The concentrations of PCB congeners in the blubber and liver of mother Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus; SSLs) and their fetuses from the coast of Hokkaido, Japan in 2008, 2010 and 2012 were analyzed by HRGC–HRMS, in order to elucidate PCB congener profiles and maternal-to-fetal transfer of PCBs in SSLs. ΣPCBs in the fetuses were 1400±660 (the mean±SD) ng/g-fat in the blubber and 570±320ng/g-fat in the liver, respectively. There was a concern that SSLs had been contaminated by PCBs during the fetal period. The concentrations of the major congeners in the blubber and liver were a correlation between the fetus and mother (blubber: r=0.9934, liver: r=0.9160; P≦0.05). The results indicated that PCBs in the fetuses came from the mothers. #177 and #199 showed no correlations between the fetus and the mother in the blubber and liver. This indicated a selective capture by some natural protector such as the placenta.

Natural abundance carbon isotope analyses are sensitive tracers for fates and use of oil in aquatic environments. Use of oil carbon in estuarine food webs should lead to isotope values approaching those of oil itself, −27‰ for stable carbon isotopes reflecting oil origins and −1000‰ for carbon-14 reflecting oil age. To test for transfer of oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill into estuarine food webs, filter-feeding barnacles (Balanus sp.) and marsh mussels (Geukensia demissa) were collected from Louisiana estuaries near the site of the oil spill. Carbon-14 analyses of these animals from open waters and oiled marshes showed that oil use was <1% and near detection limits estimated at 0.3% oil incorporation. Respiration studies showed no evidence for enhanced microbial activity in bay waters. Results are consistent with low dietary impacts of oil for filter feeders and little overall impact on respiration in the productive Louisiana estuarine systems.

A fast paced industrial and port development has occurred at Suape Estuary, Northeast Brazil, but no information about hydrocarbon concentrations in water is available to this area. Considering that, the contamination level of Suape was determined by UV-Fluorescence in terms of dissolved and/or dispersed petroleum hydrocarbons (DDPHs), during wet and dry seasons. DDPHs ranged between 0.05 and 4.59μgL−1 Carmópolis oil equivalents and 0.01–1.39μgL−1 chrysene equivalents, indicating DDPHs close to a baseline contamination level. Some relatively high concentrations (>1μgL−1) were probably associated with shipyard operations (hull paintings and ship docking), pollutants remobilization by dredging operations, occasional industrial discharges and oil derivatives released by vessels. DDPHs concentrations were lower in the wet season suggesting that the increased dilution rates caused by rainfall dominated upon the wet deposition of atmospheric combustion-derived PAHs process. Results in this study may be used as baseline to further studies in this area.

Arctic shipping is on the rise, leading to increased concern over the potential environmental impacts. To better understand the magnitude of influence to the Arctic environment, detailed modelling of emissions and environmental risks are essential. This paper describes a framework for environmental accounting. A cornerstone in the framework is the use of Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship tracking data from satellites. When merged with ship registers and other data sources, it enables unprecedented accuracy in modelling and geographical allocation of emissions and discharges. This paper presents results using two of the models in the framework; emissions of black carbon (BC) in the Arctic, which is of particular concern for climate change, and; bunker fuels and wet bulk carriage in the Arctic, of particular concern for oil spill to the environment. Using the framework, a detailed footprint from Arctic shipping with regards to operational emissions and potential discharges is established.

To investigate the mechanisms and potential for the remote sensing of phenanthrene-induced vegetation stress, we measured field canopy spectra, and associated plant and soil parameters in the field controlled experiment in the Yellow River Delta of China. Two widely distributed plant communities, separately dominated by reed (Phragmites australis) and glaucous seepweed (Suaeda salsa), were treated with different doses of phenanthrene. The canopy spectral changes of plant community resulted from the decreases of biomass and foliar projective coverage, while leaf photosynthetic pigment concentrations showed no significance difference among treatments. The spectral response to phenanthrene included a flattened red edge, with decreased first derivative of reflectance. The red edge slope and area consistently responded to phenanthrene, showing a strong relationship with aboveground biomass, coverage and canopy pigments density. These results suggest the potential of remote sensing and the importance of field validation to correctly interpret the causes of the spectral changes.

The Antarctic region is one of the best preserved environments in the world. However, human activities such as the input of sewage result in the alteration of this pristine site. We report baseline values of faecal sterols in Admiralty Bay, Antarctica. Four sediment cores were collected during the 2006/2007 austral summer at the Ezcurra (THP and BAR), Mackelar (REF) and Martel (BTP) inlets. Concentrations of faecal sterols (coprostanol+epicoprostanol) were <0.16μgg−1, suggesting no sewage contamination and probable “biogenic” contributions for these compounds. Baseline values, calculated using the mean concentration of faecal sterols in core layers for THP, BAR, REF and BTP, were 0.04±0.02, 0.03±0.01, 0.07±0.01 and 0.04±0.02μgg−1, respectively. These results established as natural contributions of faecal sterols, suggesting that these markers can be useful indicators of human-derived faecal input and contributing to monitoring programs to prevent anthropogenic impacts.

Hazardous electric arc furnace dust containing dioxins/furans and heavy metals is blended with harbor sediment, fired at 950–1100°C to prepare lightweight aggregates. Dust addition can lower the sintering temperature by about 100°C, as compared to a typical industrial process. After firing at 950°C and 1050°C, more than 99.85% of dioxins/furans originally present in the dust have been removed and/or destructed in the mix containing a dust/sediment ratio of 50:100. The heavy metals leached from all fired mixes are far below Taiwan EPA legal limits. The particle density of the lightweight aggregates always decreases with increasing firing temperature. Greater addition of the dust results in a considerably lower particle density (mostly <2.0gcm−3) fired at 1050°C and 1100°C. However, firing at temperatures lower than 1050°C produces no successful bloating, leading to a denser particle density (>2.0gcm−3) that is typical of bricks.

An experiment observed the behavior of selected tagged plastic items deliberately released in different habitats of a tropical mangrove forest in NE Brazil in late rainy (September) and late dry (March) seasons. Significant differences were not reported among seasons. However, marine debris retention varied among habitats, according to characteristics such as hydrodynamic (i.e., flow rates and volume transported) and relative vegetation (Rhizophora mangle) height and density. The highest grounds retained significantly more items when compared to the borders of the river and the tidal creek. Among the used tagged items, PET bottles were more observed and margarine tubs were less observed, being easily transported to adjacent habitats. Plastic bags were the items most retained near the releasing site. The balance between items retained and items lost was positive, demonstrating that mangrove forests tend to retain plastic marine debris for long periods (months-years).

Bottom sediments represent a crucial component of the marine environment, since they constitute a habitat, a trophic resource, and a spawning place for various organisms. Unfortunately, the sediments of urban coastal areas are deeply impacted by anthropogenic activities that degrade their quality. In the Drapetsona–Keratsini metropolitan coastal zone of Athens, current industrial and shipping activities together with the effluents from a sewage outfall, which was in operation in the past, have resulted in one of the most contaminated sedimentary environments, in terms of organic compound loads, in Mediterranean. Exceptionally high concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons (up to 4457μgg−1), carcinogenic PAHs (up to 7284ngg−1), and organochlorines (up to 544ngg−1 for PCBs; up to 208ngg−1 for DDTs) constitute a major threat to the marine life of the associated Saronikos Gulf.

The temporal patterns and the possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the xylem formed from 1883 to 2007 of Kwangtung pine (Pinus kwangtungensis), growing in the Nanling Mountains of Southern China, were detected whether dendrochemistry was sufficient to monitor historical changes in regional airborne PAHs. The total concentrations of 17 PAHs (ΣPAHs) distributed in the xylem of P. kwangtungensis did not progressively increase over time. Temporal patterns of high molecular weight PAHs (HMW–PAHs) coincided to a certain extent with the historical–socioeconomic changes in China. Based on the compositional analysis, PAHs absorbed by and accumulated in the xylem of P. kwangtungensis in the Nanling Mountains might be of pyrogenic origin. Although the possible sources of xylem PAHs were diverse over the studied period, principal component analysis could not convincingly distinguish the main contributors to xylem PAHs. Using only xylem of P. kwangtungensis was not adequate for retrospective monitoring of airborne PAHs in the atmosphere of the Nanling Mountains. Sampling other trees along a gradient and combining other meteorological and socioeconomic index data might provide more reliable information on historical changes in regional airborne PAHs.