Sediment samples were collected from two Hawai'ian beaches, Kahuku Beach on O'ahu and Kamilo Beach on the Big Island of Hawai'i. A total of 48,988 large microplastic and small mesoplastic (0.5–8mm) particles were handpicked from the samples and sorted into four size classes (0.5–1mm, 1–2mm, 2–4mm, 4–8mm) and nine color categories. For all sizes combined the most common plastic fragment color was white/transparent (71.8%) followed by blue (8.5%), green (7.5%), black/grey (7.3%), red/pink (2.6%), yellow (1.2%), orange (0.6%), brown (0.3%) and purple (0.2%). Color frequency distribution based on both numbers and mass of particles was not significantly different among the various size classes nor between the two beaches. White and black/grey resin pellets accounted for 11.3% of the particles collected from Kahuku Beach and 4.2% of the particles from Kamilo Beach. Plastic type based on Raman Spectrometer analysis of a small representative subsample indicated that most of the fragments were polyethylene and a few were polypropylene.

In this study, Reverse phase dispersive liquid–liquid micro extraction (RP-DLLME) technique have been successfully developed to preconcentrate trace amount of phenol from sediment samples as a prior step to its derivatization with 4-aminoantipyrine and enhanced determination by UV–Vis spectrophotometry after primary ultrasonic extraction. In this procedure, 50μL 0.7M NaOH solution was chosen as extraction solvent and other factors including pH, extraction time, concentration of 4-aminoantipyrine, type and volume of dispersive solvents were optimized. Under selected conditions, the limit of detection, the linearity range, relative standard deviation and enrichment factor of method were obtained 15μg·kg−1, 50–1800μg·kg−1, 4.8% (n=10) and 33, respectively. Finally, using the high sensitivity, low organic solvent consumption and waste generation method, total phenol content in marine sediments from several locations in Chabahar Bay (southeast Iran) was estimated at 55.8–73.2μg·kg−1.

Green tides have occurred in Qingdao coast in China for seven consecutive years from 2007 to 2013. To provide information on the genetic structure of these blooms, 210 free-floating green algae samples isolated from the green tide in Qingdao coast on June 19, 2013 were identified based on the ITS, rbcL and 5S sequence, and genetic diversity was investigated by microsatellite markers. According to ITS, rbcL and 5S sequence, all the 210 samples belonged to Ulva prolifera. Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon index estimated using eight microsatellite markers indicated that the genetic diversity of U. prolifera population within Qingdao's green bloom in 2013 was low. Taking into account previous reports about life history and physiology of U. prolifera, we proposed that the limited origin area of the free-floating biomass and asexual reproduction of U. prolifera might be responsible for the lower diversity of free floating U. prolifera.

Multiple household-related driving factors of residential direct carbon emissions (RDCE) in China at regional level have not yet been sufficiently addressed or quantified. In this paper, a logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) decomposition analysis was employed to examine the factors (e.g., the number of households, per capita household income, household size, urbanization, energy intensity, energy structure and emission coefficient) impacting the changes in RDCE in Shanxi province of China from 1995 to 2014. The results showed that the increase in RDCE mainly attributed to the growing per capita household income and the increasing number of households. Additionally, the expansion of urbanization also contributed marginally to the increase in emissions. However, the shrinking household size was a main inhibitory factor and the decline in energy intensity was also responsible for the diminishing emissions. Based on the results, four emission reduction measures and strategies were identified: (i) using market economic mechanism to regulate household consumption behaviors towards environment protection and low carbon development, as well as encouraging the use of energy-efficiency domestic appliances and less energy-intensive lifestyles; (ii) setting strict divorce processes to lower divorce rates and encouraging people to live with their children and parents; (iii) realizing green transformation development of urbanization; (iv) promoting a shift to renewable and clean energy in people's daily life and power generation, e.g., wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and biogas.

Sea surface concentrations of plastics and their fluxes onto coastlines are simulated over 2009–2015. Calculations incorporate combinations of terrestrial and maritime litter inputs, the Lagrangian model MEDSLIK-II forced by AFS ocean current simulations, and ECMWF wind analyses. With a relatively short particle half-life of 43.7days, the Adriatic Sea is defined as a highly dissipative basin where the shoreline is, by construction, the main sink of floating debris. Our model results show that the coastline of the Po Delta receives a plastic flux of approximately 70kg(kmday)-1. The most polluted sea surface area (>10gkm-2 floating debris) is represented by an elongated band shifted to the Italian coastline and narrowed from northwest to southeast. Evident seasonality is found in the calculated plastic concentration fields and the coastline fluxes. Complex source–receptor relationships among the basin's subregions are quantified in impact matrices.

This study aimed to investigate microbial responses to nitrate stimulation in oiled mangrove mesocosm. Both supplementary oil and nitrate changed the water and sediment chemical properties contributing to the shift of microbial communities. Denitrifying genes nirS and nirK were increased several times by the interaction of oil spiking and nitrate addition. Bacterial chao1 was reduced by oil spiking and further by nitrate stimulation, whereas archaeal chao1 was only inhibited by oil pollution on early time. Sampling depth explained most of variation and significantly impacted bacterial and archaeal communities, while oil pollution only significantly impacted bacterial communities (p<0.05). Despite explaining less variation, nitrate addition coupled with oil spiking enhanced the growth of hydrocarbon degraders in mangrove. The findings demonstrate the impacts of environmental factors and their interactions in shaping microbial communities during nitrate stimulation. Our study suggests introducing genera Desulfotignum and Marinobacter into oiled mangrove for bioaugmentation.

Crude oil released from the Deepwater Horizon disaster into the Gulf of Mexico posed potential impacts to infaunal invertebrates inhabiting near shore habitats. The effects of sediment-associated weathered slick oil on the amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus was assessed using 28-d exposures to total PAH sediment concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 24mg/kg (sum of 50 PAHs or tPAH50). Survival and growth rate were significantly decreased in the 2.6, 11.4 and 24.2mg/kg treatments, but only growth in 5.5mg/kg. Offspring production was dramatically decreased but was variable and significantly different only for 24.2mg/kg. The concentrations associated with 20% decreases relative to reference were 1.05 (95% CI=0–2.89) mg/kg tPAH50 for growth rate and 0.632 (95% CI=0.11–2.15) mg/kg tPAH50 for offspring production. The concentrations of PAHs affecting amphipods are within the range of concentrations measured in marsh areas reportedly impacted by DWH oil after its release.

The Benthic Quality Index, BQI, is widely used for benthic quality assessment. Here, we investigated if spatial variation in the BQI can be reduced by accounting for the environmental factors instead of having different boundaries for different salinity regimes between status classes in the EU Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. For this purpose we tested salinity, sediment structure, and depth in a regression model to test their contribution to variations in BQI. The spatial variation in BQI was better explained by depth than by salinity or sediment structure. The proposed assessment method uses the residuals from the regression model between BQI and depth. With this method the variance in BQI between samples was reduced by 50% to 75% in the majority of situations. A method to establish the boundary between good and moderate status and how to derive EQR-values according to the WFD is presented.

δ15N of annual (Ulva sp., Porphyra sp.) and perennial intertidal seaweed species (Chondrus crispus, Fucus sp.) collected on 17 sampling points along the French coast of the English Channel in 2012 and 2013 were assessed on their suitability as bioindicators of N pollution in coastal areas. A sine function applied for δ15N time series data showed for all the species the same seasonal trend with lowest δ15N values in April and highest in summer but with no significant interspecific differences of amplitude (α) and phase angle (ϕ). This model provides a useful tool for monitoring the inter-annual changes of N pollution. An interspecific variability of δ15N values was observed, probably due to their tolerance to emersion. An in vitro study for comparing the kinetic acquisition of the isotopic signal and N uptake mechanisms of each species underlined the influence of algal physiology on the δ15N interspecific variability.

At present, significant adverse hydrocarbon influence on the Pribilof Island rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis ptilocnemis) is unlikely. Almost the entire population overwinters in Cook Inlet and breeds on four Bering Sea islands. Passive samplers deployed several times in a three year period and corresponding sediment and soft tissue samples on St. Paul Island and in Cook Inlet generally accumulated small quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Composition was consistent with oil in <15% of the passive samplers and rarely in soft tissue. Total PAH concentrations in corresponding sediment were very low (<42ng/g dry weight); composition was consistent with oil in 39% of these samples and biomarker composition confirmed this on St. Paul Island. However, composition was dominated by normal alkanes from natural sources.