Large quantities of mud from the LUSI (Lumpur Sidoarjo) volcano in northeastern Java have been channeled to the sea causing high rates of sediment delivery to the mouth of the Porong River, which has a cover of natural and planted mangroves. This study investigated how the high rates of sediment delivery affected vertical accretion, surface elevation change and the growth of Avicennia sp., the dominant mangrove species in the region. During our observations in 2010–2011 (4–5years after the initial volcanic eruption), very high rates of sedimentation in the forests at the mouth of the river gave rise to high vertical accretion of over 10cmy−1. The high sedimentation rates not only resulted in reduced growth of Avicennia sp. mangrove trees at the two study sites at the Porong River mouth, but also gave rise to high soil surface elevation gains.

Animal agricultural activities can be a significant source of pollutants affecting the health of farmers and neighboring communities. The main objective of this research was to improve the air quality by reducing the interior concentrations of emitting pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and ammonia (NH3) within forced-ventilated fattening pig barns in order to improve the working conditions for human and the living conditions for animals as well as to have less impact on the surrounding environment. The mitigation techniques were a recirculating air scrubber and spraying of a water-oil mixture. The reduction efficiencies of the two mitigation techniques for PM and NH3 concentrations inside the barns were investigated. Two air scrubbers were mounted in a barn occupied with 515 pigs. A water-oil mixture spraying system with two different nozzles geometries was installed in a barn with 680 pigs. The data obtained from the mitigation system was compared with that obtained from a control barn with the same animal capacity and conditions. The results indicated that the average reduction efficiencies were 63% for total PM, 61% for PM10 and 32% for NH3. The results indicated that the average reduction efficiencies of the spraying system for the whole periods were 74% for total PM, 72% for PM10 and 19.5% for NH3 when using small nozzles and 44% for total PM, 39% for PM10 and 16% for NH3 when using large nozzles. The spraying system reduced the germs and fungal spore concentrations by 14 and 58%, respectively.

Oman contains diverse and abundant reef coral communities that extend along a coast that borders three environmentally distinct water bodies, with corals existing under unique and often stressful environmental conditions. In recent years Oman's reefs have undergone considerable change due to recurrent predatory starfish outbreaks, cyclone damage, harmful algal blooms, and other stressors. In this review we summarize current knowledge of the biology and status of corals in Oman, particularly in light of recent stressors and projected future threats, and examine current reef management practices. Oman's coral communities occur in marginal environmental conditions for reefs, and hence are quite vulnerable to anthropogenic effects. We recommend a focus on developing conservation-oriented coral research to guide proactive management and expansion of the number and size of designated protected areas in Oman, particularly those associated with critical coral habitat.

Limited information is available on mercury (Hg) levels in various shark species consumed in Korea. The methyl-Hg (Me-Hg) and total Hg concentrations in all shark species ranged from 0.08 to 4.5 (mean: 1.2) mg/kg wet weight and from 0.1 to 7.0 (mean: 1.4) mg/kg wet weight, respectively. Inter-species differences in Hg accumulation were found among the species; however, Hg accumulation was homogenous between dorsal and pectoral fins within species. The highest Hg levels were found in aggressive carnivore shark species. Trophic position was important in determining Hg accumulation for aggressive carnivore sharks. Approximately 80% of shark species exceeded the safety limits for Me-Hg established by domestic and international authorities. The mean estimated daily intake of Me-Hg (1.3μg/kg body weight/day) for Korean populations consuming various sharks was higher than the guidelines proposed by international regulatory authorities, suggesting that excessive shark fin consumption may pose potential health risks for Koreans.

This paper deals with two aspects, namely a historical analysis of the use of unmanned vehicles (UAVs ROVs, AUVs) in maritime spill incidents and a detailed description of a multi-agency oil and HNS incident response exercise involving the integration and analysis of unmanned vehicles environmental sensing equipment. The exercise was a first in terms of the level of robotic systems deployed to assist in survey, surveillance and inspection roles for oil spills and harmful and noxious substances.

Phosphorus is generally considered as the prime limiting nutrient responsible for cyanobacterial blooms. However, recent research is drawing attention to the importance of bioavailable nitrogen (N) in freshwater eutrophication. This study investigated the bioavailability of NO3−-N, NO2−-N, NH4+-N and Urea-N under different concentrations of 1.2, 3.6 and 6.0mgL−1 to Microcystis aeruginosa. Overall, Urea-N ranked the first in promoting M. aeruginosa growth, followed by NO3−-N and NO2−-N. However, the algal growth cultured in NH4+-N was depressed under test N levels. The bioavailability of N to M. aeruginosa was seriously influenced by both N forms and N concentrations (p<0.01). Total N concentrations in Urea-N treatment decreased the fastest, which were corresponding with the μ values of M. aeruginosa. The high enzymic activities of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase indicated that the decomposition process for urea is effective, which contributed in N assimilation and utilization in M. aeruginosa cells.

Contrary to the global trend, the area of mangrove in Guangdong Province, southern China, has been increasing over the last two decades. Currently, three exotic mangrove species have been introduced for large-scale afforestation since 1985. A reassessment of the overall status of the mangrove species, habitat change, population of introduced species, was conducted through a comprehensive literature review as well as field investigations covering 96 sites. The success of conservation efforts is also evaluated. Upstream and high intertidal habitats are more vulnerable than downstream and lower intertidal ones, with habitat alteration being the biggest threats. Five mangrove species have narrow distributional extents with small populations, which could incur regional extinction. With the introduced species having naturalized at 42 sites, their role in mangrove management needs to be reconsidered. These findings collectively suggest a need to manage latent species loss and habitat degradation beyond the apparent increase in mangrove area and protection.

Both cadmium and arsenic are the important metal/metalloid pollutants in the Bohai Sea. In this work, we sampled the dominant species, shrimp Crangon affinis, from three sites, the Middle of the Bohai Sea (MBS), the Yellow River Estuary (YRE) and the Laizhou Bay (LZB) along the Bohai Sea. The concentrations of metals/metalloids in shrimps C. affinis indicated that the YRE site was polluted by Cd and Pb, while the LZB site was contaminated by As. The metabolic differences between shrimps C. affinis from the reference site (MBS) and metal-pollution sites (YRE and LZB) were characterized using NMR-based metabolomics. Results indicated that the metal pollutions in YRE and LZB induced disturbances in osmotic regulation and energy metabolism via different metabolic pathways. In addition, a combination of alanine and arginine might be the biomarker of Cd contamination, while BCAAs and tyrosine could be the biomarkers of arsenic contamination in C. affinis.

In this study, we isolated two indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from tarball found in Rhu Sepuluh beach, Terengganu, Malaysia. These bacteria were identified based on their physiological characteristic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and they showed 99% similarity with Cellulosimicrobium cellulans DSM 43879 and Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 respectively. Their hydrocarbon-degrading capabilities were tested using diesel-oil as sole carbon source. Results analysed using GC–MS, showed diesel-oil alkanes were degraded an average 64.4% by C. cellulans and 58.1% by A. baumannii with medium optical density reaching 0.967 (C. cellulans) and 1.515 (A. baumannii) in minimal salt media at 32°C for 10days. Individual diesel-oil alkanes were degraded between 10%–95.4% by C. cellulans and 0.2%–95.9% by A. baumannii. Both strains utilized diesel-oil for growth. The study suggests both strains are part of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in tarball with potential for bioremediation of oil-polluted marine environment.

Recent at sea surveys of floating macro-debris in the southeast Atlantic Ocean found that debris increases in size with distance from shore, suggesting that many smaller items, which dominate litter close to urban source areas, sink before dispersing far into the ocean. We test whether this pattern is evident in beach litter in the same region. Freshly stranded beach litter was collected at increasing distances (0km, 100km, 200km and 2800km) from Cape Town, a major urban litter source. Mean size and buoyancy of litter items increased significantly with distance from Cape Town. Size-specific sedimentation due to the ballasting effect of biofouling is a plausible explanation for the disappearance of smaller, less buoyant items. Our results provide further evidence that many low buoyancy items sink and support the hypothesis that size and buoyancy are strong predictors of dispersal distance for floating debris.