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Experiments with microcosms of sand corresponding to high, mid and low intertidal area were contaminated with crude oil and treated with biosolvent. Two treatments were done. The first (treatment 1) treating the sand 5 days before the event of contamination and the second (treatment 2) treated immediately after the contamination. The degradation of total TPH after 90 days ranged from 44 to 78%. However, the first 10 days were very important in terms of degradation and it slowed down significantly until 90 days. The degradation rate for light fractions in treatment 1 was slightly slower than treatment 2. On the other hand, for heavier fractions the degradation rate of heavier fractions in treatment 1 was at least twice as faster than treatment 2. Implicating that pre-treating the samples with biosolvent some days before the event of contamination may accelerate the degradation process of heavier fraction that are more difficult to degrade. The biosolvent used was degraded in a range from 55 to 100% showing that the biosolvent employed was biodegradable.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced by macroalgae in response to environmental stresses. A novel approach using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) was used to quantify the production of several VOCs from eight common intertidal algal species from the UK (Ascophyllum nodosum (Linnaeus) Le Jolis, Fucus vesiculosus (Linnaeus), Fucus serratus (Linnaeus), Laminaria digitata (Hudson) Lamouroux, Ulva lactuca (Linnaeus), Ulva intestinalis (Linnaeus), formerly known as Enteromorpha, Palmariapalmata (Linnaeus) Kuntze and Griffithsiaflosculosa (J. Ellis) Batters). The volatile compounds included halogenated, sulphur containing, aldehydes, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and oxygenated species. Overall, the production of VOCs by these algae was not considerably different under illumination or in darkness; this suggests that the VOC production occurs during both algae photosynthesis and in other metabolic processes such as respiration or osmoregulation. Desiccation played an important role in the production of VOCs with greater production by macroalgae after desiccation. This production was related to the alga's normal position within the intertidal zone; there was a lower production of VOCs for species growing near the high water mark and a greater production for algae taken from the low tide position. There were also species differences in the VOC profiles and quantities released. For example, chlorinated and oxygenated compounds were principally released by the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum, while green algae such as Ulva lactuca and Ulva intestinalis released greater amounts of brominated, sulphur containing compounds, aldehydes and non-methane hydrocarbons than the other algae tested. Thekelps (e.g. Laminaria digitata) had the greatest release of iodinated compounds such as diiodomethane. These processes make significant contributions to the VOCs in seawater and, by transfer to the atmosphere, in the coastal atmosphere.

Books reviewed: Political Interventions: Social Science and Political Action Bourdieu, Pierre (London and New York: Verso, 2008 (2002)) European Integration as an Elite Process: The Failure of a Dream? Haller, Max , (New York and London: Routledge, 2008)

The spatial and temporal variation of phytoplankton pigments in the western part of Ria Formosa, Portugal, was investigated between September 2000 and July 2002. Sampling stations included the ocean boundary (Anc˜ao inlet) and two different landward boundary situations: 1) the shallow westernmost “blind end” of the lagoon (Ponte) and 2) near a main sewage outlet (Ramalhete). Nutrient concentrations were higher during the first year of sampling but were lower than those recorded in previous studies. This decrease in the concentration of nutrients was possibly the result of the 1997 relocation of the Anc˜ao inlet, which allowed better water circulation in the lagoon. Throughout this study, concentrations of chlorophyll a determined by high-performance liquid chromatography were consistently low. Inter-annual variability in the pattern of chlorophyll a concentration was observed in the form of a bimodal peak (spring/summer and autumn) between September 2000 and June 2001 and more uniformconcentrations from September 2001 until July 2002. Principal component analysis of the concentrations of all pigments did not indicate any spatial- or tidal-related variations but did show that pigment concentrations varied over time. Partial least squares analysis corroborated this temporal shift of the phytoplankton pigment abundance and composition and showed that these shifts could be linked to certain environmental variables. Fucoxanthin was the dominant accessory pigment and was strongly correlated with chlorophyll a. Other marker pigments present in lower concentrations included chlorophyll b, 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, neoxanthin, alloxanthin, diadinoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. PLS analysis was used to infer the dominant phytoplanktonic groups in the lagoon. This analysis established that diatoms and other algal groups with a similar pigment profile dominated the phytoplankton community throughout the year. Cryptophytes were the second most abundant group in the lagoon. The remaining groups, including dinoflagellates, cyanophytes, and chlorophytes, contributed much less to the total algal biomass (generally

The Ria Formosa is a meso-tidal coastal lagoon experiencing enhanced nutrient concentrations. Assessment of sediment–seawater interaction is essential if nutrient dynamics and the risk of eutrophication are to be fully understood. Pore water concentrations of dissolved inorganic and organic phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite were determined in cores from six sites. Changes in nutrients concentrations were measured in intertidal pools on sand and mud between tides. Dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations (~200 lmol l–1) and effluxes (123 ± 14 lmol m–2 h–1) were greater from sand than mud (37 ± 10 lmol m–2 h–1), possibly due to the binding of P with the