A flexible 2D/3D oil spill modeling system addressing the distinct nature of the surface and water column fluids, major oil weathering and improved retention/reposition processes in coastal zones is presented. The system integrates hydrodynamic, transport and oil weathering modules, which can be combined to offer different-complexity descriptions as required by applications across the river-to-ocean continuum. Features include accounting for different composition and reology in the surface and water column mixtures, as well as spreading, evaporation, water-in-oil emulsification, shoreline retention, dispersion and dissolution. The use of unstructured grids provides flexibility and efficiency in handling spills in complex geometries and across scales. The use of high-order Eulerian–Lagrangian methods allows for computational efficiency and for handling key processes in ways consistent with their distinct mathematical nature and time scales. The modeling system is tested through a suite of synthetic, laboratory and realistic-domain benchmarks, which demonstrate robust handling of key processes and of 2D/3D couplings. The application of the modeling system to a spill scenario at the entrance of a port in a coastal lagoon illustrates the power of the approach to represent spills that occur in coastal regions with complex boundaries and bathymetry.

The influence of tuna penning on soft bottom habitat present in the vicinity of tuna pens and at distances 200m and 1.5km away, was assessed by comparing attributes of macroinvertebrate assemblages and sediment quality before (November 2000, March 2001) and after (November 2001, April 2002) initiation of the activity. Results from November 2001 indicated a significant increase in sediment organic carbon and organic nitrogen, and a non-significant increase in the abundance of Capitellidae in the vicinity of the cages. Similar results were obtained 200m from the cages but not 1.5km away, where the only change was a significant increase in organic nitrogen in sediment. Results from April 2002 indicated no significant change in sediment organic carbon and organic nitrogen, however, mean sediment grain size decreased significantly in the immediate vicinity of the cages. Changes in attributes of the benthic assemblages and sediment resulted from accumulation of uneaten feed-fish on the seabed.

Selected trace elements, ionic species and organic/elemental carbon in aerosols were measured in summer at Ny–Alesund in the Arctic, and an interpreted approach combining elemental ratios, back–trajectories and enrichment factors was used to assess the sources of aerosols observed at this location. Aerosol samples influenced by ship emissions were featured by elevated concentrations of non–crustal (nc) vanadium (V), nc–nickel (nc–Ni), non–sea salt (nss) sulfate (SO42−) and ratios of nc–Ni/nc–V (1.7) and nss–SO42−/nc–V (200). When two cruise ships with more than 1 500 passengers visited Ny–Alesund in July 2012, the total suspended particulate (TSP) mass reached 2 290ng m−3, almost three times the median TSP concentration (609ng m−3) measured during the study period. The nc–V concentration reached 0.976ng m−3, about 38–fold higher compared to the mean value of the sampling period, and this value was even higher than the annual mean value observed at Zeppelin station and the values measured during Haze events at North American Arctic and Norwegian Arctic. The concentrations of nc–Ni and nss–SO42− were 0.572ng m−3 and 203ng m−3, which were 8–fold and 2–fold higher than the median values of the sampling period. While in the few–ship period, defined as the period with none or only one cruise ship with less than 1 000 passengers being present, aerosols at this location could be affected by a mixed impact of local emissions and long–range transport, reflected by the nc–Mn/nc–V ratios and element enrichment factors often found in the air masses from North America Arctic, Iceland and North Eurasia. Results from this study suggest that cruise ship emissions contributed significantly to atmospheric particulate matter at Ny–Alesund in the summer, effecting air quality in this area.

The suitability of a rootless Bromeliad species (Tillandsia usneoides) as biomonitor of airborne trace elements in urban areas of the Mediterranean basin was evaluated. The study was performed at five sites of the city of Pisa (Tuscany, Central Italy) differing for land use, anthropogenic activities and/or proximity to emission sources. The elements investigated were Al, As, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, V and Zn. Unwashed and washed samples, collected after 36 days of exposure (May–June 2011), were analyzed by ICP–MS. Results showed significant differences among sampling sites for several elements. Concentrations of Al, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn were the highest in urban/traffic and/or suburban/traffic areas. Some of these elements e.g. Ba, Cu, Sb and Zn are commonly considered as traffic–related elements. In the industrial site, the main elements found were Mg, Sr and Zn. Iron, Mn, Na and V concentrations were much higher in rural/remote areas. Enrichment factors highlighted that T. usneoides showed: high resistance/tolerance to heavy metal toxicity, specificity, capability to well–definitely represent a sampling site, quantitative response to pollutant exposure. The results indicated that T. usneoides reflects the intrinsic characteristics of each sampling area and allows tracing back differences related to the various emission sources by factor analysis.

In animals, biotransformation and the immune system interact with each other, however, knowledge of the toxic mechanism of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) on these two systems is not well known. The present study investigated the toxic effects of BaP on the biotransformation system, cortisol level and DNA integrity of red sea bream (Pagrus major). The results showed that cortisol level was induced under the challenge of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Short-term exposure (96h) of BaP at environmental concentration significantly increased the cortisol level, hepatic EROD activity and CYP1A1 mRNA expression. When P. major was exposed to BaP for 14 d followed by LPS challenge this increased the cortisol level, EROD activity and hepatic DNA damage except CYP1A1 mRNA expression. Combined with our previous data, which showed that BaP exposure can modulate the immunologic response in P. major challenged with LPS, a hypothetical adverse outcome pathway of BaP on fish was suggested.

This study compared marine debris ingestion of the coastal dolphins Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia guianensis in a sympatric area in Atlantic Ocean. Among the 89 stomach contents samples of P. blainvillei, 14 (15.7%) contained marine debris. For S. guianensis, 77 stomach contents samples were analyzed and only one of which (1.30%) contained marine debris. The debris recovered was plastic material: nylon yarns and flexible plastics. Differences in feeding habits between the coastal dolphins were found to drive their differences regarding marine debris ingestion. The feeding activity of P. blainvillei is mainly near the sea bottom, which increases its chances of ingesting debris deposited on the seabed. In contrast, S. guianensis has a near-surface feeding habit. In the study area, the seabed is the main zone of accumulation of debris, and species with some degree of association with the sea bottom may be local bioindicators of marine debris pollution.

This study examined the Pb content and Pb isotopic composition in a sediment core taken from the East China Sea (ECS) shelf, and it was observed that since 2003 the increasing anthropogenic Pb inputs have impacted as far as the ECS shelf sediments. The ECS shelf sediments were generally characterized with low bulk Pb contents (12.5–15.0μg/g) and relatively lithogenic Pb isotopic signatures (both HCl-leached and residual fractions). However, elevated Pb records along with lighter Pb isotopic signals have occurred in the post-2003 sediments, as a result of a small but increasing anthropogenic Pb contribution from the heavily human perturbed coastal sediments due to the sharply increasing coal consumption in mainland China since 2003.

The degree of iron pyritization (DOP) and degree of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) were evaluated in mangrove soil profiles from an estuarine area located in Rio de Janeiro (SE Brazil). The soil pH was negatively correlated with redox potential (Eh) and positively correlated with DOP and DTMP of some elements (Mn, Cu and Pb), suggesting that pyrite oxidation generated acidity and can affect the importance of pyrite as a trace metal-binding phase, mainly in response to spatial variability in tidal flooding. Besides these aerobic oxidation effects, results from a sequential extraction analyses of reactive phases evidenced that Mn oxidized phase consumption in reaction with pyrite can be also important to determine the pyritization of trace elements. Cumulative effects of these aerobic and anaerobic oxidation processes were evidenced as factors affecting the capacity of mangrove soils to act as a sink for trace metals through pyritization processes.

Coastal lagoons are ecotones between continents and the sea. Coastal lagoons of Western Greece, subjected to different human pressures, were classified into four different types based on their hydromorphological characteristics and monitored over a three year period for their biotic and abiotic features. Six ecological indices based on water quality parameters (TSI-Chl-a, TSI-TP, TRIX), benthic macrophytes (E-MaQI, EEI-c) and an integrated index TWQI, were applied to assess the ecological status of studied lagoons under real conditions. The trophic status ranged from oligotrophic to hypertrophic according to the index applied. The ecological quality of transitional water ecosystems can be better assessed by using indices based on benthic macrophytes as changes in abundance and diversity of sensitive and tolerant species are the first evidence of incoming eutrophication. The multi-parametric index TWQI can be considered appropriate for the ecological assessment of these ecosystems due to its robustness and the simple application procedure.

Organotin compounds (OTs) have caused widespread adverse effects on marine organisms. As no local restrictions on OT-based antifouling paints have been implemented in China, high concentrations of OTs still occur in coastal environments. In this study, we measured the imposex status and tissue concentrations of OTs in the whelk Reishia clavigera collected along the coast of Dapeng Bay and Daya Bay of Shenzhen, China in 2013. Our results showed that all female whelks suffered from the onset of imposex. The highest concentration of total OTs was 27,756μgkg−1 dry weight in the samples collected from Shuitousha. Triphenyltin was the most predominant residue, accounting for more than 97.8% of total OTs across all sites. Compared with the results from previous studies, the marine environment of this region is still heavily contaminated with OTs. Therefore, a tightened control is necessary to regulate the use and release of OTs in China.