In this study, baseline information about the environmental status of Ushuaia (UB) and Golondrina (GB) bays is presented. Surface and bottom seawater and freshwater discharged from land were evaluated. Multivariate analysis identified different water quality zones within the bays, two of them located next to the north and northwest coastlines of UB, where the majority of human activities are developed. Porosity, total organic matter, biochemical components, ammonium, and phytopigments were determined in sediment samples from each quality zone. Benthic fluxes of nutrients and dissolved oxygen were assessed in situ using opaque chambers. In northwest zone of UB, carbon equivalents of proteins and carbohydrates in surficial sediments were the same order as in hypertrophic ecosystems, whereas ammonium and phosphate released from sediment greatly exceeded the allochthonous sources. Management of municipal wastewater is required to remediate this chronic pollution.

In this study, the distribution and partition of polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water from the Pearl River Estuary were investigated. A seasonal dependence for dissolved and particle phase PCB and PBDE levels was observed. A high dissolved phase level occurred in the dry season. The positive correlation between POC content in the particles and phase distribution coefficients (Kₚ) suggested that POC may play an important role in determining the partition of PBDEs and PCBs. A linear correlation between the observed log KOC and log KOW for PBDEs and PCBs was found with slopes less than one. The observed log KOC values were lower than the predicted log KOC values for PBDEs (except for BDE28). The log KOC values were higher than the predicted values for PCBs. A combination of sorption to colloids (10–98% for PBDEs and less than 25% for PCBs) and adsorption to BC was responsible for this observation.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the distribution and accumulation of tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) in seawater, sediments and selected organisms from a cage mariculture area in southern Taiwan, Hsiao Liouchiou Island. Our results show that ΣOTs were found in concentrations as high as 196ng/L in seawater collected from the sites in Pai-Sa harbor, and up 1040ng/g dry wt. in sediments dredged from sites within Da-Fu harbor. Also, ΣOTs concentrations of 859ng/g dry wt. were observed in the liver of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) from mariculture cages. As most published studies have focused on the acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of organotins in mussels, the effects of organotins on cobia and other marine fauna are still poorly understood. This study highlights the significance of ΣBTs accumulation in cobia, as well as in the sediments and seawater surrounding their culture facilities.

Environmental fate of fish farm wastes (FFW) released from an open-sea-cage farm at Kat O, Hong Kong was examined by measuring carbon and nitrogen stable isotope (SI) ratios in selected benthic organisms collected along a 2000m transect from the farm. Our results showed that FFW significantly influenced the energy utilization profile of consumers near the fish farm. Although nitrogen enrichment effect on δ¹⁵N was anticipated in biota near the farm, the predicted patterns did not consistently occur in all feeding guilds. Two species of suspension-feeders, which relied on naturally δ¹⁵N-depleted sources, were δ¹⁵N-enriched near the fish farm. In contrast, both species of benthic grazer and deposit-feeder, which relied on naturally δ¹⁵N-enriched algal sources, were δ¹⁵N-depleted under the influence of FFW. The SI signatures of biota can, therefore, serve as feasible biomarkers for FFW discharges only when the trophic structure of the receiving environment is fully elucidated.

This study analyzed the foraging behavior of the gastropod Nassarius pullus on garbage-impacted sandy shores of Talim Bay, Batangas, Philippines. The effect of different levels of plastic garbage cover on foraging efficiency was investigated. Controlled in situ baiting experiments were conducted to quantify aspects of foraging behavior as affected by the levels of plastic litter cover in the foraging area. The results of the study indicated that the gastropod’s efficiency in locating and in moving towards a food item generally decreased as the level of plastic cover increased. Prolonged food searching time and increased self-burial in sand were highly correlated with increased plastic cover. The accuracy of orientation towards the actual position of the bait decreased significantly when the amount of plastic cover increased to 50%. These results are consistent with the significant decreases in the abundance of the gastropod observed during periods of deposition of large amounts of plastic and other debris on the shore.

This paper compares the ignitability of Troll B crude oil weathered under simulated Arctic conditions (0%, 50% and 90% ice cover). The experiments were performed in different scales at SINTEF’s laboratories in Trondheim, field research station on Svalbard and in broken ice (70–90% ice cover) in the Barents Sea. Samples from the weathering experiments were tested for ignitability using the same laboratory burning cell. The measured ignitability from the experiments in these different scales showed a good agreement for samples with similar weathering. The ice conditions clearly affected the weathering process, and 70% ice or more reduces the weathering and allows a longer time window for in situ burning. The results from the Barents Sea revealed that weathering and ignitability can vary within an oil slick. This field use of the burning cell demonstrated that it can be used as an operational tool to monitor the ignitability of oil spills.

In Korea, the new permission criteria for industrial effluents based on Daphnia magna acute toxicity tests will be gradually implemented starting from 2011. Thus, in this study, toxicity assessment and identification using a marine species (Tigriopus japonicus) and the freshwater species (D. magna) was comparatively investigated. Effluent from an acid mine drainage treatment plant showed acute toxicity toward both organisms due to low pH, which was removed by neutralization of the effluent. Additionally, evaluation of the effluent of an electronics company revealed that Cu was attributable to the observed toxicity, and the effluent was more toxic toward T. japonicus than D. magna. Moreover, effluents from a metal plating factory were acutely toxic toward D. magna (6.50 TU), while they were not toxic against T. japonicus. Toxicity identification revealed that the high level of Cl⁻ (12,841mgL⁻¹) was the cause of toxicity. Thus, the effluents had no effect on the marine species, T. japonicus. These findings suggest that a marine species rather than a freshwater species is more desirable for toxicity assessment of industrial effluent discharged into the saltwater, and thus should be considered in the legislation of toxicity-based discharge limits in Korea.

To evaluate the superoxide dismutase (SOD) genes as a potential indicator of environmental stress, we cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA of a Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD genes from the marine polychaete, Neanthes succinea. Ns-Cu/Zn- and Mn-SOD expression was measured using quantitative real-time RT-PCR in response to the oxidative stress induced by copper in the form of CuCl₂. Ns-Cu/Zn-SOD expression increased in a dose dependent manner but the increase of Mn-SOD expression was evident only at a high concentration of copper. Particularly, Ns-Mn-SOD dramatically increased in the 72μg/L CuCl₂-exposed groups, indicating that both Ns-SOD genes were induced by copper exposure. These results suggest that Ns-Cu/Zn- and Ns-Mn-SOD would play important roles in the detoxification of cellular oxidative stresses in the polychaete, N. succinea. Furthermore, as part of field work, the marine polychaete, N. succineaCu/Zn-SOD mRNA collected from the polluted area was accordingly upregulated in expression but not for NS-Mn-SOD.

Mytilus galloprovincialis was used as a biomonitoring organism in Boka Kotorska Bay, a coastal transitional ecosystem in south-western Montenegro. Native mussels were collected in June 2008 at four sites thought to be differently impacted. Biological effects were investigated analysing both generic and specific biomarkers at cellular level (metallothionein content, lysosomal membrane stability, lipofuscin and neutral lipid accumulation, lysosomal structural changes). Trace element levels in mussels were quite low, only Cu and Zn exhibiting slight increases in the two sampling sites of Tivat Bay, the first one in front of a small working dockyard and the other in the water area of a former Naval dockyard. Mussels collected from these sites exhibited the highest values in neutral lipid and lysosomal volume density and the lowest neutral red retention times. Metallothionein content was always low, reflecting the minor body burden of the trace elements and suggesting a non-relevant environmental induction.

Entanglement in and ingestion of synthetic marine debris is increasingly recognized worldwide as an important stressor for marine wildlife, including marine mammals. Studying its impact on wildlife populations is complicated by the inherently cryptic nature of the problem. The coastal waters of British Columbia (BC), Canada provide important habitat for marine mammal species, many of which have unfavorable conservation status in the US and Canada. As a priority-setting exercise, we used data from systematic line-transect surveys and spatial modeling methods to map at-sea distribution of debris and 11 marine mammal species in BC waters, and to identify areas of overlap. We estimated abundance of 36,000 (CIs: 23,000–56,600) pieces of marine debris in the region. Areas of overlap were often far removed from urban centers, suggesting that the extent of marine mammal–debris interactions would be underestimated from opportunistic sightings and stranding records, and that high-overlap areas should be prioritized by stranding response networks.