In presented study the impact of climatic factors and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on macroalgal community was analysed. Also the factors influencing algal community were defined with help of Principal Component and Classification analysis. It was found that climatic impact may depend on habitat features and that on different sites biomass of macroalgae correlated with different weather factors. Wind and surf may affect biomass of macroalgae adversely on some sites and at the same time on other sites they may accumulate biomass, transferring it is from adjacent areas. High direct correlation with temperature was found on sites which were protected from surf and had no stagnant events. Seasonal biomass inversely significantly correlated with average seasonal wind speed and annual NAO-index.

Two sediment cores were obtained from Kasado Bay, a moderate-polluted enclosed bay in Japan, to examine anthropogenic impacts on Ostracoda over the past ca. 70years. We analyzed ostracode abundance and diversity, grain size, and CHN, and used 210Pb and 137Cs as the dating method. The present study showed that cross-plot comparisons of ostracode abundance and each environmental factor, based on sediment core data, could be used to identify ostracode species as indicators for anthropogenic influences. Ostracode abundance reflected mainly the changes that had occurred in total organic carbon content in sediments related to eutrophication, but heavy metal concentration did not directly influence several ostracode abundance in the bay. Environmental deterioration because of eutrophication started in the 1960s. The regulations regarding the chemical oxygen demand in waters introduced in the 1980s probably influence ostracode abundance for certain species in this period. Currently, Kasado Bay is not experiencing severe degradation.

Seawater samples collected between 2007 and 2012 were determined the concentrations of nutrient (DIN and DIP), total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), and six different heavy metals (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg). The DIN, DIP, TPH, Pb, and Cd concentrations decreased from 2007 to 2009 or 2010 and increased after 2010. However, the Hg and Cu concentrations increased from 2007 to 2012. In contrast, the As and Zn gradually decreased during the study period. All of the pollutant concentrations gradually decreased from the shoreline to the offshore sites. PCA result showed that urban and port areas, agriculture, and atmospheric deposition were the main sources of pollutants in the bay. Although most of the pollutants were present at concentrations bellow the highest seawater quality standards in China, eutrophication was a risk in Bohai Bay. In addition, DIN was the main pollutant and was responsible for the eutrophication risk in Bohai Bay.

Assessment of marine debris ingestion by sea turtles is important, especially to ensure their survival. From January to December 2011, 23 specimens of five species of sea turtles were found dead or dying after being rehabilitated, along the coast of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To detect the presence of marine debris in the digestive tract of these turtles, we conducted a postmortem examination from the esophagus until the distal portion of the large intestine for each specimen. Of the total number of turtles, 39% had ingested marine debris such as soft plastic, hard plastic, metal, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle caps, human hair, tampons, and latex condoms. Five of the seven sea turtles species are found along the Brazilian coast, where they feed and breed. A large number of animals are exposed to various kinds of threats, including debris ingestion.

Previous studies near historical gold mining districts in Nova Scotia have identified significant enrichment of metal(loid)s in coastal marine sediments. Most of this inventory is buried below biologically active zones, although in some areas arsenic has bioaccumulated in marine biota resulting in localised bivalve shellfish closures. Isaacs Harbour is poised for future industrial development, but before potential impacts are predicted, current marine baseline conditions must be determined. To address this gap, this study established a baseline using surface sediments and biota (mussel and lobster tissues), to provide a broader picture of metal(loid)s in the marine environment. Results confirmed previous studies showing that most sediment metal(loid) concentrations still exceeded Canadian Marine Sediment Quality Guidelines, and also provided evidence of Canadian Food Inspection Agency fish tissue exceedances of arsenic in lobster and lead in mussel tissues indicating that some bioaccumulation of legacy contaminants in marine biota continues to the present day.

A systematic study was conducted on the distribution characteristics of heavy metals and on associated influencing factors in sediments off the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China, based on the results of a heavy metals analysis on 157 surface sediment samples from coastal waters of the study area and on 46 samples from surrounding rivers flowing into the sea. An environmental quality assessment of heavy metals was performed using the Nemerow index. The results show that the distribution characteristics of sediment heavy metals in coastal waters outside of Qingdao can be divided into three classes: (1) Class I – Cr, Cu and Zn, with high-value areas extending from the northeast to the southwest in a banded or tongue-like pattern; (2) Class II – As, Cd and Pb, with high-value areas mainly distributed off the southeastern coast of Mt. Lao; and (3) Class III – Hg only, with high-value areas mainly in the northern area of Jiaozhou Bay. Integrated assessment based on the Nemerow index reveals that heavy metals pollution has occurred in surface sediments in a number of coastal water areas outside of Qingdao. This pollution is mainly found off the southeastern coast of Mt. Lao and in the northeastern section of Jiaozhou Bay. Results show that grain size of surface sediments, surrounding rivers and human activities are the main reasons for the element distribution pattern.

A methodology for quantifying areas of spatial representativeness of air quality monitoring station is here proposed, exploiting the wide spatial and temporal coverage of chemical transport models results. The method is based on the analysis of time series of model concentrations, extracted at monitoring sites and around, by means of a Concentration Similarity Function (CSF). The method was tested on AMS-MINNI model results, covering Italy and three reference years (2003, 2005, 2007), for assessing the spatial representativeness of PM2.5 and O3 rural background monitoring stations. The CSF methodology shows good performances in describing both the extension and the shape of representativeness areas, taking into account the difference between pollutants and the dependence on averaging time and temporal interval of concentration data. Results show a large variability in the size and shape of the selected stations in Italy, ranging from 220 to 4500 km2. This confirms the importance of carrying out ad-hoc analyses on monitoring stations, as general a priori classifications and qualitative assessments of spatial representativeness are not able to fully capture the complexity of different territorial contexts.

Inhalation of infectious bioaerosols has been linked to a variety of respiratory diseases. However, efficient sampling techniques to allow high temporal resolution sampling are limited to collect and study bioaerosols in the various occupational and ambient micro–environmental atmospheres. This study introduces a medium flow swirling bioaerosol sampler (SAS) approach that collects atmospheric bioaerosols at the flow rate of 167 Lpm (10 cubic meter per hour). The collection of bioaerosols is achieved through a combination of impaction and cyclonic centrifugal motion. Aerosol deposition efficiency tests were performed with monodispersive polystyrene latex (PSL) particles ranging from 0.1 to 10 μm. Results have shown that the sampler has cut–off size of 0.7 μm and 1.5 μm, with and without the assistance of added water vapor, respectively. The bioaerosol collection and viability tests were performed with comparison to the commercially–available BioSampler, and the results show that the collection efficiency of the SAS is 97% at the designed flow rate, while the higher flow of the new system yields more than 13 times of the collection rate compared to the BioSampler. The high collection efficiency and observed viability preservation of the SAS make it an attractive alternative for high time resolution bioaerosol sampling for atmospheric, occupational and indoor air quality monitoring.

Plastics are the most common form of debris found along the Argentine coastline. The Río de la Plata estuarine area is a relevant case study to describe a situation where ample policy exists against a backdrop of plastics disposed by populated coastal areas, industries, and vessels; with resultant high impacts of plastic pollution on marine turtles and mammals. Policy and institutions are in place but the impact remains due to ineffective waste management, limited public education and awareness, and weaknesses in enforcement of regulations. This context is frequently repeated all over the world. We list possible interventions to increase the effectiveness of policy that require integrating efforts among governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the inhabitants of coastal cities to reduce the amount of plastics reaching the Río de la Plata and protect threatened marine species. What has been identified for Argentina applies to the region and globally.

Shark fisheries have expanded due to increased demand for shark products. As long-lived apex predators, sharks are susceptible to bioaccumulation of metals and metalloids, and biomagnification of some such as Hg, primarily through diet. This may have negative health implications for human consumers. Concentrations of Hg, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Se and Zn were analysed in muscle, liver and fin fibres (ceratotrichia) from dusky Carcharhinus obscurus, sandbar Carcharhinus plumbeus, and white Carcharodon carcharias sharks from south-eastern Australian waters. Concentrations of analytes were generally higher in liver than in muscle and lowest in fin fibres. Muscle tissue concentrations of Hg were significantly correlated with total length, and >50% of sampled individuals had concentrations above Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s maximum limit (1mgkg−1ww). Arsenic concentrations were also of concern, particularly in fins. Results warrant further investigation to accurately assess health risks for regular consumption of shark products.