Python-assisted bimetallic-nanozyme fluorescence capillary imprinted sensor for rapid visual detection of nonylphenol ethoxylates and nonylphenol.

Spatial-multivariate modelling of seagrass ecological quality index (SEQI) in Central to Eastern Indonesia.

Blue carbon inventories of Spain and Portugal for their inclusion in national climate mitigation strategies.

Coastal salt marshes are critical blue carbon sinks but are threatened by coastal reclamation and biological invasion. Conventional discrete mapping lacks temporal continuity, limiting assessments of long-term successional pathways and carbon dynamics. We developed an integrated long-term remote sensing framework using the Landsat archive (1986–2023) to quantify salt marsh dynamics and carbon burial in Hangzhou Bay, China. The framework integrates optimal phenological window selection, continuous change detection, and Random Forest classification to generate accurate annual species-level maps. From 1986 to 2023, salt marshes underwent multi-phase transitions, progressing through natural succession to reclamation-driven coastal squeeze and subsequent invasion-led reorganization. Total wetland area declined by 60%, reflecting the net effect of massive reclamation (893.6 km²) against vegetation expansion. Bare mudflats decreased by 73%, native Scirpus mariqueter by 27%, and invasive Spartina alterniflora expanded by 174%. These transitions led to 49% reduction in annual blue carbon burial (from 71.1 to 36.4 Gg C yr−1). Despite recent invasive expansion and stricter reclamation controls, carbon burial recovery remained limited, reflecting the reclamation’s dominant influence on long-term losses. This study provides a scalable framework for continuous monitoring of salt marsh dynamics and quantifies carbon burial responses to anthropogenic and biological pressures in highly modified estuarine ecosystems.

Vegetated coastal lagoons provide carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake and are often inventoried as blue carbon (C) sinks. We measured greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, CO2, methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), at the water-air interface in dominant habitats including oyster aquaculture, eelgrass, and bare sediments of two temperate, eutrophic coastal lagoonal systems in Rhode Island (RI), and estimated sediment C accumulation in eelgrass habitats. We examined whether system GHG emissions at the water-air interface offset estimated eelgrass sediment C accumulation. Although highly variable, we often measured net CO2 and CH4 emissions from eelgrass and other habitats, which offset some or all of the estimated C accumulation in eelgrass sediments. At Potter Pond the monthly (May - October 2023) mean CO2 equivalent (CO2e) over a 100y horizon at the bare habitat (-0.0071 ± 0.63 ug m-2 s-1) was a net sink, while the mean CO2e-100y at eelgrass (4.74 ± 0.91 ug m-2 s-1) and oyster (2.30 ± 0.71 ug m-2 s-1) habitats were net sources. At Pt. Judith Pond the mean CO2e-100y across months and among habitats ranged from 2.49 ug m-2 s-1 at the oyster habitat to 5.08 ug m-2 s-1 at the eelgrass habitat. High CO2 and CH4 emissions might be attributed to the abundance of labile macroalgae, which decomposes rapidly, and to mineralization of legacy C in sediments associated with declining eelgrass. GHG emissions in eutrophic, vegetated lagoons might offset sediment C accumulation and cause an overestimation of blue C sinks.

Elevated suspended particulate matter reorganises carbon fraction in mangrove ecosystems.

The global climate crisis requires immediate and comprehensive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rises "well below" 2°C. The UK has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050 (Scotland 2045) with several policies proposed to achieve this goal and ambitious aims to decarbonise whole industries. The UK marine environment is expanding its activities and capitalising on blue growth. Here, we review current marine policies in the context of Net Zero and find that, despite the proliferation of Net Zero policies, there are crucial gaps impeding how Net Zero will be achieved in the marine environment. With the increasing demand for ocean space and the transition to Net Zero, conflicts have arisen between the drive for green energy through offshore wind (OSW) and maintaining space for existing marine users. Better protection and restoration of blue carbon sites and environmental protection targets will be required to meet Net Zero but could lead to further spatial squeeze. Synergies between marine sectors have emerged or are being considered, which may reduce tensions as industries look to expand to achieve Net Zero, e.g. OSW accommodating certain types of fishing, decarbonising oil and gas production, and decommissioned oil and gas infrastructure being repurposed for green energy production or carbon capture and storage. As marine industries expand and decarbonise, trade-offs are likely, and it remains to be seen whether Net Zero will be prioritised, or if policy gaps and outdated policies will impact the UK meeting its legal Net Zero obligations.

Bacterial presence and nutrient dynamics in mangrove crab mounds: links to blue carbon revealed by molecular approaches

Seagrass meadows support biodiversity, coastal protection and blue carbon services but are declining globally, with nutrient enrichment a pervasive driver of eutrophication. Effective management depends on detecting eutrophication before structural collapse occurs, yet widely used tissue nitrogen (N) benchmarks for seagrasses have never been formally validated. We assessed nutrient exposure and ecological condition across nine seagrass meadows in Northern Ireland using tissue carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content, stoichiometric ratios and stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N), and tested how tissue nitrogen relates to Zostera marina biomass at Northern Hemisphere scale by integrating regional, UK and global datasets. All Northern Ireland meadows exceeded the global 1.8% tissue nitrogen benchmark, indicating pervasive anthropogenic nitrogen exposure even within Marine Protected Areas. The combined datasets revealed a strong, nonlinear decline in Z. marina biomass with increasing tissue nitrogen that was consistent across sites. Biomass began to decline significantly above 1.8% N, identifying this value as the onset of functional degradation. The rate of biomass loss increased rapidly with further enrichment and peaked at 2.8% N, defining a critical point at which additional nitrogen causes the greatest marginal loss of seagrass biomass. These results provide quantitative support for existing tissue nitrogen benchmarks and refine their ecological interpretation, highlighting 1.8% N as an early-warning threshold and2.8% N as a high-risk range for rapid biomass loss. Tissue nitrogen therefore represents a integrative, biologically meaningful indicator of eutrophic stress applicable for management and restoration prioritisation in seagrass ecosystems.

Nutrient status, blue carbon stocks, and community perceptions in the seagrass meadows of Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka: A socio-ecological assessment under monsoonal forcing

Drivers of organic and inorganic carbon in the tidal flats of China: new insights for blue carbon inventories

High-resolution temporal biogeochemical variations in a seagrass-coral cohabitate ecosystem: day-night, rain, and coral spawning.

Vegetation succession enhances soil organic carbon sequestration by modulating microbial carbon cycling genes in coastal marshes, eastern China.

Microplastics and co-occurring nitrogen synergistically accelerate blue carbon loss.

Summer carbon budget simulation in a lagoon ecosystem with submerged aquatic vegetation.

Real-time, accurate, and field-portable measurement of Mn(VII) is pivotal for food safety, medical management, and environmental governance. However, existing approaches are still time-consuming and typically require costly laboratory-based techniques and trained professionals. To address this issue, a YOLO v3 artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm-driven smartphone-assisted monitoring platform incorporating a smartphone with a self-programming program and blue fluorescence (FL) carbon dots (B-CDs) proves effective for rapid quantification of Mn(VII) through a successive FL transition. B-CDs were prepared through a one-step hydrothermal procedure utilizing L-malic acid, indomethacin, and EDTA disodium as precursors, manifesting intriguing blue FL under 320 nm excitation. The FL intensity of as-prepared B-CDs is significantly quenched upon addition of Mn(VII), leading to the FL color variation of B-CDs from blue to cyan. Based on the sensing phenomena, the constructed intelligent sensing platform accomplishes rapid and in-field detection of Mn(VII) with low detection limits of 0.21 nM. More importantly, intelligent quantification of Mn(VII) in irrigation water is achieved through the proposed method. The application of a YOLO v3 AI strategy on an intelligent sensing platform will provide novel insight for the development of automated sensors.

Chitin is a ubiquitous marine biopolymer, yet its role as a functional biointerface in higher plants remains poorly understood. This study elucidates the molecular mechanisms driving the robust underwater adhesion of the surfgrass Phyllospadix japonicus in high-energy rocky intertidal zones. Unlike sediment-rooting species, P. japonicus secretes a hierarchical adhesive matrix comprising fibrous extracellular matrices (ECMs) and granular mucilage matrix (GMM) microparticles. Histochemical and proteomic analyses identify the GMM as a specialized filler characterized by peripheral enrichment of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc). This architecture is integrated through high-affinity molecular docking with cognate chitin-binding proteins (CBPs) identified within the root cell wall. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized CBP-based underwater adhesion strategy. This mechanism provides a promising biomimetic template for chitin-based underwater adhesives and marine reforestation technologies to enhance blue carbon sequestration.

Active carbon-fixing microbes and their role in carbon fixation in mangrove sediments.

Seagrass ecosystems as potential reservoirs of antibiotic and metal resistance genes in the Yellow River Delta, China.

As global fisheries stocks have decreased due to overfishing and climate change, artificial reefs have gained significant attention. In addition to providing or restoring habitat, artificial reefs may serve as carbon capture sinks and potential climate mitigation strategies. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Reef is an artificial reef located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas. The RGV Reef area spans 1,650 acres and is comprised of hundreds of groupings of recycled and pre-formed materials ranging from low relief (1–2 ft) to high relief (8–30 ft) reef structures. This reef provides a variety of novel habitat stepping-stones for multiple fish species at different life stages and supports local fisheries. Since the deployment of reef structures, fish biomass and abundance are substantially higher than expected for unconsolidated soft-bottom habitats; however, quantifying fish biomass is necessary to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different structural types. For this study, a Simrad EK80 split-beam sonar was used to estimate fish biomass at the reef sites. Biomass was calculated using fish echo returns and length-weight relationships. The standing stock of fish carbon contained within the fish populations associated with the RGV Reef was assessed using literature-derived measurements. The total fish biomass within the RGV Reef area was estimated at 24.4 tons, equating to 2.81 metric tons of carbon within the fish population. This study provides important information on the factors influencing fish biomass in this reef and the amount of carbon held in fish biomass within a previously overlooked potential blue carbon ecosystem.