Surface sediments (n=17) were collected from 6 sites located in the coasts of the Bushehr Peninsula. ∑16PAH concentrations were in the range of 285.9–1288ngg−1 dw and the sediments were moderately polluted. Py, Ph, B(a)A and Flu showed >70% of the detected values in order of the mentioned rank. 4-ring PAHs were the dominant compounds and the molecular ratios presented the dominant pyrolytic source. The toxicity of PAHs for sediment dwelling life was averagely equivalent to occurrence of 0.08ngg−1 of Dioxin in dw of the examined sediments. The evaluated narcotic potential (confidence level of 99%) was 0.027–3.04 and upper part of the Bushehr Peninsula, where the human population is more concentrated, showed more narcotic potential. ∑n-alkane concentrations (n-C15−n-C32) were in the range of 3.10–35.6μgg−1 dw. The dominant distribution of even carbon number n-alkanes was traced back to a possibly autochthonous source.

The effect of multiple stressors on marine ecosystems is poorly understood. To partially bridge this knowledge gap we investigated the relative contribution of environmental variables to density and diversity dynamics of the zooplankton community in the Belgian part of the North Sea. We applied multimodel inference on generalized additive models to quantify the relative contribution of chlorophyll a, temperature, nutrients, salinity and anthropogenic chemicals (i.e. polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to the dynamics of calanoid copepod species in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Temperature was the only predictor consistently showing a high importance in all models predicting the abundances of the selected copepod species. The relative contribution of other predictors was species-dependent. Anthropogenic chemicals were important predictors for three out of six species indicating that chemical mixtures at low concentrations should not be left unattended when performing risk assessments in a natural environment.

Whether considered as a risk for human health or as ecological tracers, contaminants' concentrations measured in fish muscles are commonly expressed relative to wet or dry mass. Comparison of results required conversion factors (CF) but accurate values are scarce and case-specific. The present paper is aimed at investigating errors linked with the use of the theoretical value. Muscles dry and wet masses were measured in 15 fish species to determine the actual CF. Most CF were lower than the theoretical wet:dry ratio of 5 classically used, with variations at individual and species level. Muscle lipid content (inferred by C/N ratios) was a crucial factor explaining discrepancies, claiming for caution when working with lipid-rich species. The observed variability demonstrated that using the theoretical CF may be inaccurate, when actual CF largely differs from the theoretical value. Dedicated measurement is the better approach when accuracy is required.

Migration and dispersal can expose wildlife to threats in different parts of their range, particularly for localized anthropogenic threats. Wildlife exposure to metal contaminants may correlate with local anthropogenic emissions. Feather mercury concentrations of adult and juvenile Lesser Frigatebirds (Fregata ariel) and Great Frigatebirds (F. minor) were determined for individuals breeding in the eastern Indian Ocean. Low mercury concentration in juveniles relative to adults, higher mercury concentration in adult females than adult males, and a trend for Lesser Frigatebirds to have higher mercury concentration than Great Frigatebirds implicate non-breeding ground exposure as the major influence on mercury burden. Aspects of foraging ecology are congruent with high exposure occurring in inshore waters of the non-breeding range, particularly in the South China Sea. These findings highlight the need for tighter mercury emission regulations in southeast Asia to minimise the potential threat to frigatebirds and other species dependent on marine resources including humans.

This study aimed to investigate heavy metals content of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in surface sediments of Chabahar Bay. Sediment samples were taken from 13 stations and then analyzed. The concentration of Hg, Pb, Cd and As ranged between 0.06 and 0.14ppm, 8 and 23ppm, 0.05 and 0.9ppm and 5 and 22ppm, respectively. Arsenic content was more than ERL at some stations. Statistical analyses indicated critical importance of organic matter and mud in metal dispersion. Also, positive correlation of Al with Pb, Hg and Cd probably implies their terrestrial origination. Average enrichment factor of Hg, Pb, Cd and As were 2.67±0.95, 0.77±0.28, 6.56±9.9, and 7.53±3.44, respectively. Most stations were classified as moderately polluted and non-polluted sites.

The coastal plain of the middle estuary of the Río de la Plata is a highly industrialized area and is densely populated by sectors. The main human activity in the sector encompassed between the cities of Ensenada and Berisso is associated with the petrochemical industry. In this work, hydrogeochemical and isotopic characteristics of surface and groundwater in the impacted area are analyzed and the results are contrasted with those obtained in an undisturbed protected area. Major and trace elements were determined using standardized methods while the stable isotopes δ18O y δ2H were analyzed by mass spectroscopy. Human impact is evidenced by the occurrence of large variations in the major chemical composition of water, and also by the elevated concentrations of some trace elements that are not contributed from natural sources. These results may contribute to the understanding of chemical processes and pollutants distribution in highly industrialized coastal plain areas.

Particulate matter is potentially harmful to human health but green tree species act as air filters to adhere these particulates. The elemental composition, number density, and size fractions of particles on leaf surfaces of 14 urban green from Xizhimen overpass and the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing, China were examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry. Particles that accumulated on leaves were comprised mainly of C, O, Si, Ca, Fe, and Pb. The number density of particles was 50,961.5 mm−2, and 52.9% and 25% of the particles were submicron (<1 μm) and fine (<2.5 μm), respectively. The densities and size fractions of the particles deposited on the adaxial and abaxial side of leaves were significantly different, and 24% of the particles were deposited on the abaxial side of leaves. The densities of the particles in four size fractions differed significantly among the species at the two sampling sites. Salix matsudana, Euonymus japonicus, Magnolia denudate, Sophora japonica, Amygdalus persica, and Salix babylonica efficiently captured all particle sizes on their leaf surfaces. S. matsudana, E. japonicus, M. denudate, S. japonica, Fraxinus chinensis, and Ginkgo biloba efficiently captured submicron and fine particles, which can have serious effects on human health. These differences among species provide more insight into the sink capacity of green tree species, and the efficiencies of plant species for trapping particulates can be used to guide urban tree planning and decrease air pollution.

A weak acid extraction was used to mobilize the loosely bound metals in estuary sediment samples. More than 30% of Ag, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn Ni, Pb and Zn were leached from the sediment showing that these metals are significantly present in the bioavailable form. PCA/APCS identified three sources of the metals, namely: lithogenic accounting for 72%, shipping related contributing 15% and traffic related representing 13% of the total load. Application of pollution index (PI) and modified pollution index (MPI) revealed that the sediment range from unpolluted to heavily polluted while ecological risk index (RI) classifies the sediment as posing low ecological risk modified ecological risk index (MRI) suggests considerable to very high ecological risk. To provide holistic insights into the ecological risks posed by metals, enrichment factor, MPI and MRI are recommended for the assessment of sediment in complex environments such as estuaries.

This study evaluated the management of plastic wastes at 20 Brazilian maritime ports, from three sources: vessels, leased and non-leased areas. The data were obtained from documents on port wastes organized in a relational database with defined protocols (closed form). Analysis of the spreadsheets prepared and field visits revealed that the main bottleneck in managing plastic wastes at ports is their segregation. In general, more material is segregated and sent for recycling from leased areas than non-leased ones (administered by the government). This relatively better performance in managing the wastes generated in leased areas is probably due to the need for private operators to comply with the international standards such as the Code of Environmental Practice to satisfy the international market.

In this article, we investigated the effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound (US), temperature and salinity on cleaning efficacy of fine bubbles with diameter <50μm for diesel contaminated sands. About 47% and 76% diesel removal was achieved from 10% (w/w) diesel contaminated fine and medium sands respectively, after 30min treatment with 40kHz low intensity intermittent pulsed US together with MBs in contrast to 41% and 68% diesel removal while treatment with MBs alone. The effect of high temperature was found to be prominent during the initial stages of cleaning. In addition, MBs generated in 599mM saline water efficiently removed 85% diesel from fine sand within 30min in contrast to only 41% diesel removal with MBs in fresh water. This study provides evidence for developing highly efficient MBs based chemical free technology for diesel contaminated sediments.