Marine Water Pollution Research Articles

Analysis of the Social, Economic, and Ecological Impact of Mining Activities of PT. Gag Nickel on Society and Coral Reef Ecosystem in Gag Island, Raja Ampat District

This study analyses the social, economic, and ecological impact of PT. Gag Nickel mining activities on the society and coral reef ecosystem in Gag Island, Raja Ampat district. The data was obtained through in-depth interviews, observations, and questionnaires distributed to employees of PT. Gag Nikel and the surrounding community. The results of the research show that the presence of P.T. Gag Nikel has improved the income and well-being of the local population, with the majority of the population working as employees of the company. However, mining activities also cause damage to coral reef ecosystems, including soil erosion, sedimentation, and marine water pollution. In conclusion, in order to better sustainability, increased commitment of companies in managing environmental impacts and public involvement in decision-making related to mining activities is required. This research provides important insights for mining companies and other stakeholders in managing the impact of mining activities sustainably.

What are the influence of fishery activities and their implication on marine water pollution? an empirical analysis

What are the influence of fishery activities and their implication on marine water pollution? an empirical analysis

An Overview of Pollution Level in Vlora Port

This study reports the concentrations of organic pollutants, nutrients, and some physicochemical parameters in water samples from Vlora Port. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, o-, m- and p-Xyelenes, Ethylbenzene) were analyzed organic pollutants. The levels of NO3-, NO2-, NH4-, N-total, PO4-, and P-total were determined. Temperature, PH, Conductivity, Turbidity, TDS, TSS DO, BOD and COD were physical-chemical parameters determined in the water samples. Vlora Port is located in the southern part of Albania in Vlora Bay, near Vlora City in the Adriatic Sea. Elevated activities in port areas (terrestrial and marine areas) are the main causes of water pollution. Urban pollution, agriculture, and water currents can influence marine water pollution in this area. To evaluate pollution levels at the port of Vlora, water samples (12 stations) were analyzed over a two-year period (2022 – 2023). Water samples were collected during two seasons: March and July of each year Analyses of organic compounds were performed using a gas chromatograph (Varian 450 GC) equipped with ECD and FID detectors. Nutrients were analyzed using the UV-VIS technique. Titration, automatic, semi-automatic, and gravimetric methods were used to determine the physicochemical parameters. Organic pollutants were detected in all the water samples. Nutrient concentrations and physicochemical values classified the marine water of Vlora’s port as moderately good. Levels of organic pollutants, nutrients, and physicochemical parameters in water samples from Vlora’s port were higher/comparable with those reported in previous studies of the Adriatic Sea (Albania coastline).

Spatial and temporal analysis of marine water pollution in Port Klang: Developing a GIS database for assessing patterns and trends.

Spatial and temporal analysis of marine water pollution in Port Klang: Developing a GIS database for assessing patterns and trends.

China's marine environmental public interest litigation: current situation, challenges, and improvement approach –analysis based on 339 cases

Marine pollution and ecological damage seriously undermine economic and social development and human life and health and threaten the sustainable development of human society. With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization and the intense exploitation of marine space and marine natural resources, China’s marine ecology is facing serious problems such as pollution of marine waters, the decline of marine plant and animal resources, and the impairment of the ecological function of coastal zones. China’s marine environmental public interest litigation (MEPIL) has achieved remarkable results in protecting marine natural resources, safeguarding the marine ecosystem, and preventing marine pollution and ecological damage. The paper closely combines the judicial practice of Chinese MEPIL, exploring 339 legal cases brought by administrative organs, public prosecutors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) presented on the China Judgment Online from 2018 to 2023. It can be concluded that three modes of MEPIL, namely civil, administrative, and civil public interest litigation incidental to criminal proceedings, have been constructed. Attempts have been made to confirm the standing of the litigation, improve the pre-litigation procedure, and clarify the types of compensation. However, significant obstacles exist in China’s MEPIL. Theoretical clarifications and practical distinctions with other types of proceedings should be made. The current standing should be improved regarding procuratorial organs, administrative authorities, and social organizations. Court jurisdiction systems need to be enhanced. Inconsistencies in the legal provisions on whether MEPIL cases must be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the maritime courts have impeded the efficiency of the handling of cases. The corresponding solutions to the aforementioned obstacles are also analyzed. Clarifying the MEPIL’s nature and improving the relevant laws, and regulations, are essential measures. In addition, providing the explicit interpretation of the legal provisions, expanding the standing, and improving the jurisdictional and other legal system should be explored.

Assessment of water quality and pollution in Gurunagar fishery harbour, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Coastal marine water pollution is caused by anthropogenic activities either directly or indirectly. Substances released into marine coastal environment result in deleterious effects such as harmful to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities including fishing. As such, Gurunagar harbour is often polluted by several waste effluents generated within the region. Research was conducted with the objective to determine the quality of water in the fish landing site at Gurunagar and type of wastes discharged into the main water stream. Investigations were carried out for six months period from January to June 2020. Three potential sampling locations were selected along three main drainages where amalgamation takes place at the coastal region. Samples were collected from 10 m, 30 m and 60 m at the interior portion of the harbour whereas control unit was kept at 500 m at the exterior portion of harbour. Fifteen water quality parameters were analyzed to find out the level of contamination in the water. Results showed that physical parameters such as temperature, salinity, total suspended solids, colour and turbidity were kept under the tolerance level. Chemical parameters such as BOD, COD, Nitrate, and Phosphate were accounted above the limit as 139.00 ± 29.57 mg/l, 306.70 ± 70.5 mg/l, 78.70 ± 8.03 mg/l, and 1.42 ±0.2448 mg/l, respectively. There was no significant difference between three main drainage channels considered. Hazardous wastes of oil and grease accumulated as 14.333 ± 2.345mg/l in the harbour water and, the Noxious heavy metals namely Hg and Pb were estimated as 0.03544 ± 0.02845 mg/l and 1.97 ± 0.1815 mg/l, respectively; and these concentrations are crucially above the tolerance limits. The Hg concentration in Jaffna Teaching Hospital drainage was reported as 0.0315 ±0.02247 which is inevitably higher than the threshold level. It was found parameter variables along with the sampling distances and significantly high value was obtained at the distance of 10 m from the coast. The present study recommends that initiatives should be made by the government officials to adopt an effective waste disposal and management system among the coastal communities, in the future.

Singlet-excited dioxygen O2(a1Δg) and organic pollutants in marine waters beneath the Sun

The ground state dioxygen has a triplet spin state O2(X3Σg). The singlet excited O2(a1Δg) dioxygen possesses an excess energy of 22 kcal/mole and is highly reactive with respect to organic matter since all organic molecules have also singlet ground states with all spins paired; their reactions with O2(a1Δg) are not forbidden by spin selection. The chromophoric pollutants in sea waters under sun irradiation can generate O2(a1Δg) and other reactive oxygen species which could oxidase many wastes. This review describes mechanisms of O2(a1Δg) interaction with organic pollutants in seawater with black carbon dispersion and with corals.

Multi-residue determination of 17 antibiotics in sea cucumbers (Holothuria tubulosa) by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Antibiotics are a class of pharmaceuticals routinely prescribed to prevent and treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria in humans and animals. Their widespread consumption results in a gradual contamination of the aquatic environment, which is of particular concern due to the phenomenon of resistance to antibiotics. Quantitative analysis of antibiotics in marine ecosystems is critical to assess the potential risk of exposure of aquatic species and, consequently, of consumers of seafood. In this context, filter feeders, such as holothurians, are considered ideal bioindicators of pollution in marine waters. In this work, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 17 multiclass antibiotic residues in Holothuria tubulosa specimens. The proposed methodology involved two steps of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) with methanol, followed by a clean-up based on dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) using C18 adsorbent. 3^2 factorial designs were used for the optimization of the most influential variables of the extraction procedure. Linearity of 84.1–99.4 %, precision in terms of RSD lower than 15 %, recoveries between 87.9 and 114.9 %, and detection limits between 0.3 and 3.0 ng g−1 were obtained. After validation, the method was used to analyze specimens of Holothuria tubulosa collected along the Mediterranean coast of Granada. The obtained results indicate the presence of antibiotics in the area, CIP being the most prevalent.

Pharmaceutical pollution in marine waters and benthic flora of the southern Australian coastline

Environmental context Most human pharmaceutical waste is discharged to the environment. While the presence of pharmaceuticals in freshwater systems is well documented globally, little is known of the impact on marine ecosystems. We measured pharmaceuticals in a marine environment in south-eastern Australia and found pharmaceutical concentrations around 24 000 times higher in benthic flora than in the marine surface waters. We discuss the potential use of seaweeds as biological indicators of pharmaceutical pollution. Rationale Pharmaceuticals are emerging pollutants of concern with a range of adverse consequences for organisms and ecosystems. Their presence in freshwater and estuarine systems has been well documented, but less is known about their prevalence in open ocean, or their uptake by benthic flora. This preliminary survey of the southern Australian coastline sought to measure the concentrations of key pharmaceuticals in both surface waters and benthic flora. Methodology This study used LC-MS/MS to measure the concentration carbamazepine, tramadol and venlafaxine in (1) samples from wastewater treatment plants, (2) ocean surface waters and (3) several species of benthic flora. Surface waters and benthic flora were sampled at two sites near waste water treatment plant (WWTP) discharges, and one site away from any discharge. Results All three pharmaceuticals were detected in surface water samples with their risk assessed (via risk quotient) as medium risk (carbamazepine) or low risk (venlafaxine, tramadol). All three pharmaceuticals were also detected in benthic flora, particularly in brown macroalgae; Tramadol was measured at a maximum of 34.7 ng g−1 in Hormosira banksii, and Venlafaxine was recorded at a maximum of 17.3 ng g−1 in Caulocystis cephalornithos. Discussion The calculated bioconcentration factors suggest the pharmaceutical concentrations in benthic flora were up to ~24 000 times higher than in surrounding surface water. There was also evidence that proximity to WWTP outfalls influenced the levels of pharmaceuticals in benthic flora. The results suggest that the benthic flora may be suitable bioindicators of pharmaceutical contamination and that the potential impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants in marine ecosystems demand further investigation.

The Effect of Motored Houses on Coliform Pollution in Marine Waters and Its Impact On Public Health, Jayapura City

The Effect of Motored Houses on Coliform Pollution in Marine Waters and Its Impact On Public Health, Jayapura City

Marine Water Pollution Index in Intensive Shrimp Cultivation System in Jembrana

Intensive shrimp cultivation with a high level of shrimp biomass and feeding will also result in high waste disposal. This condition can cause pollution in the surrounding waters and reduce the quality of the environment, which will threaten the sustainability of the environment and the sustainability of shrimp cultivation on the shrimp farm. The problem is the pollution load of shrimp farm wastes in the intensive cultivation system and the pollution status of coastal waters. This study aims to analyse the pollution load of shrimp farm wastes and the pollution status of coastal waters. This research was carried out in the coastal area of Jembrana District for four months, from March to June 2022. It was conducted by collecting data directly in the field. Samples were taken by purposive sampling method, namely at the inlet and outlet of the reservoir, the outlet of the shrimp farm, the outlet of the WWTP, coastal waters and marine waters. The pollution load level of shrimp farm waste at each station refers to the Minister of Environment Decree No. 54 of 2004, and the marine water pollution index refers to the Minister of Environment Decree No. 115 of 2003. The pollution load of shrimp farm waste based on the parameter concentration value has passed the thresholds for the quality standards of source water and maintenance water, which are: 1). Free ammonia (NH3-N) at ST 1, ST 2, ST 3, and ST 4; 2). Nitrate (NO3-N) at ST 1, ST 2, ST 3, and ST 4. A load of waste generated from shrimp rearing farms was free ammonia at 3.3 tons/ha/year and nitrate at 555.96 kg/ha/year. In contrast, the pollution load of waste discharged into coastal waters from shrimp farm wastewater treatment plants was free ammonia at 2.06 tons/ha/year and nitrate at 475.96 kg/ha/year. The pollution index of coastal waters in the shrimp farm cultivation area in Jembrana District was classified as moderately polluted with a Pij of 7.67 and heavily polluted (Pij = 11.09) according to 80 days of observation and 110 days of shrimp rearing. Meanwhile, in marine waters, the level of pollution was in the moderate category during the 80-day and 110-day observation periods. Maintaining the preservation of the marine environment requires an analysis of the capacity of the organic waste of shrimp farms on the carrying capacity of the aquatic environment. Therefore, it can be used as a reference in formulating policies for the development of Vannamei shrimp cultivation areas in Jembrana District, Jembrana Regency.

Adaptation of a marine diatom to ocean acidification increases its sensitivity to toxic metal exposure.

Most previous studies investigating the interplay of ocean acidification (OA) and heavy metal on marine phytoplankton were only conducted in short-term, which may provide conservative estimates of the adaptive capacity of them. Here, we examined the physiological responses of long-term (~900 generations) OA-adapted and non-adapted populations of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to different concentrations of the two heavy metals Cd and Cu. Our results showed that long-term OA selected populations exhibited significantly lower growth and reduced photosynthetic activity than ambient CO2 selected populations at relatively high heavy metal levels. Those findings suggest that the adaptations to high CO2 results in an increased sensitivity of the marine diatom to toxic metal exposure. This study provides evidence for the costs and the cascading consequences associated with the adaptation of phytoplankton to elevated CO2 conditions, and improves our understanding of the complex interactions of future OA and heavy metal pollution in marine waters.

Sensitivity of modeled tracer motion in tidal areas to numerics and to non-Hamiltonian perturbations

This study focuses on the motion of passive tracers induced by the joint action of tidal and residual currents in shallow seas with an irregular bottom topography. Interest in this problem has rapidly increased in recent years, because of the detection of large-scale pollution of marine waters by plastics. Early simplified models considered advection of tracers by a two-dimensional depth-averaged velocity field that is solenoidal, thereby resulting in a system that is Hamiltonian and nonintegrable. Here, two new aspects are considered. First, the sensitivity of solutions to three different numerical schemes is investigated. To quantify the behavior of orbits, both the largest Lyapunov exponent and the K-coefficient of the zero-one test for chaos were calculated. It turns out that a new scheme, which extends a known symplectic scheme to systems that also contain non-Hamiltonian terms, performs best. The second aspect concerns the fact that a depth-averaged velocity field is actually divergent, thereby rendering the model of tracer motion to be non-Hamiltonian. It is demonstrated that the divergent velocity components, no matter how small, cause the appearance of attractors in the system and thus they have a strong impact on the fate of tracers. Interpretation of the numerical results is given by deriving and analyzing approximate analytical solutions of the system.

UV filters and their impact on marine life: state of the science, data gaps, and next steps.

Sunscreens containing broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) filters play an essential role in protecting the skin against the damage induced by sun overexposure. However, the widespread use of sunscreens and other personal care products containing these filters has led to these compounds being widely detected in the environment and being identified as emerging pollutants in marine waters. Concerns raised by laboratory studies investigating the potential impact of UV filters on coral communities have already led to bans on the use of some sunscreens in a few tourist hotspots. Although UV filter pollution may be just one of the many environmental factors impacting coral health worldwide, the media attention surrounding these studies and the legislative changes may lead patients to question dermatologists about the environmental safety of some sunscreen products. This review provides an overview of current knowledge on the impact of UV filters on marine ecosystems, concentrating on recent studies examining the effects of commonly used filters on organisms at low trophic levels and of how alternative approaches, such as metabolomics, can be used to further assess UV filter ecotoxicity. Current gaps in our knowledge are also discussed, most notably the need to increase our understanding of the longer-term fate and behaviour of UV filters in the marine environment, develop more adapted standardized ecotoxicity tests for a wider range of marine species, and evaluate the impact of UV filters on the marine food web. We then discuss future perspectives for the development of new, more environmentally friendly, filters that may enable the use of the most toxic compounds to be reduced without compromising the effectiveness of sunscreen formulations. Finally, we consider how dermatologists play a key role in educating patients on the need for a balanced approach to sun exposure, sun protection, and conservation of the marine environment.

Hygienic and environmental problems of oil and gas production on the offshore shelf

The article discusses the results of research carried out within the framework of the industry program of Rospotrebnadzor “Hygienic scientific justification for minimizing risks to the health of the population of Russia” for 2016–2020 (p. 2. 16). During the development of oil and gas fields of the shelf in the waters of the Northern, etc. In addition to climatic conditions, dangerous and harmful factors of the production environment have a significant impact on working conditions: intense industrial noise, general and local vibration, insufficient lighting, contamination of the working area with dangerous chemicals and gases. Often, oil and gas in wells are under high pressure, which creates a threat of explosive emissions and fires. Among the unfavorable factors, the leading place is also occupied by noise, which affects workers during the entire shift from 7 to 30 or more days continuously. The noise sources are power plants and working mechanisms. Sound pressure levels in workplaces reach 72–107 dBA, in cabins 52–67 dBA. The equivalent daily sound levels are 71–102 dBA, and the total doses of acoustic energy affecting personnel exceed the permissible requirements by tens of times. In order to ensure the implementation of industrial and environmental control during the development of oil and gas fields on the offshore shelf, the main parameters, sources and mechanisms of marine water pollution have been determined. The sanitary and hygienic characteristics of the quality of sea water, ways and mechanisms of monitoring the state of sea waters are given. The analysis and updating of a number of existing regulatory and methodological documents in the field of ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population and the safety of environmental objects, including the draft SanPiN 2.2.3... “Sanitary rules and regulations for drilling rigs and structures used in the development of offshore hydrocarbon deposits” has been prepared.

A Survey of Pharmaceutical Pollution in Marine Waters and Benthic Flora of the Southern Australian Coastline

A Survey of Pharmaceutical Pollution in Marine Waters and Benthic Flora of the Southern Australian Coastline

Screening Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Assessing Economic Performance of Floating Wetlands for Marine Water Pollution Control

The growing environmental awareness of society, the advancement of nature-based solutions (NbSs), and the need for reliable and cost-effective solutions create a favorable environment of opportunities for floating wetlands as alternative solutions for marine water pollution control. The aim of this work was to screen, through OpenLCA, the environmental impacts of floating wetlands for marine water pollution control at various life cycle stages of the system, and assess its economic performance and contribution to the welfare of society. The stage of raw materials production and acquisition was found to be responsible for the main environmental impacts of the floating wetlands, especially on global warming potential, whereas the main impact of the operational stage was related to the eutrophication potential due to N and P residuals in the effluent. The economic performance indicators of economic net present value (ENPV), economic rate of return (ERR), and benefits/costs ratio (B/C ratio) indicate, although marginally, that floating wetlands may constitute a viable investment with potential positive socioeconomic impacts. However, there are still several scientific challenges and technical issues to be considered for the operational application of such systems at full-scale in marine environments.

Potential biodegradation of Tapis Light Crude Petroleum Oil, using palm oil mill effluent final discharge as biostimulant for isolated halotolerant Bacillus strains

Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in marine waters has been an extremely significant environmental and health issue worldwide. This study aims at constructing an efficient indigenous bacterial consortium to biodegrade Tapis Light Crude Petroleum Oil (TLCO). The local agro-industrial wastewater of palm oil mill effluent final discharge (POME FD) was used as biostimulant to enhance the biodegradation efficiency. In this study, three TLCO degrading bacteria were isolated from seawater samples collected. Molecular identification using 16S rRNA genes sequencing was done and results show that these isolated strains belong to: Bacillus tropicus, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis. Bacterial consortium tested using four different concentrations of POME FD (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1%) as biostimulant and TLCO (0.5 and 1.0%) degradation capability was investigated. The residual TLCO in culture medium after 40 days was analysed. The results confirmed that POME FD dosage of 0.25% is optimum for the bacterial consortium and can degrade 99.85% of TLCO at 0.5%. However, TLCO degradation with POME FD dosage (0.25%) in TLCO (1.0%) was found optimum, with biodegradation reaching up to 95.23% in 40 days. This study is a beginning for the future development of a consortium of petroleum hydrocarbon degrading bacteria to mitigate oil spills in the Malaysian shoreline.

Feature Extraction of Marine Water Pollution Based on Data Mining

The ocean occupies more than two-thirds of the earth’s area, providing a lot of oxygen and materials for human survival and development. However, with human activities, a large number of sewage, plastic bags, and other wastes are discharged into the ocean, and the problem of marine water pollution has become a hot topic in the world. In order to extract the characteristics of marine water pollution, this study proposed K-means clustering technology based on cosine distance and discrimination to study the polluted water. In this study, the polygonal area method combined with six parameters of water quality is used to analyze the marine water body anomalies, so as to realize the rapid and real-time monitoring of marine water body anomalies. At the same time, the cosine distance method and discrimination are used to classify marine water pollutants, so as to improve the classification accuracy. The results show that the detection rate of water quality anomalies is more than 88.2%, and the overall classification accuracy of water pollution is 96.3%, which proves the effectiveness of the method. It is hoped that this study can provide timely and effective data support for the detection of marine water bodies.

Assessment of engineered nanosilver as an alternative nano-antibiotic in marine water pollution using biomarker of fish cell line

A large volume of antibiotics is used in fish farms to treat diseases because the farmed fish are fully affected by diseases and parasites in the aquaculture and particularly in the ocean environment where disease pathogens multiply quickly. The frequent use of these antibiotics in aquaculture has resulted in animal; stress, infection, and their dissemination in the form of antibiotic resistant genes to other bacteria including human and animal pathogens. The problems arising with antibiotics can be overcome by using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to their physiochemical properties and low toxicity. So AgNPs could be combined with antibiotics to induce infections in fish cell lines and to protect dissemination of antibiotics in the form of antibiotics resistant genes. We expose AgNPs on fish cell lines as a new nano-antibacterial agent to investigate and obtain findings in terms of the cell viability and toxicity. The experimental data is analyzed to examine the antibacterial effects of nanosilver as a replacement agent and discuss the complex scenario, drawbacks, techniques, methods, main mechanisms, and procedures to perform antibacterial tests of exposed AgNPs. There would be an attempt to deal with the AgNPs antibacterial therapies for the fish cell lines.