Search results for "marine pollution"

The bioremediation potential of the Priolo Harbour (SR, Italy): isolation, identification and catabolic ability of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria

2013

The petrochemical site of Priolo-Augusta-Melilli (Sicily, Italy), is a Site of National Interest (SIN) due to high levels of contamination of the coastline and its remediation is urgently needed. Successful remediation strategies relying on the catabolic potential of marine hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (HCB) have been described. HCB are specialised hydrocarbon (HC)-degrading marine bacteria that use HC almost exclusively as unique carbon and energy source and become dominant in oil-impacted environments. In order to identify the key hydrocarbon degraders and explore the natural bioremediation potential of the contaminated area, sediment cores and sea water were collected inside the Priolo H…

Who's better at spotting? A comparison between aerial photography and observer-based methods to monitor floating marine litter and marine mega-fauna.

2020

Pollution by marine litter is raising major concerns due to its potential impact on marine biodiversity and, above all, on endangered mega-fauna species, such as cetaceans and sea turtles. The density and distribution of marine litter and mega-fauna have been traditionally monitored through observer-based methods, yet the advent of new technologies has introduced aerial photography as an alternative monitoring method. However, to integrate results produced by different monitoring techniques and consider the photographic method a viable alternative, this ‘new’ methodology must be validated. This study aims to compare observations obtained from the concurrent application of observer-based and…

Monitoring Mediterranean marine pollution using remote sensing and hydrodynamic modelling

2011

Human activities contaminate both coastal areas and open seas, even though impacts are different in terms of pollutants, ecosystems and recovery time. In particular, Mediterranean offshore pollution is mainly related to maritime transport of oil, accounting for 25% of the global maritime traffic and, during the last 25 years, for nearly 7% of the world oil accidents, thus causing serious biological impacts on both open sea and coastal zone habitats. This paper provides a general review of maritime pollution monitoring using integrated approaches of remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling; focusing on the main results of the MAPRES (Marine pollution monitoring and detection by aerial survei…

Microbes and Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Marine Environment

2020

Marine pollution has increased reaching the entire marine environment, from the surface to the deepest sediment, and has become more concerning in the last 70 years. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a fraction of ocean waste that includes, among the others, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plastic polymers. These chemicals have an extremely long half-life, and (bio)accumulate and damage the marine flora and fauna, and, ultimately, human health. Some organisms have evolved enzymes to attack POPs in the environment and transform them into biomass and CO2. Several microorganisms degrade many POPs in relatively short time. A wide variety of bacteria has been isolated with dif…

Critical Analysis Of Remote Sensing Techniques To Monitor Coastal Water Quality-Related Parameters

2010

Bioremediation of chronically oil-polluted marine sediment using beats of hydrocarbons-degrading bacteria

2015

Bioremediation is a good kind of "green biotechnology" based on the microorganisms ability to degrade hydrocarbons fractions. In this work sediment samples were collected from the industrial harbor of Priolo Gargallo (Augusta, Syracuse, Sicily - Italy), a chronically polluted area. Enrichment cultures and microbial isolation were performed. Amoung 258 bacteria and 5 consortia isolated, strain S1 (Alcanivorax borkumensis, 98%) and two consortia (PSO and PSM) showed degradation rates of ~98% for linear and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAs) after 10 days of incubation (25±1°C, shaking 100 g). Taxonomic analysis (16S clone libraries) of consortia showed as dominant genera hydrocarbonoclas…

Impact of Heavy Metals in Eggs and Tissues of C. caretta along the Sicilian Coast (Mediterranean Sea)

2022

In this study we compared the heavy metal concentration found in different tissues and eggs of the loggerhead sea turtle and evaluated the potential ecotoxicological risk for this important species. Eighteen heavy metal elements were determined in different tissues (liver, gonads, fat, kidney, heart, brain, and spleen) of nine individuals of Caretta caretta found stranded along the coasts of Messina (Sicily, Italy) and in the shell and yolk of six eggs from the island of Linosa (Sicily, Italy). For the analysis of the heavy metals, we used the analytical procedures in accordance with the EPA 200.8 method supplemented by EPA 6020b with three replicates for each measurement. The elements anal…

Effects of aquaculture waste feeds and antibiotics on marine benthic ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea

2022

Intensive aquaculture is an important source of organic waste and antibiotics into the marine environment. Yet, their impacts on benthic marine ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the ecological impacts of fish feed waste alone and in combination with three different antibiotics (i.e., oxytetracycline, florfenicol and flumequine) in benthic ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea by performing a field experiment. We assessed the fate of the antibiotics in the sediment and their accumulation in wild fauna after two weeks of exposure. Moreover, we investigated the impact of the feed waste alone and in combination with the antibiotics on sediment physico-chemical properties, on…

International Legal Approaches to Waste Water Discharges

2002

Este capítulo se dedica al estudio de los distintos enfoques jurídicos seguidos en el Derecho Internacional del Medio Ambiente sobre las descargas de aguas residuales. Comienza analizando los enfoques jurídicos fragmentarios iniciales sobre las descargas de aguas residuales, principalmente en la Antártida y el Océano Austral, en algunos mares regionales (especialmente, el Mediterráneo) y el caso particular de las descargas de basuras procedentes de buques. No obstante, dedico la parte principal de este capítulo al enfoque global que sobre esta cuestión clave de la contaminación marina se inició en 1995, así como a su aplicación jurídica global, regional y nacional. This chapter is devoted t…

Assessment of microplastics and other contaminants in marine vertebrates from the Western Mediterranean Sea

2023

Mediterranean marine biodiversity is under threat by pollution. For this reason, the main objective of this thesis was to analyse the presence of pollutants of concern in Mediterranean marine species. These studies are located in the Valencian Community (Spain), where we find loggerhead turtles, striped dolphins, and jewel lanternfish. Hence, we: 1. Analysed pesticides, heavy metals and phthalates in tissues of loggerhead turtles. 2. Studied microdebris present in beaches that are sporadically used as nesting grounds by loggerhead turtles. 3. Analysed striped dolphins# exposure to microplastics. 4. Quantified jewel lanternfish exposure to microplastics and tested their role as bioindicators…