Climate change is posing additional pressures on coastal ecosystems due to variations in water biogeochemical and physico-chemical parameters (e.g., pH, salinity) leading to aquatic ecosystem degradation.With the main aim of analyzing the potential impacts of climate change on marine water quality, a Regional Risk Assessment methodology was developed and applied to coastal marine waters of the North Adriatic. It integrates the outputs of regional biogeochemical and physico-chemical models considering future climate change scenarios (i.e., years 2070 and 2100) with site-specific environmental and socio-economic indicators.Results showed that salinity and temperature will be the main drivers of changes, together with macronutrients, especially in the area of the Po’ river delta.The final outputs are exposure, susceptibility and risk maps supporting the communication of the potential consequences of climate change on water quality to decision makers and stakeholders and provide a basis for the definition of adaptation and management strategies.

The depollution of the Mediterranean Sea by 2020 is the overarching goal of Horizon 2020 Initiative (H2020). The first phase (2007–2013) tackled the main land-based pollution sources; municipal waste, urban wastewater and industrial emissions. As part of the H2020 roadmap implementation, the ENPI-SEIS project focused on the first H2020 review mechanism that included a) establishing a process for regular environmental reporting in the European Neighbourhood Policy South countries, and b) generating the knowledge necessary to assess the progress in depolluting the Mediterranean Sea. This paper reviews the process in line with the “Shared Environmental Information System” principles and its three pillars (content, cooperation, infrastructure). The main outcomes of the thematic assessment, based on a set of regional H2020 indicators, are also presented. This assessment highlights the major drivers and their implications on marine protection. It also identifies areas that require further attention in the next phase of H2020 (2014–2020).

Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and shrimps (Pandalus borealis) are regular foodstuffs for communities in northern Norway and important species for the coastal fishing industry. This is the first study to present a comprehensive overview of the contaminant status of these species, with emphasis on unregulated perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS). The contaminant concentrations were low and within tolerable levels for human dietary exposure. Median Σpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were 4.9 and 2.5ng/g ww for halibut and unpeeled shrimps, respectively. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) – the most abundant PFASs – were 0.9 and 2.7ng/g ww in halibut and shrimp, respectively. The halibut fillets were dominated by PCBs, which contributed to 50% of the total POPs load, followed by ΣDDTs; 26% and PFASs (18%), whereas shrimps were dominated by PFASs (74%). ΣPBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) contributed to 1–4% of the total POP load. Local sources are not contributing significantly to the contaminant burden in these species.

Sediment characteristics and benthic communities on a finer sampling scale in four contrasting environments in subtropical Hong Kong were analyzed in summer and winter 2012. In two harbour habitats which suffered from historic sewage pollution or hypoxic events, organic carbon, nutrient and trace metal content in the sediment were significantly higher than that in an offshore area and a marine reserve. The relatively low organic and nutrient content in the offshore habitat could be resulted from enhanced resuspension of such materials from the seabed owing to intense water mixing and disturbance caused by bottom trawling. The biotic indices AMBI and M-AMBI were shown to be useful in assessing the benthic ecological status of these habitats. Such indices can also be more sensitive than sediment physico-chemical parameters in differentiating the response of macrofauna to seasonal changes in the benthic environment.

Temporal evolution, source apportionment and transport pathways of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) are analysed over Guwahati, located in the Brahmaputra River Valley (BRV), as a function of meteorological dynamics. During the study period (July 2013–June 2014), the mean PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations were found to be 52 ± 37 and 91 ± 60 μg m−3, respectively, both exhibiting higher concentrations during December–March and very low during summer. The annual mean ratio of PM2.5/PM10 was 0.57 ± 0.11, varying from 0.24 to 0.86, suggesting dominance of anthropogenic vs natural emissions during winter and spring, respectively. Diurnal variation reveals higher PM concentrations during morning (∼9:00 local time (LT)) and evening (∼23:00 LT) and lowest around ∼14:00 to 17:00 LT due to influence of dilution processes and higher mixing-layer height over the region. Bivariate plots and Conditional Bivariate Probability Function (CBPF) analysis showed that the highest PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are mostly associated with weak northwestern winds (<1.5 ms−1) in all seasons except spring, when the highest PM10 are for southwestern winds above 4–6 ms−1, indicating dust transport from SW Asia. Analysis reveals that the local emissions, transported aerosols, along with seasonally-changed air masses, meteorology and boundary-layer dynamics control the concentrations, evolution and fractions of PM over BRV. The turbid air masses transported over Guwahati mostly from western and southwestern directions contribute to higher PM concentrations, either carrying anthropogenic pollution from Indo-Gangetic Plains or locally and LRT dust from BRV and western India, respectively.

Organochlorines (OCs) were determined in sediments collected from different regions of northern coast of Cyprus. The OCPs and Aroclors had a wide range from 2.78 to 306 and 15 to 325ngg−1, respectively. The highest level was found at Yedi Dalga site. DDE was the most abundant compound. The ratios of metabolites to parent DDT showed that DDTs were derived mostly from the aged and weathered inputs. Comparing our results with the previous studies showed that POPs in sediments were found to be lower than those in samples for Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. The SQG implied that, Aroclor1254 exceeded the TEL values, showing that adverse biological effects are expected occasionally at some of the sediment samples. DDTs were dominant and more ecotoxicological concern in the northern Cyprus. Altogether, it may be summarized that DDTs will impose ecologically hazardous impacts in the sedimentary environment at the present.

The potential sources and ecotoxicological risks of 26 aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) were investigated in coastal water and sediments of Khark Island, SW Iran. The major sources of the contamination were petroleum and petroleum combustion based on the PCA analysis and diagnostic indices of AHs and PAHs, and also ring classification of PAHs. The ecological risk of both individual and multiple PAHs was quite low in sediments compared with screening benchmarks. Likewise, the low concentration of TEQ, MEQ and TEQcarc of sediments suggest low toxicity of PAHs in the study area. However, environmental control is recommended to reduce the pollution burden of PAHs in seawater. The human health risk assessment for PAHs through dermal adsorption indicated that the possibility of negative adverse effects of PAHs in sediments is rare but swimming in the vicinity of industrial facilities should be done cautiously.

The development of new dredging techniques that can reduce, or at least predict, the environmental impacts, is in high demand by governments in developing countries. In the present work, a new methodology was developed, to evaluate the level of metals contamination (i.e. cadmium, lead and zinc) of the water column, during a dredging operation. This methodology was used to evaluate the impacts of the construction of a new maritime terminal in Sepetiba Bay, Brazil. The methodology quantifies the amount of resuspended sediments and calculates the expected contaminants concentrations in the water column. The results indicated that sediment quality criteria were not compatible with water quality criteria, because the dredging of contaminated sediments does not necessarily yield contaminated water. It is suggested that the use of sediment quality criteria for dredging operations might be abandoned, and the methodology presented in this study applied to assess dredging's environmental impacts, predicting water contamination levels.

Oil–particle interactions play a major role in removal of free oil from the water column. We present a new conceptual–numerical model, A-DROP, to predict oil amount trapped in oil–particle aggregates. A new conceptual formulation of oil–particle coagulation efficiency is introduced to account for the effects of oil stabilization by particles, particle hydrophobicity, and oil–particle size ratio on OPA formation. A-DROP was able to closely reproduce the oil trapping efficiency reported in experimental studies. The model was then used to simulate the OPA formation in a typical nearshore environment. Modeling results indicate that the increase of particle concentration in the swash zone would speed up the oil–particle interaction process; but the oil amount trapped in OPAs did not correspond to the increase of particle concentration. The developed A-DROP model could become an important tool in understanding the natural removal of oil and developing oil spill countermeasures by means of oil–particle aggregation.

Climate change with human direct pressures represent significant threats to the resilience of shoreline habitats like mangroves. A rapid, whole-of-system assessment strategy is needed to evaluate such threats, better linking innovative remote sensing with essential on-ground evaluations. Using the Shoreline Video Assessment Method, we surveyed around 190km of the mostly mangrove-fringed (78%) coastline of Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. The aim was to identify anthropogenic drivers of degradation, establishing baseline for specific rehabilitation and protection strategies. Fish traps occupy at least 87% of shoreline mangroves, around which there were abundant human activities – like fishing, crabbing, farming, plus collecting firewood and foliage. Such livelihoods were associated with remnant, fringing mangrove that were largely degraded and threatened by erosion retreat, herbivory, and excessive cutting. Our assessment quantified associated threats to shoreline stability, along with previous rehabilitation intervention measures. The method offers key opportunities for effective conservation and management of vulnerable shoreline habitats.