Environmental studies 2023 to Now
Authors:
W. Corredor-Santamaría, I.C. Calderón-Delgado, Z. Arbeli,
J.M. Navas, Y.M. Velasco-Santamaría Petro.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are present in all
environmental matrices. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-
rich wastewater from the oil industry is discharged into
natural water bodies. Detritivorous fish show the effects of
pollutants in water. Biomarkers of effect make it possible to
demonstrate exposure to xenobiotics such as polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons. The present study aimed to
evaluate the hepatic and erythrocyte response in
Aequidens metae, an etritivorous fish exposed to polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons in terms of morphological,
biochemical, and genotoxic changes.
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Authors: Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak, Lina
Mohammed Shaker, and Ahmed Al-Amiery
Once fundamental difficulties such as active sites and
selectivity are fully resolved, metal-free catalysts such as 3D
graphene or carbon nanotubes (CNT) are very cost-
effective substitutes for the expensive noble metals used
for catalyzing CO2. A viable method for converting
environmental wastes into useful energy storage or
industrial wealth, and one which also addresses the
environmental and energy problems brought on by
emissions of CO2, is CO2 hydrogenation into
hydrocarbon compounds.
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Authors: Martyna A. Rzetala, Robert Machowski,
Maksymilian Solarski, Daniel Bakota, Arkadiusz
Płominski, and Mariusz Rzetala
The bottom sediments were studied within the basins of
water bodies used for recreational purposes (e.g., bathing,
fishing, and diving) in the Silesian Upland and its periphery
in southern Poland. It was found that bottom sediments
were contaminated to varying degrees with toxic metals,
metalloids, and non-metals, as evidenced by the values of
geoecological indicators. It was concluded that the
presence of harmful elements (e.g., lead, zinc, cadmium,
chromium, strontium, and arsenic) in bottom sediments
should be considered when classifying water bodies as
suitable for recreational use.
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Authors: Michail Ragkousis, Maria Sini, Nikoletta
Koukourouvli, Argyro Zenetos,and Stelios
Katsanevaki.
The Greek Seas are extensively exposed to the proliferation
of marine alien species. At least 242 alien species have
been reported while their introduction rate is increasing.
Some species severely impact native ecosystems. The
spatio-temporal proliferation of these species outside their
natural boundaries depends on several parameters,
including their biological characteristics, native distribution
range, introduction pathway, and time of initial
introduction. Knowing the current and potential alien
species distribution is essential for implementing effective
management actions.
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Authors:
Cecilia Paula Alonso, Mariano Rodríguez, Cintia Fraysse,
Gustavo Lovrich, and Gregorio Bigatti
Underwater sampling must balance time-efficient and
standardized data to compare areas and times. The roving
diver survey involves divers meandering and actively
searching for species and has been useful for producing
fish species lists but has seldom been implemented for
benthic taxa. In this study, the authors used this non-
destructive technique to register species associated with
kelp forests at the sub-Antarctic Bécasses Island (Beagle
Channel, Argentina), detecting numerous species while
providing the first multi-taxa inventory for the area.
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Authors:
Daniel Ierodiaconou, Dianne McLean, Matthew Jon Birt,
Todd Bond, Sam Wines, Ollie Glade-Wright, Joe Morris,
Doug Higgs, and Sasha K. Whitmarsh
This study uses a decade of industry remotely operated
vehicle (ROV) imagery to describe fish, invertebrate, and
benthic communities on gas field infrastructure. Sampling
was conducted over 22 km of flowline, three wells and
one manifold in the temperate waters of Bass Strait, south
east Australia in depths of 155 to 263 metres.
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Authors:
Kirsten F. Thompson, Kathryn A. Miller, Jake Wacker,
Solène Derville, Christopher Laing, David Santillo, and Paul
Johnston
Deep seabed mining operations, if permitted, could
present significant risks to ocean ecosystems. Disturbance
on any scale is likely to be long lasting and irreversible.
Scant research to date has examined the impact that deep
sea minerals extraction would have on cetaceans.
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Authors:
Leigh W. Tait, Jeremy Bulleid, Lily Pryor Rodgers, Kimberley
Seaward, Louis Olsen, Chris Woods, Henry Lane, and
Graeme J. Inglis
The authors assessed the sensitivity and efficiency of ROVs
and divers for detecting marine non-indigenous species
(NIS), including the potential for automated detection
algorithms to reduce post-processing costs of ROV
methods.
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Authors:
Delphine Lobelle, Li Shen, Bas van Huet, Tim van Emmerik,
Mikael Kaandorp, Giulia Iattoni, Cornelius Peter Baldé, Kara
Lavender Law, and Erik van Sebille
Plastic entering the environment is a growing threat for
ecosystems. the authors estimate the annual mass of
known Dutch plastic waste generated and littered and
where it ends up. The author used two methods: a
material flow analysis of plastic waste separately collected
from 13 economic sectors, and estimate the amount sent
to processing plants or exported and a mismanagement
model from observations of litter plus estimates of
inadequately managed exported plastic scraps entering
the environment abroad.
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Authors:
Maximilian P. Born,* Catrina Brull, and Holger Schuttrumpf
Studies investigating different effects on the fragmentation
of plastics have mostly disregarded a sufficient mechanical
component for fragmentation, focusing on degradation
by UV radiation. Therefore, this study investigated the
impact of the mechanical fragmentation drivers, wave
impact, and sediment abrasion on the fragmentation of
expanded polystyrene (EPS), high-density polyethylene
(PE-HD), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles
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Author: Safia Akli-Bidi
Eucyclops are small crustaceans that are important
members of aquatic food webs. Examination of Eucyclops
populations coming from Algerian water bodies and
identified as Eucyclops cf. serrulatus showed three
morphotypes 1, 2 and 3, based on the morphometric
characters and the microcharacters. The morphotype 1
was the most abundant, collected in the East and the
West of Algeria. The morphotype 2 was sampled in the
south of the country, characterized by posterolaterally
elongated thoracic segments and the fourth thoracic
segment has cilia on its lateral angles. The morphotype 3
was found in a small temporary pond in the north and
was the smallest one.
Author: So Gu Kim
Most underwater explosions show characteristics of a
bubble pulse and reverberation effects. To specifically
identify the cause of an underwater explosion, it is most
important to find a bubble pulse and reverberation effects
using spectral and cepstral analyses. For a very shallow
underwater explosion, spectral analysis is preferable to
cepstral analysis. Time-domain analyses show bubble
pulses as well as positive polarities of the first P-wave
arrivals on the vertical component, and frequency-
domain spectral analyses also clearly reveal the bubble
pulse and reverberation effects. This study includes
comparative studies including a Russian underwater
nuclear explosion and US Navy shock trials.
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Authors:
Luca Andolfi, Mirko Antonini, Stefano Binda, Paolo Braca,
Luciano Bozzi, Sandro Carniel, Nicola Forti, Giorgio
Ioannou, Elizabeth Laier English, Margherita Lenoci,
Leonardo M. Millefiori, Alfredo Renga, Aniello Russo,
Giuseppe Tomasicchio
Although satellites are very accurate in monitoring the
melting glaciers, they provide scarce or no information
about under-ice water characteristics. However, mobile
platforms would represent a substantial integration of the
Ice Tethered Profilers, which move slowly with the sea ice
without possibility to select the specific area where the
data are collected. This paper givies an overview on how
capabilities provided by underwater Positioning,
Navigation and Timing (PNT) technologies can support
Climate Change Monitoring.
Authors: Maciej Liro, Anna Zielonka, Tim H.M. van
Emmerik
The process of macroplastic fragmentation results in the
production of plastic particles, which threaten biota and
human health and are difficult to remove from the
environment. The global coverage and long retention
times of macroplastic waste in fluvial systems, ranging from
years to centuries, create long-lasting and widespread
potential for its fragmentation and the production of
secondary micro- and nanoplastics. However, the
pathways and rates of this process are mostly unknown,
and existing experimental data is not fully informative,
which constitutes a fundamental knowledge gap in our
understanding of macroplastic fate in rivers and the
transfer of produced microparticles throughout the
environment.
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Authors: Cristina Galobart, Enric Ballesteros, Raül Golo,
and Emma Cebrian
Active restoration actions are becoming increasingly
common for the recovery of degraded ecosystems.
However, establishing when an ecosystem is fully restored
is rarely achieved, since the recovery of entire communities
requires long-term trajectories. The lack of evidence of
success is even more severe in marine ecosystems,
especially in the context of macroalgal forests, where,
beyond the vegetation structure and species diversity,
there is no approximation to determine the recovery of
the overall functionality.
The authors used a trait-based approach to assess the
recovery ten years after the initiation of a restoration
action in a marine macroalgal forest.
Authors: Pranali Roy Chowdhury, Malay Banerj
Sergei Petrovskii
Deoxygenation of the ocean often results in the formation
of Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ): large domains where
the abundance of oxygen is much lower than that in the
surrounding oceanic environment. Factors and processes
resulting in OMZ formation remain controversial. The
authors propose a conceptual model of coupled plankton-
oxygen dynamics that, apart from the plankton growth
and oxygen production by phytoplankton, also considers
the difference in timescales between phyto- and
zooplankton.
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Authors: Rui He, Lijun Dong, Xiaomei Xu, Apostolos
Tsouvalas
Offshore wind energy is environmentally friendly for
humans, but it may not be so for aquatic life. Underwater
noise and seabed vibrations are generated during the
construction, maintenance, operation and
decommissioning of offshore wind farms. The potential
impact of the generated noise and the seabed vibrations
on aquatic species may hinder the further deployment of
offshore wind farms and marine ranching.
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Authors: J. R. Kerr, P. R. White, T. G. Leighton, L. G. M.
Silva, & P. S. Kemp
The expansion and potential rupture of the swim bladder,
which to rapid decompression, a major cause of
barotrauma injury in fish passing through turbines and
pumps. It is generally assumed to be governed by Boyle’s
Law. In this study, two swim bladder expansion models
are presented and tested in silico.
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Authors: Heiðrikur Bergsson, Morten Bo Søndergaard
Svendsen, and John Fleng Steffensen
To ensure optimal feed intake, growth, and general fish
health in aquaculture sea cages, interactions between
drivers that affect oxygen conditions need to be
understood. The main drivers are oxygen consumption
and water exchange, caused by flow through the cage.
Swimming energetics in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus
mykiss) in normoxia and hypoxia at 10, 15, and 20 C
degrees were determined. Using the determinations, a
conceptual model of oxygen conditions within sea cages
was created.
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Author: Valeri V. Lenchine
Many marine infrastructure projects increase
environmental impact during the construction and
operational phases due to excessive noise. The lack of
standardized methods for assessing and predicting
underwater noise increases the risk of adverse changes to
the marine environment. This study reviews methods for
modeling the impact of underwater noise as part of
marine project planning and identifies the need for noise
mitigation measures.
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Authors: Rene Smidt Lutzen, Søren Keller, & Jakob
Tougaard
Since 2016, guidelines from the Danish Energy Agency
have addressed underwater noise from offshore wind
farm construction in Danish waters. The guidelines were
updated in 2022 to include technical methods for
numerical prognosis and on-site measurements.
Compliance is determined based on acoustic criteria such
as Permanent Threshold Shift (PTS) and behavioral impact.
Auditory frequency-weighted levels are used as the basis
for these criteria.
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Authors: Aude Benhemma-Le Gall, Paul Thompson,
Nathan Merchant, Isla Graham
The expansion of offshore wind farms overlaps with
protected marine mammal habitats, and there are
concerns for small cetaceans, such as harbor porpoises,
due to the potential for injury from impulsive noise during
turbine foundation installation. Current risk assessment
methods compare predicted noise levels with estimates of
baseline animal density. However, pre-piling activities may
displace animals, potentially reducing the risk of injury.
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Authors: Amar Prakash Kaushik, Vivek Kumar Himanshu,
M.P. Roy, A.K. Mishra, Ashish Mishra, and Huzaifa
Sufiyan Siddique
This article outlines the core elements of underwater
drilling and blasting operations. It highlights the enduring
constraints and obstacles, underscoring the need for
continued investigation and understanding.
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Authors: Darshika Manral, Ilse Bos, Mark de Boer, Erik van
Sebille.
Juvenile Kemp's ridley turtles, a critically endangered
species mainly living in the Gulf of Mexico, strand on the
Dutch coasts every year. This study examines several
instances over the last 15 years where juvenile turtles were
found alive but hypothermic during winter in the
Netherlands to understand how they were transported in
this state.
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Authors:
Charlie Short, Joanna L. Smith, John Bones, Steve Diggon,
Aaron Heidt, Chris Mcdougall, Kylee A. Pawluk
This paper describes the development and
implementation of a zoning framework for the Marine
Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast (MaPP) in
British Columbia, Canada. The framework was designed to
guide decisions related to coastal and marine economic
development, resource management, and conservation. It
explains the framework's creation process, including
stakeholder consultation and incorporating lessons from
other planning efforts. It also details the three main
requirements for the framework, the stakeholder advisory
process, and the resulting zone categories.
Author: Yuan Yang
This paper explores and proposes ways to achieve robust
risk regulation in offshore drilling operations in China,
identify the factors that affect risk regulation's robustness,
and compare different regulatory regimes from various
countries (the United Kingdom, Norway, the United States,
and China). It discusses the theoretical debate between
command-and-control regulation and self-regulation,
suggesting that both modes are necessary for optimal
regulatory outcomes in China.
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Author: Jade Lindley
This paper discusses the problem of non-compliance with
fishing regulations among a segment of the Australian
fishing community. It highlights the challenges regulators
face due to limited resources and the resistance of some
fishers to educational initiatives. It also highlights the
importance of understanding the reasons for non-
compliance and fishermen's attitudes towards sanctions
and suggests that a better understanding of these factors,
informed by criminological theory, could help to promote
a culture of compliance through the effective use of
sanctions.
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Authors: J.S. Zimmerhackel, J. Clifton, F. Ackermann, M.P.
Burton, C.E. Elrick-Barr, G. Hill, & E.S. Harvey
This paper aims to inform and present research findings
on the socio-economic impacts of man-made marine
structures (MMS) and propose an integrated framework
for marine planners. This framework aims to reconcile
competing stakeholder interests by understanding and
categorizing socio-economic values and the rules and
norms that influence them. The ultimate goal is to assist
planners in enhancing benefits and minimizing conflicts
related to MMS.
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Authors:
Jessica M. Kendall-Bar, Terrie M. Williams, Ritika
Mukherji, Daniel A. Lozano, Julie K. Pitman, Rachel R.
Holser, Theresa Keates, Roxanne S. Beltran, Patrick W.
Robinson, Daniel E. Crocker, Taiki Adachi, Oleg I. Lyamin,
Alexei L. Vyssotski, Daniel P. Costa
This study monitored the electroencephalographic activity
of northern elephant seals while diving in Monterey Bay,
California, to understand how they manage their sleep
requirements in a marine environment. The findings
revealed that the seals take short naps while diving and
average only 2 hours of sleep per day over a period of 7
months, which is comparable to the least sleep recorded
among all mammals.
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Author: Makoto Seta
This paper highlights the challenges faced by port states
during the COVID-19 pandemic when dealing with cruise
vessels carrying infected passengers. It discusses the legal
and humanitarian dilemmas, the financial burdens, and
the need for a new international legal framework to
address these issues. The text suggests that a compulsory
insurance system for medical care during pandemics
could help distribute the economic burden more fairly,
making port states more willing to accept such vessels.
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Authors: Samson Afewerki, Tonje Osmundsen, Marit Schei
Olsen, Kristine Vedal Størkersen, Andreas Misund,
Trine Thorvaldsen
This paper discusses the sustainability challenges facing
the Norwegian salmon farming industry and analyzes the
impact of a new innovation policy instrument, known as
development licenses, introduced by the Norwegian
authorities in 2015. Based on a mapping of technology
development projects and in-depth interviews, it is shown
how this policy has initiated a sustainable restructuring
process within the industry. The findings suggest that the
policy has been successful in the short term by
reconfiguring innovation networks for aquaculture
production technologies.
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Author: Xuefei Shi
This document analyzes and discusses the impact of
international advocacy on China's Distant Water Fisheries
(DWF) policies. It highlights the focus areas of both
international advocacy documents and China's official
responses, noting the emphasis on politics and
transboundary governance. It also points out the differing
priorities of China and international advocates, with China
focusing on agro-food production and international
advocates on environmental consequences.
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Authors:
Daniel J. Skerritt, Anna Schuhbauer, Sebastian Villasante,
Andres M. Cisneros-Montemayor, Nathan J. Bennett,
Tabitha G. Mallory, Vicky W.L. Lam, Robert I. Arthur,
William W.L. Cheung, Louise S.L. Teh, Katina Roumbedakis,
Maria L.D. Palomares, U. Rashid Sumaila
This text highlights the detrimental effects of harmful
fisheries subsidies on global overfishing and its
environmental and societal impacts. It emphasizes the
need for international cooperation to address these issues,
as the negative consequences of such subsidies extend
beyond the jurisdictions of the subsidizing nations, calling
for mapping the distribution and flows of these subsidies
to inform multilateral reforms and empower affected
nations.
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Authors: Maria Clara Iruzun Martins, Matt ID Carter, Sally
Rouse, Debbie JF Russell
This document intends to highlight the need for and the
development of a comprehensive spatial database of man-
made structures (MMS) in the North Sea, such as oil and
gas platforms, pipelines, and wind turbines. It emphasizes
the importance of this database for informing effective
policy decisions, understanding the impact of MMS on the
ecosystem, and supporting various stakeholders, including
ecologists, engineers, policymakers, industry advisors, and
geoscientists. It also points out the current challenges due
to the lack of accurate and up-to-date metadata in existing
databases, which can lead to incorrect decisions.
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Authors:
Yolanda L. Waters, Kerrie A. Wilson, Angela J. Dean
This paper discusses the debate on whether focusing on
small lifestyle changes, such as reducing plastic use, can
distract from broader sustainability goals like mitigating
climate change or whether such small actions can lead to
"behavioral spillover," encouraging more significant
climate-related actions. The research findings indicate that
while messages about plastic pollution can increase
climate-related behaviors, this effect is more pronounced
when past behaviors are highlighted and is less effective
for already engaged audiences. The authors advise
caution in using plastic messaging strategies if the primary
goal is to achieve behavioral spillover for reef conservation.
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Authors: Natali Pearson, Benjamin S. Thompson
This study explores ways to integrate the conservation of
marine biodiversity with the protection of underwater
cultural heritage. The text outlines a framework for
identifying and leveraging synergies between these two
areas through spatial analyses and case studies to inform
and guide marine managers, policymakers, and
practitioners in related economic activities on how to
achieve better conservation outcomes by recognizing and
utilizing the overlaps and potential collaborative
opportunities between marine biodiversity and
underwater cultural heritage.
Authors:
Ziaul Haque Munim, Mohammed Mojahid Hossain
Chowdhury, Hasan Mahbub Tusher, Theo Notteboom
This study evaluates the prospects of using alternative fuels
in Bangladesh's maritime industry. It aims to rank the
sustainability and viability of seven different energy sources
for shipping using expert data and specific analytical
methods (Bayesian Best-Worst Method and PROMETHEE-
GAIA). The findings are intended to guide policymakers in
Bangladesh in promoting sustainable and viable energy
sources for the maritime sector.
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Authors: Miriam Püts, Alexander Kempf, Christian
Mollmann, Marc Taylor
This document highlights the need for a comprehensive
marine spatial planning framework in the North Sea,
particularly in light of the competing objectives of
renewable energy production (offshore wind farms) and
marine conservation (marine protected areas). It
emphasizes the importance of assessing trade-offs
between stakeholders and ecosystem health using a
spatially explicit trophic model. It also suggests that
closures to fisheries need to be carefully managed and
accompanied by additional measures to avoid negative
impacts.
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Author:
Jasper J. L. Hoffmann, Joshu J. Mountjoy, Erica Spain, Mark
Gall, Leigh W. Tait, Yoann Ladroit, & Aaron Micallef
This study aimed to understand the biogeochemical
influence of fresh submarine groundwater discharge
(FSGD) sites on coastal areas (Wellington Harbour, New
Zealand) and to explore the potential of offshore fresh
groundwater (OFG) as a future drinking water resource. It
describes the methods used, including hydroacoustic
techniques, ROV dives, and sediment core analysis, to map
and analyze the spatial extent and geomorphological
expression of FSGD sites. It also highlights the challenges
and need for new sensing strategies to improve the
identification and quantification of groundwater discharge
locations.
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Authors: Polly Georgiana Hill & Sue Rodway-Dyer
This article highlights the need for a more inclusive and
localized approach to assessing and managing the risks
associated with oil pollution from sunken wrecks. It
critiques the current Eurocentric methodology
predominantly used by Global North nations, which often
fails to account for the specific vulnerabilities and
conditions of regions in the Global South. The authors
propose a decolonized risk assessment framework
incorporating local knowledge and priorities, aiming to
better capture the diverse and spatially heterogeneous
nature of human vulnerability to oil pollution.
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Authors: Zehao Wang, Defeng Zheng, Xingsen Guo,
Zhongde Gu, Yueqiang Shen, & Tingkai Nian
This study addresses the impact of submarine landslides
on underwater structures, focusing on bucket
foundations. It aims to fill a knowledge gap by developing
a fluid-structure coupling system using the coupled
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH)-Finite Element
Method (FEM) to analyze the displacement response of
these foundations during landslide impacts. Its authors
outline the methods used, the results obtained, and the
significance of the findings in understanding the dynamic
response and failure mechanisms of underwater
structures under extreme conditions.
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Authors:
Sven Bergmann, Matthias Brenner, Jennifer Susanne
Strehse, Tobias Hartwig Bünning, Edmund Maser, Philipp
Grassel, David Heuskin, David Brandt, Marco Berger,
Simon van der Wulp, Mathew Skellhorn, Polly Hil, Sven
Van Haelst, Maarten De Rijcke, Uwe Wichert
The text intends to inform the reader about ongoing
research efforts within the EU Interreg project North Sea
Wrecks (NSW) and its collaboration with the German
Aerospace Centre and the Institute for the Protection of
Maritime Infrastructures (DLR) to assess and understand
the environmental risks posed by shipwrecks and dumped
munitions in the North Sea and globally. It details the
methodologies used, such as historical document analysis,
visual inspections, and sample analysis.
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Authors: Sheng Wu, Nian Jiang, Shuai Zhang, Pingping
Zhang, Peng Zhao, Yang Liu, & Yanhui Wang
This document analyzes the technological feasibility and
potential environmental impacts of offshore floating
photovoltaic (PV) plants to highlight the advantages of
floating PV systems, particularly in marine environments,
and to address the current low technology readiness level
in this new field. It also seeks to explore the interactions
between offshore floating PV plants and the marine
environment throughout the entire life cycle of the PV
systems, from manufacturing to disposal.
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Authors: V. Trinadha Rao, V. Suneel, Venkata Sai
Gulakaram, & Chilukuri Lakshmi Sravani
This study focused on the computation and analysis of
monthly climatological Lagrangian coherent structures
(cLCS) in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) using 24 years of ocean
current and wind data to reveal the cLCS associated with
seasonal monsoon currents and mesoscale processes,
validate these structures with satellite imagery and
modeled oil spill trajectories, and demonstrate their
application in predicting the transport and accumulation
zones of pollutants like oil spills
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Authors:
Romain Stefanelli, Maria Rosa Beccia , Pier Lorenzo Solari,
David Suhard, Sophie Pagnotta, Aurelie Jeanson, Jean
Ulrich Mullot, Françoise Vernier, Christophe Moulin,
Marguerite Monfort, Jean Aupiai, Christophe Den Auwer
This study focused on understanding uranium
accumulation, speciation, and localization in marine biota,
specifically using mussels as sentinel species to assess the
environmental impact of uranium, particularly in marine
ecosystems, by employing various analytical,
spectroscopic, and imaging techniques. The study also
highlights the differences in uranium accumulation
between mussels from two different locations and outlines
future research directions to identify the proteins or
metabolites involved in uranium complexation.
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