Identifying terrestrial sources of debris is essential to suppress the flow of plastic to the ocean. Here, we report a novel source of debris to the marine environment. From May 2016 to June 2018, we collected golf balls from coastal environments associated with five courses in Carmel, California. Our 75 collections recovered 39,602 balls from intertidal and nearshore environments adjacent to, or downriver from, the golf courses. Combining our collections with concurrent efforts of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Pebble Beach Corporation, we report the retrieval of 50,681 balls, totaling approximately 2.5 tons of debris. We also examined decomposition patterns in the collected balls, which illustrate that degradation and loss of microplastic from golf balls to the marine environment may be of concern. Our findings will help to develop and direct mitigation procedures for this region and others with coastal golf courses.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is one of the most important sources of pollution in fluvial systems and can enrich rivers in dissolved and suspended metals of environmental concern. Colloidal particles may favour the transport of metals to the sea, where metals can be accumulated in bottom sediments.The aim of this paper was to evaluate the mobility of metals in the “Baia delle Favole” bottom sediments (Sestri Levante, Italy), which receive the input of the AMD impacted Gromolo Torrent, using chemical speciation (BCR sequential extraction).Basing on the Risk Assessment Code (RAC), our results showed a systematic and widespread high risk classification for Mn, whereas a medium risk is associated to Co, Cu, and Zn in the sediments collected near the mouth of the Gromolo Torrent. Moreover, in these sediments the occurrence of Fe oxyhydroxides has been observed, reflecting an increase of metals in the reducible fraction obtained with BCR.

Surface sediments (n = 35) and a core sample around Pars Special Economic Energy Zone were analyzed to address spatiotemporal variations of heavy metals. Enrichment factors classified the elements as: (1) poorly enriched, geogenic elements (Co, Cr, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Ti, and V), (2) minimal enriched elements (Zn and Mg), (3) moderately enriched elements (Ag, Cd, Pb, Se, and Sr), and (4) significantly enriched element (As and Hg). The core profile showed that As, Hg, Ag, and Cd had considerable anthropogenic inventories. Arsenic levels were continuously increasing toward the top of the core and sedimentary cycling was not an effective factor on its enrichment. Pollution load index classified the area as a severely affected region and Risk Index values suggested that 57% of the sediments had a moderate potential risks. The mapping techniques proposed a polluted and hazardous patch at the entrance and center part of the Nayband Bay.

The toxic equivalences (TEQs) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from sediment of aquatic systems in Durban, South Africa were determined in two ways: 1) TEQs of PAHs and PCBs were determined by instrumental analyses and converted to 2,3,7,8‑tetrachlorodibenzo‑para‑dioxin equivalence (TCDDeq). 2) Bioassay equivalences (BEQs) of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands were analysed using the H4IIE-luc bioassay. TEQs of PCBs ranged from below limit of detection (<LOD) to 57 pg TCDDeq·g⁻¹ while PAHs ranged from <LOD to 790 pg TCDDeq·g⁻¹. BEQs were 100- to 1000-fold greater than TEQs. Potency-balance revealed <10% of the BEQs were explained by instrumentally analysed compounds. Sediment quality guidelines indicated di minimis risk relating to TEQs, however had potential risk due to BEQs. The results reveal that far more AhR ligands were present in the sediments than what was instrumentally analysed and capable of causing AhR-mediated toxicity.

This study aims at quantifying and characterising microplastics (MP) distribution in the water column of the NW Mediterranean Sea as well as MP ingestion by the 2 main planktivorous fish of the area, sardine and anchovy.Debris of similar sizes were found in all water column samples and in all but 2 fish guts (out of 169). MP were found in 93% of water column samples with an average concentration of 0.23 ± 0.20 MP·m⁻³, but in only 12% of sardines (0.20 ± 0.69 MP·ind⁻¹) and 11% of anchovies (0.11 ± 0.31 MP·ind⁻¹). Fibres were the only shape of MP encountered and polyethylene terephthalate was the main polymer identified in water columns (61%), sardines (71%) and anchovies (89%).This study confirms the ubiquity of MP in the Mediterranean Sea and imparts low occurrence in fish digestive tracts.

Microplastics are small (<5mm) fragments of plastic debris that are ubiquitous in coastal areas and in open ocean. We have investigated the occurrence and composition of microplastics in beach sediments from the micro-tidal Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Samples were collected on two beaches (northern and southern site) of the western Gulf of Lion showing markedly different characteristics. Sampling was performed along depositional lower, mid and upper beaches and repeated after 1month. Concentrations of microplastics in the northern and southern site were highly variable, ranging from 33 to 798 and from 12 to 187 microplastics per kg of dry sediment, respectively. Highest concentrations were found at three specific locations: nearby a local river mouth, within an accretionary area and in a depositional upper beach. The spatial and temporal distribution of beached microplastics seems to be directly dependent on external forcing such as wind, swell, precipitation, outflow and river mouth proximity.

We monitored the post-release survival of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) rehabilitated after the 2011 C/V Rena oil spill in New Zealand to assess the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process. Surveys were conducted over a 23-month period after the spill to assess whether survival differed between rehabilitated and control penguins. Survival probabilities from mark-recapture analyses were lower for both oiled and control penguins in the first six months of the study (monthly probability 0.92) but increased and remained high thereafter (monthly probabilities 0.97–1.0). Importantly, survival did not differ significantly between oiled and control birds throughout the study. Post-release survival of rehabilitated birds was not influenced by the degree of oiling, body mass (at admission or release), blood parameters (admission packed cell volume, total protein or blood glucose) or the duration of captivity. Rehabilitation therefore appeared to successfully reverse the negative effects of oiling on the post-release survival of treated penguins.

Ocean acidification is known to affect primary producers differentially in terms of species and environmental conditions, with controversial results obtained under different experimental setups. In this work we examined the physiological performances of the coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica that had been acclimated to 1000 μatm CO₂ for ~400 generations, and then exposed to multiple drivers, light intensity, light fluctuating frequency, temperature and UV radiation. Here, we show that increasing light intensity resulted in higher non-photochemical quenching and the effective absorption cross-section of PSII. The effective photochemical efficiency (Fv′/Fm′) decreased with increased levels of light, which was counterbalanced by fluctuating light regimes. The greenhouse condition acts synergistically with decreasing fluctuating light frequency to increase the Fv′/Fm′ and photosynthetic carbon fixation rate. Our data suggest that the coccolithophorid would be more stressed with increased exposures to solar UV irradiances, though its photosynthetic carbon fixation could be enhanced under the greenhouse condition.

We present a study of small microplastic particles (S-MPPs) in the sediments of mangrove ecosystem of Khor-e- Khoran, a Ramsar site in Iran. The spatial distribution of S-MPPs (<1 mm) in mangrove surface sediments were investigated, which provided new insights into the detection and composition of S-MPPs in the study area. S-MPPs were extracted via the air-induced overflow (AIO) extraction procedure, and then they were counted and categorized according to the particle shape, color and size. The mean number of S-MPPs at the five sampling sites ranged from 19.5 to 34.5 particles per kg dry sediment in Bandar Gelkan and Bandar Lengeh, respectively. In general, microfibres followed by fragments were the most common type of S-MPPs isolated in each site (>56% and ~35%, respectively). Sewage discharge is probably the main source of extracted fibres in almost all the sites. The observed S-MPPs were classified into two size groups (10–300 μm and 300–1000 μm). The majority of S-MPPs fell into the smallest size group which accounted for 70–97% of the total S-MPPs. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of some subsamples showed that polyethylene (PE) was the most common recovered polymer. Some non-plastic particles were also isolated from plastic-like particles of suspected S-MPPs in the mangrove sediments using a Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM). This study provided the first evidence of S-MPPs contamination in the mangroves of the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. Long-term studies are required to understand, monitor and prevent further microplastics pollution in the region.

This study investigated the role of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and an abandoned coastal landfill as pathways for microplastics (MPs) input into the marine environment. MPs were first analyzed in raw sewage influent, sludge and effluent samples, and their fate was studied along a distance gradient from the WWTP in three matrices: surface water, sediments and wild mussels. All suspected MPs were characterized according to their polymer nature using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The investigated WWTP had an estimated daily discharge of 227 million MPs. MPs were found in all matrices with a decreasing abundance from the effluent. Strong MPs abundances (higher than those found near the WWTP effluent) were observed in the vicinity of the coastal landfill suggesting its importance as a MPs entry route into the marine coastal environment. Our study supports the idea that blue mussels are a promising sentinel species for MPs (<200 μm).