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Benthic foraminifera are unicellular marine micro-organism with a hard exoskeleton and commonly present in the benthic community of marine ecosystem. This study aimed to identify the benthic foraminifera present along the coastal areas of eight municipalities in Biliran Island, Philippines. Quadrat sampling was conducted and three samples per quadrant transect of 1 m x 1 m divided into nine squares were collected. The samples were then observed under the microscope, and the specimens seen were identified by comparing them with the images of the sample species from the website https://marinespecies.org/. The researchers conducted an in-situ collection of the foraminiferal shells from intertidal areas along shallow water coastlines of the island. Results showed that the coastal environment of Biliran Island has the presence of the genera Spirillina, Quinqueloculina, Marginopora and Sorites. The identified species were classified based on their feeding mechanisms as herbivory and passive suspension feeding. The presence of benthic foraminifera species along the coastal environments of Biliran Island provides a record of the environment where they are found, making them natural bioindicators of water quality. This study provides a baseline for further studies on the distribution and abundance of benthic foraminifera in the area and can contribute to the understanding of the environmental conditions of the coastal areas in Biliran Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land use/land cover pattern of a region is an outcome of natural and socioeconomic factors and the utilisation by humans in time and space. This study aims to model the marine water quality using the relative impact of land use on marine water quality of selected river estuary between 2006-2013, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Cellular Automata (CA)-Markov method as a planning tool in evaluating Marine Water Quality Index (MWQI) were applied. The CA-Markov model revealed agricultural land use changes from 2006-2013 using land use land cover (LULC) in GIS as Setiu and Semerak River basins have 5.72% and 2.75%, respectively. The result indicated the impact of agricultural lands on MWQI, which is very low, according to projections of land use in 2020. Thus, the MWQI value in 2020 (Setiu 76.27 and Semerak 67.64) will be higher than MWQI mean value for 2006-2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal areas are characterized by a high population and a wide range of industrial and agricultural activities, which puts them under high pressure and continuous pollution from anthropogenic activities. This research focuses on the application of HYDROLAB HL7 multiparameter sonde equipped with smart sensors for the measurement of physical–chemical parameters in marine waters in the Durrës Bay. The sonde is part of a transnational repository network that receives, stores, and analyzes data about seawater quality, serving as an early warning system for preventing the diffusion of marine pollution. This sophisticated instrument can thrive in demanding environmental conditions for long-term continuous monitoring. It maximizes deployment lifespan, and provides traceable data for high-quality, reliable monitoring of vital changes in water quality. Low variability on the measured parameters indicates a stable status in the water quality of the Durrës site. Time series revealed small seasonal variations on all parameters, except turbidity and water temperature. Total dissolved solids, salinity, and electrical conductivity revealed similar temporal trends over the monitoring period by indicating strong relationships between them. The obtained data for the physical–chemical parameters in this study align with the recommended values. Ensuring water quality in the Durrës Bay requires advanced monitoring, regulatory measures, and community engagement. HIGHLIGHTS A real-time multi-sensor probe was used to measure the physical–chemical parameters in marine water.; Temperature, conductivity, pH, DO, turbidity, and depth were measured directly.; Total dissolved solids and salinity were calculated through built-in correlations.; Physical–chemical parameters provided valuable information on water quality.; The measured parameters revealed good water quality in the Durrës Bay.;

Marine management is focused on discrete aspects of anthropogenic pressures or ecosystem components: nutrients are managed by the nitrates and urban wastewater treatment directives, coastal eutrophication by the Water Framework Directive, commercial fishing by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and conservation by the Habitats Directive. While these directives all address management of specialized elements of the marine system, Directive 2008/56/EC (the Marine Strategy Framework Directive - MSFD) seeks to sustainably manage European seas in a holistic manner by establishing common principles on the basis of which Member States have to draw up their own strategies, in cooperation with other Member States and third countries, to achieve a good ecological status in the marine waters for which they are responsible. The aim of this research is to review and discusses the present situation with regard to the Directive implementation in Albania and its rationale behind. MSFD is remarkable because it requires the implementation of an 'ecosystem approach', which is a management methodology considering the entire ecosystem, including its human component. Implementation of MFD is proving to be difficult because this is a comprehensive Directive covering many diverse subjects linked to various fields of science and disparate commercial sectors) and provides some basic findings and gaps identified, their impact and respective recommendations. There are many implementation challenges because the rationale behind the MSFD is to manage the marine ecosystem to a healthy and productive state by harmonizing existing policies and filling gaps left by other pieces of legislation. The implementation of the MSFD in Albania is at the initial steps; the main structure and the establishment of the competent authorities in charge of the drafting of marine environment strategy have been appointed. Albania needs to structure and strengthen its capacities for the water management and implementation of the EU water acquis. There are no management actions for coastal waters management according to WFD requirements. As main conclusion of this analyses is the need of a number of provisions to be included into Albanian legal framework in order to transpose the Water Management Directives such as: Provisions which sets out the area of the sea and the sea bed to which the Regulation applies; provisions that imposes a duty on the Ministry/Council of Ministers to develop a marine strategy; Regulations to set out how the Ministry/Council of Ministers, other relevant Ministries, and the administration (also on local and regional level) will work together to develop and implement the marine strategy. Provisions that place a duty on public authorities, as well as Ministers, to have regard to the marine strategy in exercising their functions; provisions that require the development of the five elements of the marine strategy and set a deadline for doing so, etc. In one word, there are lot of coastal waters management actions for according to WFD requirements to be done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the frequency of marine disasters, water quality has become an important environmental problem for researchers, and much effort has been put into the prediction of marine water quality. The temporal and spatial correlation of marine water quality parameters directly determines whether the marine time-series data prediction task can be completed efficiently. However, existing research has only focused on the correlation analysis of marine data in a certain area and has ignored the temporal and spatial characteristics of marine data in complex and changeable marine environments. Therefore, we constructed a spatio-temporal dynamic analysis model of marine water quality based on a cross-recurrence plot (CRP) and cross-recurrence quantitative analysis (CRQA). The time-series data of marine water quality were first mapped to high-dimensional space through phase space reconstruction, and then the dynamic relationship among various factors affecting water quality was visually displayed through CRP. Finally, their correlation was quantitatively explained by CRQA. The experimental results showed that our scheme demonstrated well the dynamic correlation of various factors affecting water quality in different locations, providing important data support for the spatio-temporal prediction of marine water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a zooplankton-based water-quality evaluating method using indices of alpha diversity. Two key objectives were set: (i) the comparison of two—different quality—samples from different areas, and the verification of their differentiation, based on mesozooplankton biodiversity indices; and (ii) the development of a methodology, which was able to assess the quality of new marine water samples. Our analysis was based on a 24-year-long in situ dataset (1987–2010) of 139 samples in which 86 mesozooplankton taxa were identified. High-diversity and high evenness values were reported in the case of the "good" status sample, while low diversity, low evenness and high dominance values occurred at the lower quality one. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was conducted that discriminated the tested samples at 100%. This LDA was then used to evaluate samples of unknown quality. Finally, 90% of them were classified with a probability of correct classification (posterior probability) >95%. The present study proves that mesozooplankton diversity indices can discriminate different levels of anthropogenic impacts. In this sense, it can be used as a reliable indicator for environmental assessment in the pelagic habitats of the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of humankind is intrinsically associated with the health of the marine and ocean ecosystems. The pollution of the coastal region due to urbanization, for example, principally harms the growth of the ecosystem with poor-quality of water, which aggravates the survival of marine organisms and animals. The toxicity of the contaminated seafood would affect the human-ocean ecosystem thereby bringing down the economic rank of the region as well. Therefore, it is mandatory to assess the quality of the marine and ocean water to initiate any statutory measures to protect the regional marine water against pollution and dumping of toxic matter. This paper, therefore, presented an architecture of machine learning techniques to assist in classifying marine water quality. The proposed framework evaluated various classification models and selected the best fit out of the top-performing algorithms through training and optimizing. The finalized model was a stacked classifier, which was then deployed to predict the marine water quality index from the physicochemical and biological properties of the water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean is a huge basin of bacteria, storing about thousands of species of microbial organisms. Ocean ecosystems need microbes to prosper their resources. Ocean pollution harms the marine ecosystems by infesting the water not suitable for marine life; altering the chemical constituents of water; and distressing the size and species of the organisms as well as the aquatic animals. This paper explores the optimal range of the water quality parameters for a perpetual marine lifecycle. Study of the microorganisms such as fecal coliforms, enterococci and total coliforms has steered towards understanding the marine water quality. This paper investigated the open dataset of city of San Diego available under ocean monitoring program to examine the quality determinants of marine water in the presence of microbes such as enterococci, fecal coliform and total coliform and to estimate and predict the relationship between them using regression models. The assessment of the prediction models confirmed that the factors such as the high variability in data, seasonal and climatic variations have affected the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the frequency of marine disasters, water quality has become an important environmental problem for researchers, and much effort has been put into the prediction of marine water quality. The temporal and spatial correlation of marine water quality parameters directly determines whether the marine time-series data prediction task can be completed efficiently. However, existing research has only focused on the correlation analysis of marine data in a certain area and has ignored the temporal and spatial characteristics of marine data in complex and changeable marine environments. Therefore, we constructed a spatio-temporal dynamic analysis model of marine water quality based on a cross-recurrence plot (CRP) and cross-recurrence quantitative analysis (CRQA). The time-series data of marine water quality were first mapped to high-dimensional space through phase space reconstruction, and then the dynamic relationship among various factors affecting water quality was visually displayed through CRP. Finally, their correlation was quantitatively explained by CRQA. The experimental results showed that our scheme demonstrated well the dynamic correlation of various factors affecting water quality in different locations, providing important data support for the spatio-temporal prediction of marine water quality.

Increased pollution in the coastal areas may cause changes in the biodiversity of marine organisms depending upon their physiological capacity and resilience to thrive under stressing environmental conditions. The present research evaluates the heavy metals pollution degree of coastal waters using the macroalgae Ericaria selaginoides as bioindicator along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Eight stations were chosen: two located near Eljadida city, three nearby Safi city and three around the city of Essaouira. Results showed that the heavy metal content in the thalli of E. selaginoides, in seawater and sediment varied seasonally. At the same time, it was negatively correlated with algal biodiversity onsite. However, the Chemical Oxygen Demand was significantly higher at the polluted station S5 than at other stations, while Dissolved Oxygen and Biological Oxygen Demand were lower. E. selaginoides accumulated metals in the following order Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cd. In conclusion, E. selaginoides is overall more resilient to heavy metal pollution than other marine organisms in the Atlantic coast of Morocco, as indicated by substantially elevated concentrations of heavy metals in some sites. Our results support that E. selaginoides would be a suitable bioindicator for monitoring of heavy metals in polluted coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water quality for the shorelines of Kuching, Samarahan, and Betong divisions was assessed based on the primary and secondary data which was then compared to the National Water Quality Standards and Marine Water Quality Criteria and Standards for Malaysia. The Water Quality Index (WQI) and Marine Water Quality Index (MWQI) were generated where applicable. The results reveal that the baseline river monitoring locations portrayed slight pollution with WQI ranging from 60 to 80 except for Sg. Seblak station with polluted water quality, registering WQI of 42. Most of the baseline marine water monitoring stations recorded excellent to moderate MWQI apart from Btg. Samarahan and Sg. Sarawak stations with MWQI of 40, which might be due to the urban population of the Kuching city and Samarahan area. Moreover, MWQI of 48 was recorded at the estuary of Sg. Tabo and Sg. Buntal. The primary data revealed that the marine water samples had a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration between 4.58 and 6.88 mg/L. The heavy metal ions and oil and grease parameters were below the detection limit. Hence, no industrial-related effluent was detected at the estuary and coastal waters along the shoreline of Kuching, Samarahan, and Betong. The present study concluded that the main pollutants along the shoreline of Kuching, Samarahan, and Betong include ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3–N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3–N), and phosphate (PO4). The high levels of NH3–N, NO3, and PO4 are attributed to the wastewater discharges originating from coastal settlements and commercial establishments, nutrient runoffs from large-scale agricultural activities, and aquaculture activities. In contrast, the secondary data revealed the presence of faecal pollution originating from untreated or partially treated sewage and sullage discharged by coastal settlements and commercial establishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cong, W.; Guo, J., and Yu, H., 2019. On-line analysis of marine water quality data based on large electronic computer. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 47–53. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In order to make full use of marine resources, develop marine economy and build a powerful marine country, in recent years, the state has focused on the on-line analysis technology of marine water. In order to solve the problems of rapid change of marine environment and difficulty in the detection and analysis of water quality data, this paper presents an online analysis method of marine water quality data based on large electronic computer after comparing various methods of marine water quality detection in China and abroad. This method uses a variety of marine water quality sensors to collect marine water quality data synthetically, and then uses multi-sensor fusion technology to fuse the collected water quality data. Finally, it combines multi-sensor D-S evidence theory data fusion technology with computer to analyze water quality data synthetically online. It is concluded that this method can effectively improve the ability of marine pollution early warning and marine ecological environment protection by real-time comprehensive analysis and research of marine water quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The prediction models of MWQI in mangrove and estuarine zones were constructed. The 2011–2015 data employed in this study entailed 13 parameters from six monitoring stations in West Malaysia. Spatial discriminant analysis (SDA) had recommended seven significant parameters to develop the MWQI which were DO, TSS, O&G, PO 4 , Cd, Cr and Zn. These selected parameters were then used to develop prediction models for the MWQI using artificial neural network (ANN) and multiple linear regressions (MLR). The SDA-ANN model had higher R2 value for training (0.9044) and validation (0.7113) results than SDA-MLR model and was chosen as the best model in mangrove estuarine zone. The SDA-ANN model had also demonstrated lower RMSE (5.224) than the SDA-MLR (12.7755). In summary, this work suggested that ANN was an effective tool to compute the MWQ in mangrove estuarine zone and a powerful alternative prediction model as compared to the other modelling methods. Highlights • Comparison of SDA-ANN and SDA-MLR as a tool to predict Marine Water Quality Index (MWQI). • No ultimate test to evaluate the model for mangrove estuarine MWQ • SDA-ANN model provides very high MWQI prediction capacity (R2 = 0.9044) than SDA-MLR (R2 = 0.4863) • SDA-ANN provides acceptable models for uncomplicated, quick computation and prediction of MWQI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make full use of marine resources, develop marine economy and build a powerful marine country, in recent years, the state has focused on the on-line analysis technology of marine water. In order to solve the problems of rapid change of marine environment and difficulty in the detection and analysis of water quality data, this paper presents an online analysis method of marine water quality data based on large electronic computer after comparing various methods of marine water quality detection in China and abroad. This method uses a variety of marine water quality sensors to collect marine water quality data synthetically, and then uses multi-sensor fusion technology to fuse the collected water quality data. Finally, it combines multisensor D-S evidence theory data fusion technology with computer to analyze water quality data synthetically online. It is concluded that this method can effectively improve the ability of marine pollution early warning and marine ecological environment protection by real-time comprehensive analysis and research of marine water quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The first report on the emergence of microplastic in Malaysian marine waters was documented in this study. Water samples were collected from two regions, namely Kuala Nerus and Kuantan port, as the representatives of different anthropogenic activities. Identification of microplastic was performed based on physical characteristics (colour, shape, density) and chemical characterisation (ATR-FTIR analysis) for a functional group of polymers. Fragment type, black or grey colour and high density (>1.02 g cm−3) of microplastic were the most prevalent characteristics found in both areas. Two principal components (density and colour) rendered explained about 95.3% (Kuantan) and 95.6% (Kuala Nerus) of the total variance. Six possible polymer materials were identified, namely polyester, polystyrene, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene. The findings of the study provided good baseline information on marine debris issue in Malaysia. Highlights • First evaluation the emergence of microplastic in the Malaysian marine water • Black or grey colour, high density (>1.02 g cm−3), was the dominant type of microplastics in all samples. • Six polymer materials were identified using ATR-FTIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an important long-term historical analysis of water quality in an internationally crucial waterway (the Solent, Hampshire, UK), in the context of increasing adoption of open-loop Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems by shipping. The pollutants studied were acidification (pH), zinc, and benzo [a] pyrene, alongside temperature. We compared baseline sites to locations likely to be impacted by pollution. The Solent's average water temperature is slightly increasing, with temperatures at wastewater sites significantly higher. Acidification suggests a complex story, with a highly significant small overall increase in pH during the study period but significantly different values at wastewater and port sites. Zn concentrations have significantly reduced but increased in enclosed waters such as marinas. BaP showed no long-term trend with values at marinas significantly and consistently higher. The findings provide valuable long-term background data and insights that can feed into the upcoming review of the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive and ongoing discussions about the regulation of, and future monitoring and management strategies for coastal/marine waterways. • Long-term historical analysis of water quality in internationally crucial waterway • Solent's av. water temp. increasing; temps at wastewater sites significantly higher • Significant increase in Solent's pH; significantly difft at wastewater/port sites • Solent [Zn] significantly reduced; signift effects for marinas/ports/shipping lanes • [BaP] showed no long-term trend in Solent; values at marinas significantly higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee, J.L.; Kim, I.H.; Yeon, Y.J., and Lee, J., 2017. Monitoring and analysis of bacterial communities during a summer season on Gyeongpo Beach. In: Lee, J.L.; Griffiths, T.; Lotan, A.; Suh, K.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 2nd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 79, pp. 249-253. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. A number of tourists visit beaches in the summer to enjoy sea bathing. However, numerous accidents occur on the eastern coast because of the topographical characteristics of the beach, and most accidents are caused by rip currents. Additionally, in the summer, as many tourists prefer beaches near swash zones, exposure to non-point pollutant sources can occur, significantly harming the health of visitors. Enterococci have shown the strongest correlation to gastrointestinal symptoms in a study examining the relationship between swimming-associated gastrointestinal illness and microorganisms. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found a direct relationship between the density of E. coli and enterococci in surface waters and increased swimmer-associated gastroenteritis. These reports suggest that E. coli and enterococci can be used as bacterial indicators compared to total coliform. Therefore, in this study, the safety of beach seawater was evaluated using E. coli and enterococci as bacterial indicators. Enterococcus and E. coli were isolated during the summer holiday season from the Gyeongpo Beach located on the eastern coast of Korea. The results indicated that the source of pollution near a swash zone, where people are crowded, was larger than that at the dry beach and near swimming zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of fecal pollution in aquatic ecosystems is one of the requirements to assess the possible risks to human health. In this report, physicochemical parameters, Escherichia coli enumeration and Methanobrevibacter smithii nifH gene quantification were conducted at 13 marine waters in the coastal beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity, carried out by mobile equipment, revealed varied levels due to specific conditions of the beaches. The bioindicators' enumerations were done by defined substrate method, conventional, and real-time PCR. Six marine beach sites (46 %) presenting E. coli levels in compliance with Brazilian water quality guidelines (<2500 MPN/100 mL) showed nifH gene between 5.7 × 10 to 9.5 × 10 copies. L revealing poor correlation between the two approaches. To our knowledge, this is the first inquiry in qPCR using nifH gene as a biomarker of human-specific sources of sewage pollution in marine waters in Brazil. In addition, our data suggests that alternative indicator nifH gene could be used, in combination with other markers, for source tracking studies to measure the quality of marine ecosystems thereby contributing to improved microbial risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qatar is classified, according to its geographical location and climate, as a hot subtropical desert. Qatar’s average annual rainfall is less than 130 mm/year (5 in). Doha, the capital of State of Qatar, is served by a collection system of groundwater and storm water which finally is disposed off into the marine water through three outfalls. In the future, another four proposed outfalls will be operating. This study aimed at assessing the impact of groundwater discharge on the receiving marine water quality. Water Samples were collected from the outfalls it themselves, Sea water from different sites around these outfalls at different distances, sea water Samples from different sites around the proposed points at different distances, and offshore samples as reference. Samples were collected during year 2007 and were analyzed physicochemically and microbiologically. Physicochemical characterization of the discharges showed that all measured parameters were complied with the environmental limits of both Qatar and GCC laws except turbidity and total suspended solids. The values of total and fecal coliform were higher than the permissible limits for Qatar and GCC environmental laws. The Physico-chemical characterization of the sea water samples collected from different sites around the discharged points recorded higher total suspended solids than the permissible limits stated by the Qatari law while the other parameters were complying with the law. Total suspended solids were higher than the permissible limits in all marine water samples while samples around the discharges points were the highest. The excess of some parameters reported by the study is due to the state urbanization and constructions activities in general. An integrated management plan must be carried out by all governmental and non-governmental authorities to protect the groundwater and avoid the deterioration of marine water quality.

A long-term historical analysis of the impacts of recreational boating on marine surface water quality during a regatta (Cowes Week) in an internationally crucial waterway, the Solent Strait (Hampshire, UK) is presented. Water quality indicators studied included nitrogen concentration, bacterial indicators, and oxygen saturation, at three sampling sites at/near Cowes during 2001–2019. Findings include that sewage discharge from recreational boats is the key contributor to localised faecal contamination of marine surface waters, putting bathers and shellfisheries at risk. Bathing water quality monitoring and pollution warning systems should be strengthened prior to and during this type of regatta and access to bathing water areas may need to be restricted. These findings have implications for the regulation, future monitoring and management strategies for discharges from recreational boats during extended regattas. Adequate and affordable local facilities for recovering sewage wastewater from recreational boats should be provided alongside appropriate mechanisms for communication to sailors. • Historical analysis of impacts of recreational boating on marine water quality • Water quality indicators studied: N concentration, bacteria, O 2 saturation • Recreational boat discharge key contributor to faecal contamination during regattas • Bathing water quality monitoring & pollution warning systems should be strengthened • During regattas access to bathing water areas may need to be restricted [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many marine ecosystems are under increasing pressure from multiple stressors. In the Baltic Sea, these stressors include oil and chemical spills from shipping, nutrient run-off from land and the introduction of non-indigenous species. All of these pressures have been growing over recent years. Increasing pressures lead to reductions in environmental quality, which produce negative effects on human well-being. In this paper, the choice experiment method is used to estimate the benefits to people in Estonia resulting from reductions in pressure from multiple stressors in the Baltic Sea. The main results show that, firstly, respondents have a positive, statistically-significant willingness to pay to reduce each of the three stressors analysed. Secondly, the average willingness to pay for the improvement in the quality of all Estonian marine waters to achieve Good Environmental Status is around 65 euro per household per year, with a 95% confidence interval of 48–77 euro. Thirdly, the greatest share of value of this total economic benefit is derived from the willingness to pay for reductions in the risk of large scale oil and chemical spills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cong, W.; Guo, J., and Yu, H., 2019. On-line analysis of marine water quality data based on large electronic computer. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 47–53. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In order to make full use of marine resources, develop marine economy and build a powerful marine country, in recent years, the state has focused on the on-line analysis technology of marine water. In order to solve the problems of rapid change of marine environment and difficulty in the detection and analysis of water quality data, this paper presents an online analysis method of marine water quality data based on large electronic computer after comparing various methods of marine water quality detection in China and abroad. This method uses a variety of marine water quality sensors to collect marine water quality data synthetically, and then uses multi-sensor fusion technology to fuse the collected water quality data. Finally, it combines multi-sensor D-S evidence theory data fusion technology with computer to analyze water quality data synthetically online. It is concluded that this method can effectively improve the ability of marine pollution early warning and marine ecological environment protection by real-time comprehensive analysis and research of marine water quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new marine water quality forecasting system for real-time and short-term predictions. The forecasting system comprises an integrated catchment-coastal model and a database management system. The integrated model is validated in an Irish catchment-coastal system using hydrodynamic and water quality data. The forecasting system was then used to provide short-term and real-time forecasts of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Intestinal Enterococci concentrations (IE) in the near-shore coastal waters of Bray, Ireland. Two hind-cast scenarios were simulated: 5F in which predictions were based on rainfall forecasts only; and I-5F where forecasts of 5F were improved by incorporating real-time data. Results indicate that predictions of E. coli of scenario I-5F are improved. Also predicted IE concentrations by Scenario 5F were comparably higher than the I-5F predications, but due to the wide scatter of observed IE concentrations, the superiority of one scenario over the second could not be definitively determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many diagnoses of declining marine species and habitats along US coasts point to upland and freshwater sources of imperilment. Yet, little work has examined how and whether activities on land affect marine resources. Similarly, the impacts of climate change on coastal systems are among the most certain; yet, few studies have explored how alternative management and climate scenarios will affect the delivery of diverse benefits to people from coasts. We estimated how Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) harvest in Hood Canal, WA, may change given predictions of land uses and effects of climate change. These two marine species are critical components of local commercial and recreational fisheries and thus represent key “ecosystem service” endpoints. We found that Dungeness crab harvest responds strongly to effects of climate change, as mediated by increased ocean temperature, whereas Pacific oyster harvest is more responsive to projected change in land-use/land-cover due to increased nutrient loading to the marine system. These changes vary spatially throughout Hood Canal. These results can be used as a heuristic framework to help decision-makers, planners, and other stakeholders in the region as they work to target conservation and restoration activities and plan for future growth in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We developed a zooplankton-based water-quality evaluating method using indices of alpha diversity. Two key objectives were set: (i) the comparison of two-different quality-samples from different areas, and the verification of their differentiation, based on mesozooplankton biodiversity indices; and (ii) the development of a methodology, which was able to assess the quality of new marine water samples. Our analysis was based on a 24-year-long in situ dataset (1987-2010) of 139 samples in which 86 mesozooplankton taxa were identified. High-diversity and high evenness values were reported in the case of the "good" status sample, while low diversity, low evenness and high dominance values occurred at the lower quality one. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was conducted that discriminated the tested samples at 100%. This LDA was then used to evaluate samples of unknown quality. Finally, 90% of them were classified with a probability of correct classification (posterior probability) >95%. The present study proves that mesozooplankton diversity indices can discriminate different levels of anthropogenic impacts. In this sense, it can be used as a reliable indicator for environmental assessment in the pelagic habitats of the Mediterranean Sea., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Increased loads of land-based pollutants are a major threat to coastal-marine ecosystems. Identifying the affected marine areas and the scale of influence on ecosystems is critical to assess the impacts of degraded water quality and to inform planning for catchment management and marine conservation. Studies using remotely-sensed data have contributed to our understanding of the occurrence and influence of river plumes, and to our ability to assess exposure of marine ecosystems to land-based pollutants. However, refinement of plume modeling techniques is required to improve risk assessments. We developed a novel, complementary, approach to model exposure of coastal-marine ecosystems to land-based pollutants. We used supervised classification of MODIS-Aqua true-color satellite imagery to map the extent of plumes and to qualitatively assess the dispersal of pollutants in plumes. We used the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), the world's largest coral reef system, to test our approach. We combined frequency of plume occurrence with spatially distributed loads (based on a cost-distance function) to create maps of exposure to suspended sediment and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. We then compared annual exposure maps (2007–2011) to assess inter-annual variability in the exposure of coral reefs and seagrass beds to these pollutants. We found this method useful to map plumes and qualitatively assess exposure to land-based pollutants. We observed inter-annual variation in exposure of ecosystems to pollutants in the GBR, stressing the need to incorporate a temporal component into plume exposure/risk models. Our study contributes to our understanding of plume spatial–temporal dynamics of the GBR and offers a method that can also be applied to monitor exposure of coastal-marine ecosystems to plumes and explore their ecological influences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hydrophobic organic contaminants in marine water are mostly adsorbed onto (partitioned into) sediment organic matter (SOM). To study the impact of SOM diagenesis on sediment adsorption properties, artificial sediment with rich SOM content was incubated for more than 120days. The sediment was sampled every week, and batch sediment adsorption tests were conducted with bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) as the model pollutants. The results show that the amount of organic matter loaded in the sediment decreased by nearly 80% during incubation. For the incubated sediment, the BPA partition coefficient, Kd , decreased whereas the organic normalized partition coefficient, Koc , more than doubled. The experiments with NP show an even greater increase in Koc . Organic matter diagenesis shows a profound effect on the adsorption behavior of sediment, as the SOM residue has an increasing affinity and partition capacity for organic contaminants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Global Earth Observation (GEO) is one of the most important sources of information for environmental resource management and disaster prevention. With budgets for GEO increasingly under pressure, it is becoming important to be able to quantify the returns to informational investments. For this, a clear analytical framework is lacking. By combining Bayesian decision theory with an empirical, stakeholder-oriented approach, this paper attempts to develop such a framework. The analysis focuses on the use of satellite observations for Dutch water quality management in the North Sea. Dutch water quality management currently relies on information from ‘in situ’ measurements but is considering extending and deepening its information base with satellite observations. To estimate returns to additional investments in satellite observation, we analyze the added value of an extended monitoring system for the management of eutrophication, potentially harmful algal blooms and suspended sediment and turbidity in the North Sea. First, we develop a model to make the potential contribution of information to welfare explicit. Second, we use this model to develop a questionnaire and interpret the results. The results indicate that the expected welfare impact of investing in satellite observation is positive, but that outcomes strongly depend on the accuracy of the information system and the range of informational benefits perceived. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Self-organizing maps (SOMs) at both spatial and temporal domains are introduced. • Combined spatiotemporal SOMs readily reveal factors driving water quality changes. • Hong Kong Bay can be classified into five zones with distinctive characteristics. • Severe water quality pollution in parts of Hong Kong Bay needs immediate action. A self-organizing map (SOM), which is an unsupervised neural network, is used to explore the spatiotemporal variability of water quality in Hong Kong marine water areas based on 31 years of monitoring data (1986–2016). In this study, three types of SOMs, referred to as s-v , s-t and t-s SOM, respectively, are applied to the multivariate marine water quality data, and principal component analysis (PCA) is used to help the clustering of SOM neurons and component planes. The major findings revealed by the spatiotemporal SOM analyses include the following: a) Hong Kong marine water areas can be classified into five regions with distinctive water quality characteristics over the long term, b) the spatiotemporal variations in chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and NO 3 − are greatly affected by ocean currents and nutrients from Pearl River discharge, c) marine water quality is significantly affected by water control projects, e.g., the Hong Kong Harbor Area Treatment Scheme (HATS), and d) nitrogen (N) is the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in winter, west and south of the Hong Kong marine regions, while phosphorus (P) is the limiting nutrient in summer, owing to the massive discharge of the Pearl River that contain NO 3 −. Furthermore, the severe pollution in Deep Bay with high levels of Chl-a, nutrients and fecal coliform (FC) deserves immediate attention from the governments. The results of this study prove that combined spatiotemporal SOM analyses provide a powerful tool to identify spatiotemporal patterns in water quality data and to reveal the driving forces behind water quality changes. This study presents the first attempt to apply SOMs to water quality analysis at both spatial and temporal domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory study was carried out to investigate the influence of the biomass content in the sediment on the rate of diagenesis of particulate organic materials (POM) and the consequent sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and nutrient fluxes. Fish food pellets were loaded into the sediment to simulate a sudden POM input. Three types of sediments with different biomass contents were tested, including a raw marine sediment, the marine sediment after one month of cultivation and an artificial sediment of sand and clay without any biomass. There was little difference in organic flux from the three different sediments. However, compared to the artificial sediment, the marine sediments had much higher SOD and ammonia flux. A mathematical model also has been developed for the SOD dynamics and nutrient fluxes. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate the important role of the biomass in the sediment in POM diagenesis, SOD and nutrient fluxes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Various chemometric methods were used to analyze data sets of marine water quality for 19 parameters measured at 16 different sites of southern Hong Kong from 2000 to 2004 (18,240 observations), to determine temporal and spatial variations in marine water quality and identify pollution sources. Hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) grouped the 12 months into three periods (January–April, May–August and September–December) and the 16 sampling sites into two groups (A and B) based on similarities in marine water-quality characteristics. Discriminant analysis (DA) was important in data reduction because it used only eight parameters (TEMP, TURB, Si, , , , DO, and Chl-a) to correctly assign about 86% of the cases, and five parameters (SD, , TP, , and BOD5) to correctly assign >81.15% of the cases. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) identified four latent pollution sources for groups A and B: organic/eutrophication pollution, natural pollution, mineral pollution, and nutrient/fecal pollution. Furthermore, during the second and third periods, all sites received more organic/eutrophication pollution and natural pollution than in the first period. SM5, SM6, SM17, SM10, SM11, SM12, and SM13 (second period) were affected by organic and eutrophication pollution, whereas SM3 (third period) and SM9 (second period) were influenced by natural pollution. However, differences between mineral pollution and nutrient/fecal pollution were not significant among the three periods. SM17 and SM10 were affected by mineral pollution, whereas SM4 and SM9 were highly polluted by nitrogenous nutrient/fecal pollution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The influence of soil phosphorus (P) sources on P sorption characteristics of marine sediments was investigated for Pearl Harbor and off shore Molokai in Hawaii. Estuary sediments were sampled in seven locations; these represented different soils and on-shore activities. The soil samples included nine major soils that contributed sediment to the Harbor and coastal sediments near the island of Molokai. Sediment and soil samples were equilibrated for 6 days in 0.01 M CaCl2 solution and synthetic seawater containing differing amounts of P. Phosphorus sorption curves were constructed. The equilibrated solution P, with no P added, ranged from 0.01 to 0.2 mg L-1; P sorption by sediments at standard solution concentration 0.2 mg L-1, ranged from 0 to 230 mg kg-1. Sediment P sorption corresponded closely with soil sorption characteristics. Soils contributing sediments to the west reach of Pearl Harbor are highly weathered Oxisols with high standard P sorption values while those in the southeast of the Harbor were Vertisols and Mollisols which sorb little P. The influence of source materials on sediment P sorption was also observed for off-shore sediments near Molokai. Sediments serve as both source and sink for P in Pearl Harbor and in this role can be a stabilizing influence on P concentration in the water column. Phosphorus sorption curves in conjunction with water quality data can help to understand P dynamics between sediments and the water column and help evaluate concerns about P loading to a water body. For Pearl Harbor, solution P in equilibrium with sediments from the Lochs was 0.021 mg L-1; a value unlikely to produce an algal bloom. (Measured total P in the water columns (mean) was 0.060.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Monitoring the water quality of recreational beaches is only one step toward understanding microbial contamination—the primary cause of beach closings. The surf zone sediment reservoir is typically overlooked and may also be important. This study involved monitoring the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels in water and sediment at three ocean beaches (two exposed and one enclosed) during a storm event, conducting laboratory microcosm experiments with sediment from these beaches, and surveying sediment FIB levels at 13 beaches (some exposed and some enclosed). Peaks in Escherichia coli and enterococci concentrations in water and sediment coincided with storm activity at the two exposed beaches, while levels of both FIB were consistently high and irregular at the enclosed beach. Results from microcosm experiments showing similar, dramatic growth of FIB in both overlying water and sediment from all beaches, as well as results from the beach survey, support the hypothesis that the quiescent environment rather than sediment characteristics can explain the elevated sediment FIB levels observed at enclosed beaches. This work has implications for the predictive value of FIB measurements, and points to the importance of the sediment reservoir. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aims: To compare accuracy of genus and species level identification of presumptive enterococci isolates from the marine environment using conventional biochemical testing, four commercial identification systems and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Methods and Results: Ninety-seven environmental bacterial isolates identified as presumptive enterococci on mEI media were tested using conventional and Enterococcus genus screen biochemical tests, four commercial testing systems and 16S rRNA sequencing. Conventional and Enterococcus genus screen biochemical testing, 16S rRNA sequencing and two commercial test systems achieved an accuracy of ≥94% for Enterococcus genus confirmation. Conventional biochemical testing and 16S rRNA sequencing achieved an accuracy of ≥90% for species level identification. Conclusions: For confirmation of Enterococcus genus from mEI media, conventional or genus screen biochemical testing, 16S rRNA sequencing and the four commercial systems were correct 79–100% of the time. For speciation to an accuracy of 90% or better, either conventional biochemical testing or 16S rRNA sequencing is required. Significance and Impact of the Study: Accurate identification of presumptive environmental Enterococcus isolates to genus and species level is an integral part of laboratory quality assurance and further characterization of Enterococcus species from pollution incidents. This investigation determines the ability of six different methods to correctly identify environmental isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]