Coastal Pollution Research Articles

Functional plasticity in oyster gut microbiomes along a eutrophication gradient in an urbanized estuary

BackgroundOysters in coastal environments are subject to fluctuating environmental conditions that may impact the ecosystem services they provide. Oyster-associated microbiomes are responsible for some of these services, particularly nutrient cycling in benthic habitats. The effects of climate change on host-associated microbiome composition are well-known, but functional changes and how they may impact host physiology and ecosystem functioning are poorly characterized. We investigated how environmental parameters affect oyster-associated microbial community structure and function along a trophic gradient in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Adult eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, gut and seawater samples were collected at 5 sites along this estuarine nutrient gradient in August 2017. Samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize bacterial community structures and metatranscriptomes were sequenced to determine oyster gut microbiome responses to local environments.ResultsThere were significant differences in bacterial community structure between the eastern oyster gut and water samples, suggesting selection of certain taxa by the oyster host. Increasing salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen, and decreasing nitrate, nitrite and phosphate concentrations were observed along the North to South gradient. Transcriptionally active bacterial taxa were similar for the different sites, but expression of oyster-associated microbial genes involved in nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) cycling varied throughout the Bay, reflecting the local nutrient regimes and prevailing environmental conditions.ConclusionsThe observed shifts in microbial community composition and function inform how estuarine conditions affect host-associated microbiomes and their ecosystem services. As the effects of estuarine acidification are expected to increase due to the combined effects of eutrophication, coastal pollution, and climate change, it is important to determine relationships between host health, microbial community structure, and environmental conditions in benthic communities.

Prevention of Hazards Associated with Shipwrecks and Chemical Warfare Agents Accumulated on Seabed as a Task of Public Administration – the Case of Poland

This paper elaborates on the tasks of the public administration regarding the counteraction of risks and hazards associated with shipwrecks (in particular, the fuel contained therein) and containers with chemical warfare agents accumulated on the bed of the Baltic Sea within the area under Polish jurisdiction. The main aim of the paper is to determine which tasks specifically rest on the public administration in this respect, and on which legal grounds they should be executed. The analysis refers predominantly to the acts of Polish internal law, but it also considers the larger framework of international agreements and the European Union law. The conclusions drawn point to the need to supplement the regulatory provisions and marine and emergency response management systems for marine and coastal pollution events.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BALLAST WATER AND TANK SEDIMENTS OF SELECTED SHIPS WITHIN THE LAGOS HARBOUR, NIGERIA

Ballast water is important for safe and efficient operation of vessels, helping to maintain stability during voyage in seas and docking in harbours. However, ballast water can pose considerable environmental challenges because they are often laden with polluted sediments and invasive species. The Lagos Harbour, which houses in the largest port in West Africa, receives about five thousand vessels annually which discharge ballast water and tank sediments into the water with the potential to cause environmental pollution. In the Nigerian context there is high potential for pollution due to weak regulations, poor enforcement and limited research of this kind in order to understand their composition, fate and impacts. This study aims at characterizing the chemical composition (Heavy metals- Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead & Zinc, as well as carbon and nitrogen content) of the ballast water and the tank sediments because of their positive correlation with the survival of invasive species in the ballast water and tank sediments. Water samples were collected from four ships (2 cargos and 2 tankers) within the Lagos Harbour; surface (1-5 cm) sediment samples were scooped from ship tanks using a specialized grab for sampling ballast sediments. The sediments were transferred in specialized sample containers (cool boxes) to the University of Portsmouth in United Kingdom for analysis. Total metal concentrations were analysed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). They were subjected to two acid digestions: Aqua regia (AR) and 1 M hydrochloric acid (1 M HCl) following the procedures set out by the Canadian National Water Research Institute (NWRI) and the United States Environment Protection Agency (US-EPA Method 3050B). Total carbon and nitrogen contents were determined using an in-line Yanaco MT-5 CHN analyser. The results obtained were compared with established guidelines and subjected to correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The findings indicated high concentrations of Nickel, Lead, and Zinc in the sediments with values of 59.6 mg/kg, 33.75 mg/kg and 43,145.7 mg/kg respectively which exceeded NOAA and CSQGs permissible standards. Tanker vessels contained relatively higher concentrations of the pollutants than cargo vessels. The findings from this study provide useful baseline data which will guide a more intensive investigation of the chemical composition of ballast water and tank sediments for effective comparison with what is obtainable elsewhere in the world. The maritime industry needs to pay close attention to ballast as a potential source of marine pollution particularly in developing countries like Nigeria where there is limited regulation for management of coastal areas with respect to shipping activities. The IMO needs to direct further effort at investigating the non-biological components of ballast water and sediments in order to protect valuable biodiversity. Keywords: Coastal Pollution, Ballast Water Management, Ships, Analytical Techniques

<p class="ZootaxaTitle"><strong>Novel symbiotic relationship between a spionid polychaete and <em>Lingula</em> (Brachiopoda: Lingulata: Lingulidae), with description of <em>Polydora lingulicola</em> sp. nov. (Annelida: Spionidae)</strong></p>

A new spionid species Polydora lingulicola sp. nov., a novel symbiont of Lingula anatina Lamarck, 1801 is described here based on materials collected from the Yatsushiro Sea and Ariake Sea, southern Japan. Polydora lingulicola sp. nov., morphologically closest to P. glycymerica Radashevsky, 1993 and P. vulgaris Mohammad, 1972, is distinct from latter two shell-boring species by its smaller size, long maximum caruncle length, non-boring lifestyle, presence of subspherical yellow chromatophores on chaetiger 5 (visible in living specimens), and larval morphology. The new species was observed to construct mud tubes on the surfaces of L. anatina shells, with the tube apertures located near the lateral inhalant pseudosiphon of the hosts, and utilizes the water currents created by the filter-feeding host for feeding suspended food particles. Polydora lingulicola sp. nov. represents the first polychaetous annelid reported to exhibit an obligate symbiotic relationship with a lingulid brachiopod. Epibiotic polychaetes previously reported as P. cornuta Bosc, 1802 to occur on L. anatina shells from Japan in 1902 may belong to P. lingulicola sp. nov. The possibility that the wild populations of P. lingulicola sp. nov. may be vulnerable to extinction because they only associate with L. anatina, wild populations of which are near threatened by habitat loss, coastal pollution, and fishing pressure.

When, where, and how to intervene? Trade-offs between time and costs in coastal nutrient management.

Policies and regulations designed to address nutrient pollution in coastal waters are often complicated by delays in environmental and social systems. Social and political inertia may delay implementation of cleanup projects, and even after the best nutrient pollution management practices are developed and implemented, long groundwater travel times may delay the impact of inland or upstream interventions. These delays and the varying costs of nutrient removal alternatives used to meet water quality goals combine to create a complex dynamic decision problem with trade-offs about when, where, and how to intervene. We use multi-objective optimization to quantify the trade-offs between costs and minimizing the time to meet in-bay nutrient reduction goals represented as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). We calculate the impact of using in-bay (in-situ) nutrient removal through shellfish aquaculture relative to waiting for traditional source control to be implemented. We apply these methods to the Three Bays Watershed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In gross benefit terms, not accounting for any social costs, this equates to an average value of 37¢ (2035 TMDL target date) and 11¢ (2060 TMDL target date) per animal harvested over the plan implementation period. Our results encourage the consideration of alternative and in-situ approaches to tackle coastal pollution while traditional source control is implemented and its effects realized over time.

From 9/11 through Katrina to Covid-19: crisis recovery campaigns for American destinations

ABSTRACT Since 2001, growing numbers of American destinations have been combating crises such as terrorist attacks, floods, pandemics, volcanic eruptions, mass shootings, hurricanes, coastal pollution and wildfires. Due to the relative quick recoveries of American cities and states, we believe their experience in handling destination image during and following tourism crises can offer helpful insights for practitioners and academics. The manuscript’s goal is to analyse how American officials and marketers have tried to repair their place’s image. Using qualitative content analysis of news reports, websites and recovery campaigns, along with the ‘multi-step model for altering place image’, this study examines strategies used by American destinations during 2001–2020 to restore tourism. To date, only several studies have been written about the subject, and those were primarily analyses of specific case studies. Therefore, a multi-case study is needed in order to formulate broad insights regarding the recovery strategies of American destinations. The findings reveal the use of three kinds of image repair strategies: source, message and audience. In addition to these strategies, the study found a number of factors that influence the image recovery efforts; they are resource allocation, cooperation, involvement of various players, quick response time and holistic crisis management policy.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Total Phosphorus in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Mainstem Under New Water and Sediment Conditions

After the completion of the Three Gorges Reservoir and the upstream reservoir group of the Yangtze River, new water and sediment conditions appeared in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and its influence on the phosphorus concentrations in water has attracted much attention. Therefore, the spatial and temporal distributions of total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the middle and lower reaches of the mainstem under the new water and sediment conditions were studied. The results show that:① after the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the concentrations of TCP (samples were allowed to settle for 30 min) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River fluctuates between 0.10 and 0.15 mg·L-1, and generally increased during 2004-2010 and then decreased during 2014-2019, and increases along the flow direction. The concentrations of dissolved total phosphorus (TDP) have slowly increased with time. ② The settleable solids influence the phosphorus content to varying degrees. The median values of TCP/TP ratio in Nanjinguan, Hankou, and 23 km below Wusongkou, are 0.900, 0.720, and 0.609, respectively, which decreases successively from upstream to downstream. The proportion of TPP (total particulate phosphorus)/TP shows an increasing trend along the flow direction. The median values of TPP/TP ratios in Nanjinguan, Hankou, and 23 km below Wusongkou were 0.439, 0.567, and 0.738, respectively. ③ According to the "Environmental quality standard for surface water GB 3838-2002", the water quality was assessed using TCP concentrations, and the assessment results showed that the water quality of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was generally good. However, considering the influence of settleable solids, the water quality categories assessed based on TP concentrations would be worse, especially near estuaries. ④ In the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, there is little difference in the phosphorus concentration of different monitoring sites in the upper section of main stream; however, the difference is obvious near the estuary. ⑤ The concentration of TCP in the coastal waters of the urban river section of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is significantly higher than that of the main channel, and there are obvious coastal pollution zones in the coastal waters of the urban river section.

Human Health and Ocean Pollution.

Human Health and Ocean Pollution.

Signals of adaptive mitogenomic evolution in an indigenous Cichlid, Etroplus suratensis (Bloch, 1790) from India

Etroplus suratensis is one of the most important indigenous Cichlids of the Indian subcontinent exhibiting restricted distribution in the estuaries of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Coastal pollution and climate change contribute to the deterioration of their habitats. Etroplus suratensis is widely distributed along estuaries and brackishwater lakes of India which make them ideal candidates for investigations on adaptation and selection on mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes. We investigated the selection patterns in the OXPHOS system of E. suratensis by comparing OXPHOS genes of 105 fishes collected from different eco-regions in India. Signals of positive and diversifying selection observed in the mitogenomes were correlated with habitat characteristics. Habitat specific mutational signals observed have adaptive significance as the populations of the study represented humid tropical climatic zones constituting rainforests in the southwest, semi-arid zones in the southeast and humid subtropical zones in the northeast regions of India. Adaptation to these environmentally heterogeneous habitats generates genotypic and phenotypic variants with specific metabolic or bioenergetic requirements. The observed adaptive mitogenome evolution may be the imprints of this geographic variability, genetic drift and selective forces imparted by the distinctive ecoregions which form their habitats.

Coastal pollution from the industrial park Quintero bay of central Chile: Effects on abundance, morphology, and development of the kelp Lessonia spicata (Phaeophyceae).

The industrial park of Quintero Bay (QB) in the central coast of Chile was established in the 1960s, presents high levels of pollution due to the industrial activity, and it is known as one of the five Chilean “sacrifice zones”. Lessonia spicata is the most important habitat-forming kelp species in the intertidal along the central and south shores of Chile, and currently there are no morphometric and population studies of L. spicata (or other seaweed species) nor studies about the effects of pollution on its development in QB and neighbouring sites. In this context, the aims of this study were (i) to register the abundance and morphological features of L. spicata populations from Ventanas, Horcón and Cachagua (sites with different pollution histories and located only up to 40 km from the QB); ii) to determine the heavy metals (HMs) concentration in seawater and marine sediments; and (iii) to evaluate in vitro the effects of exposure to seawater from the three sampling sites on spore release and early developmental stages, up to the juvenile sporophyte. Results showed that the chronically exposed Ventanas kelp population had the smallest adult individuals in comparison with the other sites. Ventanas and Horcón registered high HMs concentration in the seawater and marine sediments exceeding the international permissible limits (e.g in seawater Cu 20–859 μg L-1; sediments Cu > 50,000 μg kg-1). Unexpectedly in Cachagua, a site often considered unpolluted, high concentrations of Cu and As were also registered in the seawater (859 and 1,484 μg L-1, respectively) and of As in marine sediments (20,895 μg kg-1). Exposure of gametophytes to the seawater from Ventanas resulted in a developmental delay compared to the other treatments; however, low sporophyte production was determined in all treatments. Our results indicate that QB, more notably Ventanas, induce highly negative effects on individual development, and consequently on seaweed populations, which suggest a long-term negative impact on the community structure of these marine zones. Furthermore, the high concentrations of HMs reported here at Cachagua suggest a recent expansion of pollution along the central coast of Chile, evidencing effects on the marine ecosystem health even on sites far from the pollution source.

Research on Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of the Cause of Coastal Red Tide

Li, Q.; Xu, J., and Zhu, Z.-W., 2020. Research on nonlinear dynamic analysis of the cause of coastal red tide. In: Wan, Z.(ed.), Coordinated Sustainable Development in Coastal Areas: Environment and Economy. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 109, pp. 127–132. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Red tide is one of the three major coastal pollution problems in the world, and it is an ecological problem caused by invasive species of algae. This paper mainly studies the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of red tide and studies the influence of the external random excitation on the system. Numerical results show that the external random excitation plays an important role in the red tide bursting. At last, numerical results show that the global fast terminal sliding mode control has a very good control effect on suppressing the outbreak of the red tide.

Impact of Public Participation on Coastal Pollution Emissions under the Growth of Personal Income

Impact of Public Participation on Coastal Pollution Emissions under the Growth of Personal Income

Source identification and implications of heavy metals in urban roads for the coastal pollution in a beach town, Busan, Korea

Heavy metals in the sediments of urban roads (RDS), storm drains (SDS), and marine areas (MS) were investigated to assess road pollution in a beach town adjacent to the coast in Busan and identify their relationships with the marine environment. RDS were considerably polluted with Zn, Cu, Cr, and Pb, with mean concentrations of 1090, 178, 171, and 199 mg/kg, respectively. MS were severely contaminated with Zn and Cu, exceeding the effects range median (ERM; Cu = 270, Zn = 410 mg/kg). PCA and HCA identified tire and brake wear in RDS as the major sources of Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd, and that high levels of Zn, Cu, and Pb in RDS originating from traffic activities contaminated MS through the urban storm drain system. The results suggested that traffic-originated metals in RDS are potential pollutants in coastal environments, and further studies on their fate and management should be conducted.

Coastal pollutant transport modeling using smoothed particle hydrodynamics with diffusive flux

The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used in this paper to simulate the transport process of coastal pollutant by solving the two-dimensional (2D) depth averaged advection-diffusion equation in Lagrangian framework. To avoid directly discretizing the second-order derivatives, the diffusion terms are decomposed into two first-order derivatives by introducing the diffusive flux. To verify the proposed Lagrangian particle model, numerical experiments on four typical tests are performed, including the discontinuity, pure advection, grid anisotropy and large deforming flow. The high-resolution Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) scheme - the modified TVD Lax–Friedrichs method with Superbee limiter (MTVDLF-Superbee) - is also implemented for detailed comparison. The simulation results indicated that the present SPH-based model has better performance than MTVDLF-Superbee. In addition, the stability, convergence and efficiency of the proposed model are numerically analyzed. The Lagrangian particle model with diffusive flux gives satisfactory results with big time step and hence allows large Courant number, guaranteeing the computational efficiency.

Flow cytometric characterization of the hemocytes of blood cockles Anadara broughtonii (Schrenck, 1867), Anadara kagoshimensis (Lischke, 1869), and Tegillarca granosa (Linnaeus, 1758) as a biomarker for coastal environmental monitoring

Marine bivalves are often used as a sentinel species in coastal environmental monitoring since changes in the environmental quality are often well preserved in their cells and tissues. Anadara and Tegillarca species of Arcidae, the blood cockles, are considered to be good sentinel species in monitoring coastal pollution and ecosystem health because they are distributed widely in the subsurface of intertidal mudflats. Internal cellular defense of the blood cockles to physical and biological stresses is mediated by the circulating hemocytes, while their hemocyte types and functions are poorly studied. In this study, we first characterized morphology and immune-related activities of hemocytes of three common blood cockles Anadara broughtonii, A. kagoshimensis, and Tegillarca granosa using flow cytometry. Based on cell morphology and immunological functions, we described five types of hemocytes identically in the three blood cockles: erythrocytes type-I (erythrocytes-I), erythrocytes type-II (erythrocytes-II), granulocytes, hyalinocytes, and blast-like cells. Erythrocytes were round cells containing hemoglobin with numerous granules in the cytoplasm and these cells consist of two central populations. Erythrocytes-I were the most abundant cells accounting for 80–89% of the total circulating hemocytes and exhibited a certain level of lysosome and oxidative capacity. Erythrocytes-II were the largest cells and displayed high lysosome content and the most active oxidative capacity. Both erythrocytes-I and erythrocytes-II did not show phagocytosis capacity. Granulocytes were intermediated-sized hemocytes characterized by granules in the cytoplasm and long pseudopodia on the cell surface, and these cells were mainly engaged in the cellular defense exhibiting the largest lysosome content, the most active phagocytosis, and high oxidative capacity. Contrary to granulocytes, hyalinocytes were comparatively small and round cells and exhibited no granules in the cytoplasm. Hyalinocytes displayed a certain level of lysosome and phagocytosis and oxidative capacities. Blast-like cells characterized by the smallest size and small quantity of cytoplasm and exhibited an absence of phagocytosis and extremely low oxidative capacity, suggesting that this population is not directly involved in the cell-mediated immune activities. In conclusion, flow cytometry indicated that three blood cockles had five types of hemocytes, and the erythrocytes and granulocytes were mainly involved in the immunological activities.

Remote sensing-based assessment of Coastal Regulation Zones in India: a case study of Mumbai, India

Coastal pollution and encroachment in India are ever-growing issues, for which the Indian government drafted coastal regulation notifications for better management. However, many violations have occurred but not documented due to paucity in data. In recent decades, remote sensing tools are widely used to estimate encroachment and violations, where such official data are not available. This study uses satellite imagery to estimate violations that have occurred in the years 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2019, along the coastal regions of Maharashtra, India. Spatiotemporal variations in violations were assessed and classified into four violation classes: 75%. Over the study period, violations in the class > 75% increased by 110% while violations in the < 25% class decreased by 10%, indicating not a reduction in low violations, but a significant conversion of low to maximum violation scenarios. Particularly, metropolitan areas like Mumbai had higher violations when compared to other areas. Reasons for these violations include increased urbanization and regional occupations like fishing. This study has provided information on hotspots of violation areas that could help reformulate, execute and inspect the coastal regulations.

Study on the Influence of Port Coastal Light Pollution on Visual Navigation

Shang, H.N., 2020. Study on the influence of port coastal light pollution on visual navigation. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 250-252. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Navigation aids are navigation aids for the safety of ships. They are divided into three categories: visual navigation aids, audio navigation aids and radio navigation aids. It provides reliable navigation safety guarantee for water transportation, fishery, marine development and national defense construction, and provides reliable navigation safety guarantee for the establishment of safe economic passage at sea and inside sea, which is an important part of the maritime Silk Road. Visual navigation aids are the most basic navigation aids, sound navigation aids only play a warning role, radio navigation aids have developed into a modern all-weather navigation aids system, especially the popularization of satellite navigation technology, put forward higher requirements for visual navigation aids.

Ecological features of a rocky intertidal community exposed to sewage effluent

Sewage is among the largest components of coastal pollution, showing a variable scale and size when causing an impact. In this study, temporal and spatial sewage-related gradients were identified using univariate and multivariate methods. Phosphates and nitrogen-based nutrients, except nitrate, were associated to sewage. Abundance and species richness decrease with distance from the sewage outfall while evenness increased. Filter-feeder bivalves and grazer crustaceans showed preference for the sewage discharge site. Gastropods were more abundant at an intermediate distance, likely reflecting primary production enhancement by sewage. Beta diversity was lower at the location and time with highest sewage loadings. The turnover component of beta diversity expressed as an absolute or proportional value was also useful to detect temporal and spatial sewage-related gradients. Highly energetic hydrodynamics contributes to ameliorate sewage impacts, yet not enough to veil the effect of pollution in this study.

Integral'naya model' ekologo-ekonomicheskoy sistemy upravleniya beregovym stokom zagryazneniy v morskuyu bukhtu

Integral'naya model' ekologo-ekonomicheskoy sistemy upravleniya beregovym stokom zagryazneniy v morskuyu bukhtu

Changes in the nutrient budget due to physiochemical factors in the coastal area of Jeju, Korea

Lee, T.; Moon, J.-H.; Jung, S.-K.; Park, G.; Kwon, S.; Min, S.-H., and Son, Y.B., 2020. Changes of nutrient budget due to physiochemical factors in the coastal area of Jeju, Korea. In: Malvarez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 57–61. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In Jeju coastal area which is UNESCO biosphere reserve, there has recently been eutrophication and serious changes in the coastal ecosystem such as coastal fishery decline and green algal bloom. A large amount of nutrients that inflow to the coastal area through the discharge of land-based aquaculture farms (LAFs) and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) are transported by the tidal current. We established representative area of the Jeju coastal area and calculated the nutrients budget of the LAFs, SGD, primary production (PP), and sediment in this study area. The advection-diffusion equation applied to the model was calculated through the passive tracer experiments. The water mass transport in and out of the study area was estimated by modeling, and the nutrient fluxes was calculated by water volume and nutrient concentration. The nutrient released from the aquaculture farms are primarily determined by the reversing tidal currents along the coast of the study area, showing a narrow band of coast, indicating little cross-isobath nutrient exchange between the nearshore and offshore water. The amount of total carbon (TC), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved silicon (DSi) influxes into the study area from the LAFs, SGD and offshore were 2,696,282 kg·day-1, 18,823 kg·day-1, 3,395 kg·day-1 and 65,723 kg·day-1, respectively. The amount of TC, TN, TP and Si outfluxes transported from the study area to the offshore, deposited in the sediment and used for PP were 2,696,274 kg·day-1, 18,821 kg·day-1, 3,394 kg·day-1 and 65,721 kg·day-1, respectively. In the study area nutrients are accumulating due to inflows more than outflows. The accumulation rate of TC, DIN, DIP and DSi are 2.29 mg·m-3·day-1, 0.76 mg·m-3·day-1, 0.18 mg·m-3·day-1, 1.06 mg·m-3·day-1, respectively. The coastal area of Jeju is accumulating nutrients, which could increase coastal pollution such as eutrophication, green algal bloom and whitening.