Review
Environmental Sciences
Won Joon Shim, Seung-Kyu Kim, Jongsu Lee, Soeun Eo, Ji-Su Kim, Chengjun Sun
Summary: By comparing monitoring methods and contamination levels of marine micro- and macroplastics in seawater between the North Pacific and other ocean basins, this study found that the North Pacific is heavily monitored for microplastics and shows high pollution levels globally. The Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand, is more focused on monitoring macroplastics. The study also suggests the importance of standardized methods and increased efforts in gathering monitoring data for both microplastics and floating macroplastics in seawater worldwide.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Karoline dos Santos Lima, Amanda Castro Silva, Leuzanira Furtado Pereira, Claudio Magalhaes Bezerra, Leonardo Silva Soares, Antonio Carlos Leal de Castro, Yllana Ferreira Marinho, Izabel Cristina da Silva Almeida Funo, Caio Brito Lourenco
Summary: The study evaluated anthropogenic litter on macrotidal beaches in the Amazon region, finding a predominance of plastic litter associated with tourist and recreational activities, highlighting the need to take measures to reduce the impact on the ecosystem.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Felix Ayala, Martin Zeta-Flores, Sonia Ramos-Baldarrago, Juan Tume-Ruiz, Antia Rangel-Vega, Eddy Reyes, Edgardo Quinde, Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre, Leticia Lajo-Salazar, Susana Cardenas-Alayza
Summary: Plastics have brought benefits to society, but mismanagement has turned them into a serious environmental problem. This review focuses on the interactions between terrestrial mammals and plastic waste in the Americas, which is a hotspot of mammalian biodiversity and high plastic waste generation. We identified 46 scientific articles documenting plastic ingestion in 37 species and plastic use for nest or burrow construction in four species. The research on plastic pollution in terrestrial mammals is limited and lacks standardized analytical methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin L. Murphy, Leah R. Gerber, Chelsea M. Rochman, Beth Polidoro
Summary: Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for marine organisms. This study uses a trait-based framework to develop a vulnerability index for marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles in Hawai'i. The index ranks 63 study species based on their vulnerability to macroplastic pollution, providing valuable information for species monitoring and management priorities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Sang Lyeol Kim, Hyung Gon Lee, Yosup Park, Ok Hwan Yu
Summary: Pollution associated with marine debris is a global concern that disrupts wildlife and local economies. This study focused on the impact of submerged marine debris on macrobenthic fauna in sandy and rocky habitats, revealing different dominant species and biomass in the presence of debris. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the effects of marine debris on ecosystems and identifying affected benthic species.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lise M. Alkema, Caspar J. Van Lissa, Merel Kooi, Albert A. Koelmans
Summary: Current methods of characterizing plastic debris have limitations. By using Gaussian mixture models, we can identify different subsets of plastic particles and improve the accuracy of risk assessment and modeling of plastic distribution in the ocean.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gerasimos Gkoutselis, Stephan Rohrbach, Janno Harjes, Martin Obst, Andreas Brachmann, Marcus A. Horn, Gerhard Rambold
Summary: Microplastics serve as a carrier for diverse fungal organisms, including potential pathogens, attracting distinctive fungal communities. Studies have shown that plastic waste harbors a variety of fungal species, some of which may pose risks to human health.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Britta Denise Hardesty, Lauren Roman, Norman C. Duke, Jock R. Mackenzie, Chris Wilcox
Summary: The remote Gulf of Carpentaria is a significant fishing area in Australia, but it is also a hotspot for abandoned fishing gear 'ghost nets'. Despite efforts to combat illegal fishing and clean up the region, the density of ghost nets is increasing. There is a need for improved monitoring and management strategies to address this issue.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Y. Mellink, T. van Emmerik, M. Kooi, C. Laufkotter, H. Niemann
Summary: In this study, a new conceptual model called the Plastic Pathfinder is introduced to forecast plastic transport on land. The model simulates the spatiotemporal distribution of macroplastic waste at a river basin scale, considering wind and surface runoff as driving forces and terrain surface friction as resistance. The model can generate hotspot maps and transport route maps, contributing to a better understanding of plastic transport through terrestrial environments and providing a practical tool for plastic waste prevention and reduction strategies.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas Garello, Martin C. M. Blettler, Luis A. Espinola, Karl M. Wantzen, Daniel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Stephane Rodrigues
Summary: Plastic debris in beach sediments of a large river is influenced by natural hydrological fluctuations and wind intensity, with water flow having a greater capacity for remobilization and transport than wind. The most abundant plastic items found include foam, hard plastic, film, fishing line fragments, as well as fishing line pieces and cigarette filters typically discarded by beach users. The study suggests that the density of macroplastic items is highly correlated to the density of mesoplastic items, serving as a surrogate for further estimations in mitigation strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Debbie Winton, Luca Marazzi, Steven Loiselle
Summary: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected resource use and people's interaction with the environment, causing changes in pro-environmental behaviors at individual, societal, business, and political levels. The study found that during lockdown periods, people found it harder to avoid using single-use plastic while on-the-go, and there was an increase in takeaway meal consumption. This highlights the importance of finding opportunities to reduce single-use plastic consumption.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marthe A. Hoiberg, John S. Woods, Francesca Verones
Summary: This study developed a Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) approach to estimate a spatially differentiated indicator of potential macroplastic entanglement impacts in the world's oceans, contributing to the inclusion of plastic litter effects in impact assessments.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Beneharo Rodriguez, Pedro Lopez-Suarez, Nuria Varo-Cruz, Ena Dack, Aline Rendall, Felipe Siverio, Manuel Siverio, Airam Rodriguez
Summary: The study examines the impact of anthropogenic debris on osprey nest function. It finds that 92% of studied nests included non-natural items, with plastic being the most common material. The abundance of anthropogenic items in the nests did not correlate with osprey breeding parameters. Monitoring the abundance of anthropogenic debris and its effects on wildlife is crucial for the long-term viability of coastal wildlife.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Olivia McKay, Grace Pold, Philip Martin, Seeta Sistla
Summary: Agricultural macroplastic contamination can significantly impact soil microbial communities, contrary to previous expectations. Both polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) macrofragments provide a distinct microbial habitat with higher microbial biomass and nutrient availability compared to the surrounding bulk soil.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Lucy C. M. Omeyer, Emily M. Duncan, Neil Angelo S. Abreo, Jo Marie V. Acebes, Lea A. AngSinco-Jimenez, Sabiqah T. Anuar, Lemnuel V. Aragones, Gonzalo Araujo, Luis R. Carrasco, Marcus A. H. Chua, Muhammad R. Cordova, Lantun P. Dewanti, Emilyn Q. Espiritu, Jovanie B. Garay, Elitza S. Germanov, Jade Getliff, Eva Horcajo-Berna, Yusof S. Ibrahim, Zeehan Jaafar, Jose Isagani B. Janairo, Thanda Ko Gyi, Danielle Kreb, Cheng Ling Lim, Youna Lyons, Putu L. K. Mustika, Mei Lin Neo, Sirius Z. H. Ng, Buntora Pasaribu, Agamuthu Pariatamby, Cindy Peter, Lindsay Porter, Noir P. Purba, Ernesto T. Santa Cruz, Shahriar Shams, Kirsten F. Thompson, Daniel S. Torres, Rodney Westerlaken, Tuempong Wongtawan, Brendan J. Godley
Summary: Southeast Asia is highly biodiverse and a major contributor to global marine plastic pollution. However, knowledge about the impacts of plastic pollution on marine megafauna in the region is lacking. A literature review and expert elicitation were conducted to gather information on cases of entanglement and ingestion of plastic by various marine species in Southeast Asia. The study found a limited number of published cases, especially for seabirds, highlighting the need for additional funding and data to address this issue.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Toshimi Nakajima, Mao Kuragano, Makoto Yamada, Ryo Sugimoto
Summary: This study compared the contribution of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to river nutrient budgets at nearshore and embayment scales, and found that SGD-derived nutrients become more important at larger spatial scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Liu, Lei Zhang, Chongyang Zhang, Ziguang Chen, Jingguang Li
Summary: NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves used for household heating have become a significant source of indoor pollution in Chinese urban areas. The high indoor concentration of NO2 poses potential health risks to residents. It is urgently necessary to establish relevant regulations and implement emission reduction technologies to reduce NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Letter
Environmental Sciences
Hans Peter H. Arp, Raoul Wolf, Sarah E. Hale, Sivani Baskaran, Juliane Gluege, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Ian T. Cousins, Harrie Timmer, Roberta Hofman-Caris, Anna Lennquist, Andre D. Bannink, Gerard J. Stroomberg, Rosa M. A. Sjerps, Rosa Montes, Rosario Rodil, Jose Benito Quintana, Daniel Zahn, Herve Gallard, Tobias Mohr, Ivo Schliebner, Michael Neumann
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philomina Onyedikachi Peter, Binessi Edouard Ifon, Francois Nkinahamira, Kayode Hassan Lasisi, Jiangwei Li, Anyi Hu, Chang-Ping Yu
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in sediments from Yundang Lagoon, China. The results show four distinct fluorescent components, with protein-like substances being the most prevalent. Additionally, the total fluorescence intensity and LREE concentrations exhibit a synchronized increase from Outer to Inner to Songbai Lake core sediments. The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between DOM content and pollution levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Surya Gupta, Pasquale Borrelli, Panos Panagos, Christine Alewell
Summary: The objective of this study is to incorporate soil hydraulic properties into the erodibility factor (K) of USLE-type models. By modifying and improving the existing equations for soil texture and permeability, the study successfully included information on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) into the calculation of K factor. Using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, two independent K factor maps with different spatial resolutions were generated. The results show that the decrease in K factor values has a positive impact on the modeling of soil erosion rates.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesmin Akter, Wendy J. M. Smith, Yawen Liu, Ilho Kim, Stuart L. Simpson, Phong Thai, Asja Korajkic, Warish Ahmed
Summary: The choice of workflow in wastewater surveillance has a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 concentrations, while having minimal effects on HF183 and no effect on HAdV 40/41 concentrations. Certain components in the workflow can be interchangeable, but factors such as buffer type, chloroform, and homogenization speed can affect the recovery of viruses and bacteria.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Luo, Xueting Yang, Diwei Wang, Hongmei Xu, Hongai Zhang, Shasha Huang, Qiyuan Wang, Ningning Zhang, Junji Cao, Zhenxing Shen
Summary: Atmospheric PM2.5, which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The study found that both the mass concentration of PM2.5 and the DTT activity were higher during the heating season than during the nonheating season. Combustion sources were the primary contributors to DTT activity during the heating season, while secondary formation dominated during the nonheating season. The study also revealed that biomass burning had the highest inherent oxidation potential among all sources investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin L. Murphy, Leah R. Gerber, Chelsea M. Rochman, Beth Polidoro
Summary: Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for marine organisms. This study uses a trait-based framework to develop a vulnerability index for marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles in Hawai'i. The index ranks 63 study species based on their vulnerability to macroplastic pollution, providing valuable information for species monitoring and management priorities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kenji Maurice, Amelia Bourceret, Sami Youssef, Stephane Boivin, Liam Laurent-Webb, Coraline Damasio, Hassan Boukcim, Marc-Andre Selosse, Marc Ducousso
Summary: Growing pressure from climate change and agricultural land use is destabilizing soil microbial community interactions. Little is known about microbial community resistance and adaptation to disturbances, hindering our understanding of recovery latency and implications for ecosystem functioning. This study found that anthropic disturbance and natural disturbance have different effects on the topology and stability of soil microbial networks.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunhao Li, Yali Feng, Haoran Li, Yisong Yao, Chenglong Xu, Jinrong Ju, Ruiyu Ma, Haoyu Wang, Shiwei Jiang
Summary: Deep-sea mining poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human health by disturbing sediment and transmitting metal ions through the food chain. This study developed a new regenerative adsorption material, OMN@SA, which effectively removes metal ions. The adsorption mechanism and performance of the material for metal ion fixation were investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Medici, Margherita Lavorgna, Marina Isidori, Chiara Russo, Elena Orlo, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio, Armando Zarrelli
Summary: Valsartan, a widely used antihypertensive drug, has been detected in high concentrations in surface waters due to its unchanged excretion and incomplete degradation in wastewater treatment plants. This study investigated the degradation of valsartan and identified 14 degradation byproducts. The acute and chronic toxicity of these byproducts were evaluated in key organisms in the freshwater trophic chain.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiang Lin, Lianbao Chi, Qing Yuan, Busu Li, Mingbao Feng
Summary: This study investigated the photodegradation behavior and product formation of two representative pharmaceuticals in simulated estuary water. The study found that the formed transformation products of these pharmaceuticals have potential toxicity on marine organisms, including oxidative stress and damage to cellular components.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hua Fang, Dongdong Jiang, Ye He, Siyi Wu, Yuehong Li, Ziqi Zhang, Haoting Chen, Zixin Zheng, Yan Sun, Wenxiang Wang
Summary: This study revealed that exposure to lower levels of air pollutants led to decreased pregnancy rates, with PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO emerging as the four most prominent pollutants. Individuals aged 35 and above exhibited heightened susceptibility to pollutants.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali Shaan Manzoor Ghumman, Rashid Shamsuddin, Amin Abbasi, Mohaira Ahmad, Yoshiaki Yoshida, Abdul Sami, Hamad Almohamadi
Summary: In this study, inverse vulcanized polysulfides (IVP) were synthesized by reacting molten sulfur with 4-vinyl benzyl chloride, and then functionalized using N-methyl D-glucamine (NMDG). The functionalized IVP showed a high mercury adsorption capacity and a machine learning model was developed to predict the amount of mercury removed. Furthermore, the functionalized IVP can be regenerated and reused, providing a sustainable and cost-effective adsorbent.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rita Bonfiglio, Renata Sisto, Stefano Casciardi, Valeria Palumbo, Maria Paola Scioli, Erica Giacobbi, Francesca Servadei, Gerry Melino, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Summary: This study investigated the presence of aluminum in human colon cancer samples and its potential association with biological processes involved in cancer progression. Aluminum was found in tumor areas of 24% of patients and was associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell death. Additional analyses revealed higher tumor mutational burden and mutations in genes related to EMT and apoptosis in aluminum-positive colon cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of aluminum toxicity may improve strategies for the management of colon cancer patients.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)