and shows that replenishment of bioavailable hydrocarbons by droplets in toxicity tests with low droplet content (e.g., <1mg/L) is negligible, consistent with typical exposure conditions following open ocean oil spills. Further, the use of volumetric exposure metrics (e.g., mg/L) introduces considerable variability and the bioavailability-based metrics (e.g., TUs) provide a more consistent basis for understanding oil toxicity data.

Investigations carried out on surface sediments collected from the Anaximander mud volcanoes in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to determine sedimentary and geochemical properties. The sediment grain size distribution and geochemical contents were determined by grain size analysis, organic carbon, carbonate contents and element analysis. The results of element contents were compared to background levels of Earth’s crust. The factors that affect element distribution in sediments were calculated by the nine push core samples taken from the surface of mud volcanoes by the E/V Nautilus. The grain size of the samples varies from sand to sandy silt. Enrichment and Contamination factor analysis showed that these analyses can also be used to evaluate of deep sea environmental and source parameters. It is concluded that the biological and cold seep effects are the main drivers of surface sediment characteristics from the Anaximander mud volcanoes.

An integrated approach for the assessment of coastal sediment quality was utilised in three areas of Sardinia (Western Mediterranean, Italy). Sediments were analysed for trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while benthic foraminifera were used as bioindicators. Furthermore, the embryo-toxicity test was used to provide ecologically relevant information using rapid and cost-effective screening tools. The aim was to evaluate the usefulness of coupling different analytical tools. The results revealed the presence of polluted sediments in areas exposed to petrochemical industries, smelters or military settlements. However, while foraminifera have presented similar indications for chemical analysis of contamination levels in the different areas, the toxicity test exhibited a poor relationship with the contaminants measured individually. The results raise questions concerning the bioavailability of contaminants released by sediments in the water column. Overall, the toxicity rate was significant in many samples in comparison with other sites studied in other Mediterranean regions.