The sandy deposits from dredging can have negative effects on the environment such as increase in suspended solids in the water column and their consequent transport. An experimental study was conducted to characterize water masses, dynamics, and sedimentation rates on the Ligurian continental shelf (Italy), where both a sand deposit, that could be used for beach nourishment, and a nearby Posidonia oceanica meadow coexist. The environmental plan provides a mathematical simulation of the sediment-dispersion to evaluate the possible impact on the meadow. It has been calculated that the dredging could double the concentration of suspended particles, but its scheduling will preclude a sediment accumulation. All the information obtained from this work will be used to study the environmental feasibility of the sand deposit exploitation and as starting point for drawing up the monitoring plan in case of dredging.

This study aims to determine the levels of methylene blue active substances (MBAS) and ethyl violet active substances (EVAS) as anionic surfactants and of disulphine blue active substances (DBAS) as cationic surfactants in the surface microlayer (SML) around an estuarine area using colorimetric methods. The results show that the concentrations of surfactants around the estuarine area were dominated by anionic surfactants (MBAS and EVAS) with average concentrations of 0.39 and 0.51μmolL−1, respectively. There were significant between-station differences in surfactant concentrations (p<0.05) with higher concentrations found at the stations near the sea. The concentration of surfactants was higher during the rainy season than the dry season due to the influence of runoff water. Further investigation using total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic nitrogen (TON) shows that there is a significant correlation (p<0.05) between both anionic and cationic surfactants and the TON concentration.

To select appropriate bioindicators for the evaluation of the influence of nutrients from human activities in a Thalassia hemprichii meadow, environmental variables and plant performance parameters were measured in Xincun Bay, Hainan Island, South China. Nutrient concentrations in the bay decreased along a gradient from west to southeast. Moreover, the nutrients decreased with an increase in the distance from the shore on the southern side of the bay. Among the candidate indicators, the P content of the tissues closely mirrored the two nutrient loading gradients. The epiphytic algae biomass and the N content in the tissues mirrored one of the two nutrient loading trends. The leaf length, however, exhibited a significant negative correlation with the nutrient gradients. We propose that changes in the P content of T. hemprichii, followed by epiphytic algae biomass and N content of the tissues, may be the useful indicators of nutrient loading to coastal ecosystems.

In the present study, the number size distributions of aerosols generated from five commonly and widely used household fuels namely firewood, coal, dung cake, kerosene stove and LPG stove were investigated using scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Important parameters of PSD such as total number concentration, geometric mean (GM) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) for tested fuels were evaluated and compared. It was found that solid biomass (firewood and dung cake) generates higher particle number concentrations then non-solid fuels i.e. kerosene and LPG stove. For all biomass fuels the number concentrations were in the order of 107 particle/cm3. The geometric mean diameter was highest for dung cake generated aerosols, while LPG and coal generated aerosol showed lower GM diameter. The geometric mean diameter varied between 48nm and 152nm for all tested fuels. The geometric standard deviation values of all tested fuels revealed that in solid biomass combustion, there was more dispersion in aerosol sizes than non-solid fuels. The number concentration emitted by LPG was found to be the lowest among all fuels and the GSD was also the lowest.

Biomonitoring studies, based on pollutant accumulation analyses in tree leaves, allow evaluating the impact caused by air–dispersed pollutants on ecosystems, providing useful data, complementary to those obtained by instrumental monitoring. In particular, leaves of sclerophylls present morphological characteristics, such as the presence of hairs and of a tick cuticle, making them particularly useful in bioaccumulation studies. The first aim of this research was to compare heavy metal (HM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) leaf accumulation capabilities of two Mediterranean tree species. The second aim was to evaluate the impact of a cement plant and/or of other anthropogenic activities occurring in industrial and urban areas on HM and PAH depositions. For these purposes, holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) and olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves collected along a transect industrial–urban–remote sites in southern Italy were employed. A different accumulation degree was observed for the two species. For HMs, Q. ilex leaves had the highest concentrations. The results showed that the influence of the cement plant emissions on pollutant concentrations was substantial in the area closer to clinker production and storage with the highest Pb, Ni, V, Cr, Fe, indeno(1,2,3–c,d)pyrene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene and benzo(a)anthracene leaf concentrations. However, Q. ilex leaves showed high HM and PAH concentrations also in the urban site, in relation to vehicular traffic emissions and depositions. The comparison of the results of the present study with those from the literature indicates that the overall air quality of the studied sites is not particularly compromised, also in proximity of the cement production. The use of holm oak should be preferred in biomonitoring due to its wider distribution compared to O. europaea.

In July to September 2008, air samples were collected aboard a research expedition icebreaker, Xuelong (Snow Dragon), under the support of the 2008 Chinese Arctic Research Expedition Program. All the air samples were analyzed for determination of the concentrations of Hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The levels of HCB ranged from 24 to 180pg m−3, with an average concentration of 88pg m−3. Generally, HCB were more uniform than other organchlorine pollutants in the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. Geographically, the average concentrations of HCB from high to low were in the following order: the Central Arctic Ocean (110±57pg m−3), the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas (93±29pg m−3), the East Asia (75±49pg m−3) and the North Pacific Ocean (69±38pg m−3). In the East Asia Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, both primary and secondary emissions of HCB from the nearby continents and/or oceans might contribute to the atmospheric HCB. In the Arctic, intense sea–ice melting in the summer of 2008 might result in the remobilization of HCB and enhance its atmospheric levels in this region.

The Red Sea is among the world’s top marine biodiversity hotspots. We re-examined coastal ecosystems at sites surveyed during the 1980s using the same methodology. Coral cover increased significantly towards the north, mirroring the reverse pattern for mangroves and other sedimentary ecosystems. Latitudinal patterns are broadly consistent across both surveys and with results from independent studies. Coral cover showed greatest change, declining significantly from a median score of 4 (1000–9999m2) to 2 (10–99m2) per quadrat in 2010/11. This may partly reflect impact from coastal construction, which was evident at 40% of sites and has significantly increased in magnitude over 30years. Beach oil has significantly declined, but shore debris has increased significantly. Although substantial, levels are lower than at some remote ocean atolls. While earlier reports have suggested that the Red Sea is generally healthy, shifting environmental baselines are evident from the current study.

Estrogenic contaminants in the aquatic environment are associated with endocrine disruption and feminization in fish. The effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on fish have been well documented. However, very few studies have focused on 17 β-estradiol (E2) and its effects on endocrine system and biotransformation in a single prolonged exposure. This study investigated changes in the levels of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and acetyl choline esterase (AchE) in brain, cortisol in plasma and Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in gill of two different size groups (fingerlings and juveniles) of Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) upon exposure to two sub-lethal concentrations (200 and 2000ngL−1) of E2 for 30d. The results indicate that cortisol level and EROD activity significantly increased in both groups, whereas serotonin level increased in juveniles and decreased in fingerlings due to E2 exposure. The correlation analysis revealed that E2 significantly affected the endocrine and biotransformation systems in both age groups.

Ingestion of anthropogenic debris represents an important threat to marine turtle populations. Information has been limited to inventories of debris ingested and its consequences, but why ingestion occurs and the conditions that enable it are less understood. Here we report on the occurrence of plastic ingestion in young green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting the Río de la Plata (SW Atlantic). This estuarine area is characterized by a frontal system that accumulates anthropogenic debris. We explored exposure of green turtles to plastic and its ingestion via debris distribution, habitat use and digestive tract examination. Results indicated that there is considerable overlap of frontal accumulated plastic and core foraging areas of the animals. Exposure results in ingestion, as shown by the high frequency of plastic found in the digestive tracts. The Río de la Plata estuarine front is an area of conservation concern for young green turtles.

The freshwater–saltwater-transition-zone was analysed using two different sampling protocols and assessment methodologies, developed for freshwater and estuaries, to compare their agreement level in terms of community composition and quality assessments. The use of different protocols resulted in significant differences in macroinvertebrate communities, in index scores and initially in quality classes. After modifications in the sensitivity scores of the IBMWP and AMBI indices (average scores or the use of a score of the other index when both were present), the differences were largely reduced and quality classes became coincident for the assessments provided by IPtIs and BAT tools. Such harmonisation of quality assessments for adjacent water categories (e.g., large rivers vs. transitional waters), exemplified here as an harmonisation in one of the metrics comprised in the assessment tools, is essential as it has direct implications on the expansion and accomplishment of River Basin Management Plans committed by the Water Framework Directive.