Marine pollution bulletin
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Marine pollution bulletin · Nov 2010
Ecosystem service provision: an operational way for marine biodiversity conservation and management.
Since no extensive conceptual framework has been developed on the issues of ecosystem service (ES) and service provider (SP) in the marine environment, we have made an attempt to apply these to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity. Within this context, an accurate individuation of SPs, namely the biological component of a given ecosystem that supports human activities is fundamental. SPs are the agents responsible for making the ES-based approach operational. ⋯ In the latter, the basic model envisages a matrix of a human-altered landscape with fragments of original biodiversity; conversely, in the marine environment the model provides fragments where human activities are carried out and the matrix is represented by the original biodiversity. We have identified three main classes of ES provision: in natural, disturbed and human-controlled environments. Economic valuation of marine ESs is an essential condition for making conservation strategies financially sustainable, as it may stimulate the perceived need for investing in protection and exploitation of marine resources.
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Marine pollution bulletin · Sep 2010
Recurrence of the world's largest green-tide in 2009 in Yellow Sea, China: Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture rafts confirmed as nursery for macroalgal blooms.
In the summer of 2008, the world's largest green-tide occurred in the Yellow Sea, China. The hypothesized cause was the expansion of Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture along the Jiangsu coastline and the re-occurrence of a green-tide in 2009 was predicted. In this study, satellite and field images showed the formation of the June 2009 green-tide which again originated from the Jiangsu coast. ⋯ Morphological and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the homology of Ulva prolifera in the 2008 green-tide with the U. prolifera from P. yezoensis aquaculture rafts. About 91-505kg/ha of U. prolifera was attached to the P. yezoensis aquaculture rafts and a total biomass of 4956 tonnes was estimated during the harvesting of P. yezoensis. This is sufficient to seed a bloom when they are dislodged from the rafts as a result of harvesting practices.
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Marine pollution bulletin · Apr 2007
Assessment of the historical trace metal contamination of sediments in the Elizabeth River, Virginia.
Two sediment cores (Southern Branch, PC-1, and Western Branch, WB-2) were taken from the highly industrialized Elizabeth River, Virginia. The concentrations of trace metals cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc, major elements iron, manganese and aluminum, organic carbon content and the specific surface area of the sediments were determined in each of the cores. ⋯ In contrast, the highest levels in WB-2 occurred well before the appearance of (137)Cs. Although stricter environmental regulations have caused a decrease in metal concentrations since the 1980s, the concentrations in the surface sediments of many trace metals were elevated to levels 2-5 times higher than the levels at the bottom of the cores in both the Southern and Western Branches of the river.
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Marine pollution bulletin · Nov 2006
The European Commission proposal for a marine strategy: lacking substance.
The European Commission's proposed Marine Strategy constitutes a highly inadequate approach to long-term protection of the European Seas. The main problem with the strategy is the restriction to a proposed directive in which only EU Member States are placed under obligation to develop their own environmental objectives and marine protection activity programmes. This 'renationalisation' results in the exclusion of key policy areas like Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fishery Policy in which the EU has centralised powers. Furthermore, there is no plan to refine EU environmental law relevant to marine protection and nor are there any provisions for the linking of EU-level action with the international conventions for the protection of the oceans.
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Marine pollution bulletin · Oct 2006
Changes in biodiversity of the extremely polluted Golden Horn Estuary following the improvements in water quality.
Long-term biological data supported by physicochemical parameters were evaluated to investigate the biodiversity of the Golden Horn Estuary from the past to the present. Limited observations dating back to 60 years ago indicated the existence of a diverse community in this small estuary. Unfortunately, in parallel with the increase in unplanned settlements and industry around the Golden Horn, pollution stress increased since the 1960s. ⋯ All appropriate substratums were intensely covered by macrobenthic forms until the Halic Bridge and filter feeders dominated the plankton-rich ecosystem. Achieving the diversity of 1940s is not possible since the Black and Marmara seas, influencing water quality of the Golden Horn, are also suffering from anthropogenic impacts and are far less diverse than their rich diversity in 1940s. However, the Golden Horn is a good example that even the most polluted ecosystems can recover when appropriate measures are taken.