Watershed discharge, water quality, and seagrass assemblages were examined along the western coast of Yap Proper, Micronesia. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) during low tides associated with new and full moons contributed disproportionally to freshwater delivery where compromised Thalassia habitats existed. Despite SGD influence, nutrient sampling indicated that one characteristic regime may be a net import of new nitrogen and phosphorous (NO3 and PO4) from offshore to inshore waters, agreeing with sparse watershed development. Biologically recycled nitrogen (NH4), however, was highest where SGD contribution was largest. Time-and-tide-limited sampling likely precluded generalized relationships between SGD and NH4 across the entire study area, however, spatial profiling of SGD during low-tide events (i.e., a proxy to nutrient input) was strongly associated with seagrass habitat condition (defined within). Concomitantly, sea cucumber densities were over a magnitude of order lower than in regionally comparable Thalassia habitats, and negatively correlated with seagrass condition. Both top-down and bottom-up considerations are discussed.

Air pollution in urban areas is a topic of interest for many researchers as it impacts negatively the human health, the environment and the quality of life. As part of the effort in exploring ways for efficient and timely assessment of the urban air pollution patterns and their association with the local meteorology and photochemistry, an advanced statistical approach is proposed for the analysis of the spatiotemporal ozone (O3) variations and interdependencies to other pollutants. The focus of the work is placed on the investigation and determination of the causality between the local and regional factors causing the observed ozone variability, by applying a holistic methodology on multiple–year meteorological data and air pollution monitoring data, referenced in Athens (Greece). The methodology includes the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF), for data scaling and reduction, a k–means clustering algorithm, for determining groups of data with common properties, and importantly, the Granger Causality test, for obtaining the causal links between the ozone and nitrogen oxides as well as the local meteorological conditions. The methodology revealed six dominant combined patterns of weather and air pollution. The application of the Granger Causality allowed the determination of relationships across the pollution patterns of dispersed geographic locations and the interdependence of those with the local meteorological conditions and photochemistry effects.

This work evaluated the presence and the frequency of occurrence of marine litter in the gastrointestinal tract of 31 Caretta caretta found stranded or accidentally bycaught in the North Tyrrhenian Sea. Marine debris were present in 71% of specimens and were subdivided in different categories according to Fulmar Protocol (OSPAR 2008). The main type of marine debris found was user plastic, with the main occurrence of sheetlike user plastic. The small juveniles showed a mean±SD of marine debris items of 19.00±23.84, while the adult specimens showed higher values of marine litter if compared with the juveniles (26.87±35.85). The occurrence of marine debris observed in this work confirms the high impact of marine debris in the Mediterranean Sea in respect to other seas and oceans, and highlights the importance of Caretta caretta as good indicator for marine litter in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) of European Union.

This study examined the interactive effects of copper and elevated temperature and subsequent depuration on Platygyra acuta coral larvae. Larval mortality and motility were significantly affected by copper alone (70% and 100% inhibition respectively). Their respective lethal/inhibitory concentration (LC50/IC50) were 10–130% and 86–193% higher than those reported for other larvae. Temperature (ambient, 27°C and elevated, 30°C) alone and the combination of temperature and copper did not significantly affect both endpoints. This study provides the first quantitative data on depuration effect on resumption of larval motility after copper exposure, although no sign of larval recovery was observed. These findings suggest that the effects of copper pollution outweigh the thermal tolerance of coral larvae. High LC50 and IC50 recorded may be unique for corals from marginal reefs like Hong Kong which have already been exposed to high levels of copper pollution.

Stable Pb isotope ratios (206Pb/207Pb, 208Pb/206Pb), 210Pb, Pb, Al, Ca, Fe, Mn and Si concentrations were measured in 7 sediment cores from the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula to assess the Pb contamination throughout the last 200years. Independently of their locations, all cores are characterized by increasing Pb/Al rends not related to grain-size changes. Conversely, decreasing trends of 206Pb/207Pb were found towards the present. This tendency suggest a change in Pb sources reflecting an increased proportion derived from anthropogenic activities. The highest anthropogenic Pb inventories for sediments younger than 1950s were found in the two shallowest cores of Cascais and Lisboa submarine canyons, reflecting the proximity of the Tagus estuary. Lead isotope signatures also help demonstrate that sediments contaminated with Pb are not constrained to estuarine–coastal areas and upper parts of submarine canyons, but are also to transferred to a lesser extent to deeper parts of the Portuguese Margin.

Radionuclides were released into the atmosphere and ocean due to an accident in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in March 2011. Numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate the distribution of 137Cs in the ocean considering both direct releases to the sea and deposition from the atmosphere as source terms. A significant amount of atmospheric deposition occurred on the sea surface in the northeast direction from the Fukushima NPP, due to westerly winds and precipitations on March 15–31, 2011. In a previous study using local scale modeling, no significant differences in resulting 137Cs patterns in water and sediments with and without atmospheric deposition were found. However, this new research, on a regional scale, has pointed out meaningful differences in seabed sediment radionuclide concentrations in the Fukushima northeast area with and without atmospheric deposition.

We studied the morphological and biochemical changes of mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs) of a demersal teleost, Paralichthys olivaceus, during exposure to 0.98, 2.97 and 4.95kPa pCO2. The apical opening area of MRCs increased 2.2 and 4.1 times by 24h exposure to 2.97 and 4.95kPa pCO2, respectively, while the cross-sectional area or density of MRCs did not change. Gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity more than doubled at 72h and then returned to the pre-exposure level at 168h in 0.98kPa pCO2, while it increased 1.7 times at 24h at 4.95kPa. These results indicate that the apical opening area of MRCs and the gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity may be used as an indicator of acute (up to 72h), but not chronic, impacts of high (>1kPa) seawater CO2 conditions in P. olivacues. Limitations of those parameters as indices of CO2 impacts are discussed.

South Florida’s watersheds have endured a century of urban and agricultural development and disruption of their hydrology. Spatial characterization of South Florida’s estuarine and coastal waters is important to Everglades’ restoration programs. We applied Factor Analysis and Hierarchical Clustering of water quality data in tandem to characterize and spatially subdivide South Florida’s coastal and estuarine waters. Segmentation rendered forty-four biogeochemically distinct water bodies whose spatial distribution is closely linked to geomorphology, circulation, benthic community pattern, and to water management. This segmentation has been adopted with minor changes by federal and state environmental agencies to derive numeric nutrient criteria.

The oceans play a crucial role in the global environment and the sustainability of human populations, because of their involvement in climate regulation and provision of living and non-living resources to humans. Maintenance of healthy oceans in an era of increasing human pressure requires a high-level understanding of the processes occurring in the marine environment and the impacts of anthropogenic activities. Effective protection and sustainable resource management must be based, in part, on knowledge derived from successful research. Current marine research activities are being limited by a need for high-quality researchers capable of addressing critical issues in broad multidisciplinary research activities. This is particularly true for developing countries which will require the building of capacity for marine scientific research. This paper reviews the current activities aimed at increasing marine research capacity in developing and emerging countries and analyses the challenges faced, including: appropriate alignment of the research goals and societal and policy-relevant needs; training in multidisciplinary research; increasing capacity for overall synthesis of scientific data; building the capacity of technical staff; keeping highly qualified personnel in marine scientific research roles; cross-cultural issues in training; minimising duplication in training activities; improving linkages among human capital, project resources and infrastructure. Potential solutions to these challenges are provided, along with some priorities for action aimed at improving the overall research effort.

Lead in atmospheric suspended particles was fractionized using simple acid extraction to assess differences in chemical properties of lead from roadside and residential areas. The Pb–LIII edge XANES measurement was also challenged to explore the possibilities of contamination from road dust into the air. Results suggest that 0.1 M–HCl extractable fractions of lead at the roadside area are significantly higher than those obtained at the residential area, especially for the coarse mode of the particulate samples. Moreover, the solubility characteristics of the roadside particulate lead have partially overlapped with those of the road dust samples. The XANES spectra for coarse mode of particulate lead also nearly correspond to that of the road dust collected around the roadside area. These results indicate effects by the re–suspension of road dust to the roadside air. However, it is difficult to clear the roadside contamination from specific lead material applied in this study. This might suggest that specific lead compounds do not exist exclusively in atmospheric particles but exist as mixtures or unknown complexes.