Sunscreens have been shown to give the most effective protection for human skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Chemicals from sunscreens (i.e., UV filters) accumulate in the sea and have toxic ...effects on marine organisms. In this report, we demonstrate that photoexcitation of inorganic UV filters (i.e., TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles) under solar radiation produces significant amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a strong oxidizing agent that generates high levels of stress on marine phytoplankton. Our results indicate that the inorganic oxide nanoparticle content in 1 g of commercial sunscreen produces rates of H2O2 in seawater of up to 463 nM/h, directly affecting the growth of phytoplankton. Conservative estimates for a Mediterranean beach reveal that tourism activities during a summer day may release on the order of 4 kg of TiO2 nanoparticles to the water and produce an increment in the concentration of H2O2 of 270 nM/day. Our results, together with the data provided by tourism records in the Mediterranean, point to TiO2 nanoparticles as the major oxidizing agent entering coastal waters, with direct ecological consequences on the ecosystem.
The world coastal-zone population and coastal tourism are expected to grow during this century. Associated with that, there will be an increase in the use of sunscreens and cosmetics with UV-filters ...in their formulation, which will make coastal regions worldwide susceptible to the impact of these cosmetics. Recent investigations indicate that organic and inorganic UV-filters, as well as many other components that are constituents of the sunscreens, reach the marine environment - directly as a consequence of water recreational activities and/or indirectly from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) effluents. Toxicity of organic and inorganic UV filters has been demonstrated in aquatic organism. UV-filters inhibit growth in marine phytoplankton and tend to bioaccumulate in the food webs. These findings together with coastal tourism data records highlight the potential risk that the increasing use of these cosmetics would have in coastal marine areas. Nevertheless, future investigations into distribution, residence time, aging, partitioning and speciation of their main components and by-products in the water column, persistence, accumulation and toxicity in the trophic chain, are needed to understand the magnitude and real impact of these emerging pollutants in the marine system.
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•Sunscreen ingredients are detected in the marine environment.•Components of sunscreens have environmental consequences in coastal ecosystems.•Future investigations are needed to understand the environmental impact of sunscreens.
Several years have passed since the global phase-out of leaded petrol use. Nonetheless, emissions from anthropogenic activities remain the principal source of Pb to the oceans. The distribution of ...elemental Pb and its stable isotopes throughout the surface ocean provide information on the source and transport of these anthropogenic inputs. This study presents dissolved Pb concentrations and isotopic distributions from 110 surface water samples collected during the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition. Dissolved Pb concentrations ranged from 10 pM to 49 pM across the sampling stations covering all major ocean basins. The highest concentrations were found in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the lowest in both the south Pacific and south Atlantic Oceans. Lead concentrations measured in the north Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii, were compared to previously published data from the same region. That comparison showed that Pb concentration has decreased ∼40% since 1975, although the rate of decrease has slowed in the past two decades. The overall decline in concentration probably has been induced by the cessation of leaded gasoline use in North America. The temporal evolution of stable Pb isotopes in this region shows a shift from dominant North American-like composition in 1979 towards a more Asian-like composition in later years. More widely, the distribution of Pb and Pb isotopes measured in the Malaspina sample set of global surface waters were compared with previously published ratios of aerosols and other atmosphere-derived Pb sources from the countries surrounding the different ocean basins. This comparison identified the potential Pb sources to each ocean basin, providing new insights into the transport and fate of Pb in the oceans.
In this study, seawater quality was monitored with high-resolution satellite imagery during the 2021 volcanic eruption (September–December) on La Palma Island (Spain), the longest recorded in the ...history of the island, and the most destructive in the last century in Europe. The Sentinel-2A/B twin satellites and Landsat-8 satellite were jointly used as an optical constellation, which allowed us to successfully characterize the short- and medium-term evolution of the new lava delta and subsequent impact on the seawater. Robust atmospheric and sunglint correction approaches were applied to thoroughly quantify the environmental changes caused on the adjacent coastal waters. The cloud and volcanic ash coverage remained very high over the coast during the event, so restricted information with 14 images (45% of the total scenes) was retrieved from the multi-sensor approach. Nevertheless, the availability of pre-, syn-, and post-eruption satellite products allowed us to map and detect the main water quality variations in the marine environment. On the one hand, during the eruption, a change in the properties of the water quality was observed, with a markedly increased turbidity on the western side of the island near the new lava delta due to the deposition of volcanic ash and material. On the other hand, chlorophyll-a concentration did not significantly increase, algal blooms were not observed, and oligotrophic conditions were not swiftly altered towards eutrophic conditions. This information offered an excellent opportunity to characterize the emplacement of the new lava delta and its impact on the marine environment in La Palma. The present multi-sensor strategy is an excellent opportunity to highlight the potential of remote sensing technology as a relevant and powerful tool for future hazard monitoring and assessment during catastrophes and for a better interpretation of their impact on the marine environment.
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•Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 satellites are jointly used to examine the marine impact of a volcanic eruption.•A consistent pre-processing methodology (atmospheric and sunglint corrections) is implemented.•Short- and medium-term evolution of the new lava delta and subsequent impact on the seawater was addressed.•Near-real time mapping of turbidity and chlorophyll-a concentration is accomplished in La Palma Island.•Multi-sensor products may contribute to enhanced monitoring of water quality during hazards.
Previous studies have provided some insight into the Saharan dust deposition at a few specific locations from observations over long time periods or intensive field campaigns. However, no assessment ...of the dust deposition temporal variability in connection with its regional spatial distribution has been achieved so far from network observations over more than 1 year. To investigate dust deposition dynamics at the regional scale, five automatic deposition collectors named CARAGA (Collecteur Automatique de Retombées Atmosphériques insolubles à Grande Autonomie in French) have been deployed in the western Mediterranean region during 1 to 3 years depending on the station. The sites include, from south to north, Lampedusa, Majorca, Corsica, Frioul and Le Casset (southern French Alps). Deposition measurements are performed on a common weekly period at the five sites. The mean dust deposition fluxes are higher close to the northern African coasts and decrease following a south–north gradient, with values from 7.4 g m−2 year−1 in Lampedusa (35°31′ N, 12°37′ E) to 1 g m−2 year−1 in Le Casset (44°59′ N, 6°28′ E). The maximum deposition flux recorded is of 3.2 g m−2 wk−1 in Majorca with only two other events showing more than 1 g m−2 wk−1 in Lampedusa, and a maximum of 0.5 g m−2 wk−1 in Corsica. The maximum value of 2.1 g m−2 year−1 observed in Corsica in 2013 is much lower than existing records in the area over the 3 previous decades (11–14 g m−2 year−1). From the 537 available samples, 98 major Saharan dust deposition events have been identified in the records between 2011 and 2013. Complementary observations provided by both satellite and air mass trajectories are used to identify the dust provenance areas and the transport pathways from the Sahara to the stations for the studied period. Despite the large size of African dust plumes detected by satellites, more than 80 % of the major dust deposition events are recorded at only one station, suggesting that the dust provenance, transport and deposition processes (i.e. wet vs. dry) of dust are different and specific for the different deposition sites in the Mediterranean studied area. The results tend to indicate that wet deposition is the main form of deposition for mineral dust in the western Mediterranean basin, but the contribution of dry deposition (in the sense that no precipitation was detected at the surface) is far from being negligible, and contributes 10 to 46 % to the major dust deposition events, depending on the sampling site.
The distribution of bioactive trace metals has the potential to enhance or limit primary productivity and carbon export in some regions of the world ocean. To study these connections, the ...concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V were determined for 110 surface water samples collected during the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition (MCE). Total dissolved Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V concentrations averaged 19.0 ± 5.4 pM, 21.4 ± 12 pM, 0.91 ± 0.4 nM, 0.66 ± 0.3 nM, 88.8 ± 12 nM, 1.72 ± 0.4 nM, and 23.4 ± 4.4 nM, respectively, with the lowest values detected in the Central Pacific and increased values at the extremes of all transects near coastal zones. Trace metal concentrations measured in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the MCE were compared to previously published data for the same region. The comparison revealed little temporal changes in the distribution of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, and Ni over the last 30 years. We utilized a multivariable linear regression model to describe potential relationships between primary productivity and the hydrological, biological, trace nutrient and macronutrient data collected during the MCE. Our statistical analysis shows that primary productivity in the Indian Ocean is best described by chlorophyll a, NO3, Ni, temperature, SiO4, and Cd. In the Atlantic Ocean, primary productivity is correlated with chlorophyll a, NO3, PO4, mixed layer depth, Co, Fe, Cd, Cu, V, and Mo. The variables salinity, temperature, SiO4, NO3, PO4, Fe, Cd, and V were found to best predict primary productivity in the Pacific Ocean. These results suggest that some of the lesser studied trace elements (e.g., Ni, V, Mo, and Cd) may play a more important role in regulating oceanic primary productivity than previously thought and point to the need for future experiments to verify their potential biological functions.
Key Points
The distribution of trace metals in waters of the global ocean was determined
No multiyear variation in the distribution of trace metals in the Atlantic Ocean was observed
Some metals correlate with primary productivity, suggesting potential metal limitation
This study quantifies the concentration of trace metals in coastal marine macrophytes (seagrasses, Chlorophytae, Phaeophytae and Rhodophytae). We do so by compiling, from 155 peer review research ...articles, almost 23,000 estimates of trace metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) contents in natural populations of marine macroalgae and seagrasses distributed worldwide. The objective was to explore the global distribution of concentrations of these metals in marine macrophytes, provide an estimate of their average and range in its tissues and to identify hotspots of coastal pollution. Our results reveal Phaeophytae as the group with the largest accumulation capacity and tolerance to elevated concentrations of metals regardless the species and the location. The mapping of geographic distribution of metal accumulation in marine macrophytes identifies some coastal areas as hotspots of trace metal contamination, where concentrations could reach levels up to 600 times higher than the mean.
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•A global dataset of trace metal concentration in marine macrophyte was compiled.•Phaeophytae can accumulate elevated concentrations of metals.•Hotspots of metal contamination have been identified in coastal areas worldwide.•Hotspots are mainly caused by anthropogenic activities.
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The Mediterranean region is, by far, the leading tourism destination in the world, receiving more than 330 million tourists in 2016. This tourism is undertaken mostly for seaside ...holidays, and during the summer season concentrates between 46% and 69% of the total international arrivals; this is equivalent to a density of 2.9 tourists per meter of Mediterranean coast, or double this number taking into account the local/permanent population in addition. Previous studies have reported not only the presence of sunscreen in the various environmental compartments (water, sediments and biota) of the Mediterranean Sea (MS) and other regions, but also show that sunscreen products are toxic for marine biota and are accumulated and biomagnificated. Here, we highlight that the environmental risk of these chemicals is likely to be exacerbated in the MS due to the massive influx of tourists and its densely populated coasts, the basin's limited exchanges with the ocean, the high residence time of surface waters, and its oligotrophic waters.
Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) have a large impact on the climate-relevant properties of clouds over the oceans. Studies have shown that sea spray aerosols (SSAs), produced upon bursting of bubbles ...at the ocean surface, can be an important source of marine INPs, particularly during periods of enhanced biological productivity. Recent mesocosm experiments using natural seawater spiked with nutrients have revealed that marine INPs are derived from two separate classes of organic matter in SSAs. Despite this finding, existing parameterizations for marine INP abundance are based solely on single variables such as SSA organic carbon (OC) or SSA surface area, which may mask specific trends in the separate classes of INP. The goal of this paper is to improve the understanding of the connection between ocean biology and marine INP abundance by reporting results from a field study and proposing a new parameterization of marine INPs that accounts for the two associated classes of organic matter. The PEACETIME cruise took place from 10 May to 10 June 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout the cruise, INP concentrations in the surface microlayer (INPSML) and in SSAs (INPSSA) produced using a plunging aquarium apparatus were continuously monitored while surface seawater (SSW) and SML biological properties were measured in parallel. The organic content of artificially generated SSAs was also evaluated. INPSML concentrations were found to be lower than those reported in the literature, presumably due to the oligotrophic nature of the Mediterranean Sea. A dust wet deposition event that occurred during the cruise increased the INP concentrations measured in the SML by an order of magnitude, in line with increases in iron in the SML and bacterial abundances. Increases in INPSSA were not observed until after a delay of 3 days compared to increases in the SML and are likely a result of a strong influence of bulk SSW INPs for the temperatures investigated (T=-18 ∘C for SSAs, T=-15 ∘C for SSW). Results confirmed that INPSSA are divided into two classes depending on their associated organic matter. Here we find that warm (T≥-22 ∘C) INPSSA concentrations are correlated with water-soluble organic matter (WSOC) in the SSAs, but also with SSW parameters (particulate organic carbon, POCSSW and INPSSW,-16C) while cold INPSSA (T<-22 ∘C) are correlated with SSA water-insoluble organic carbon (WIOC) and SML dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. A relationship was also found between cold INPSSA and SSW nano- and microphytoplankton cell abundances, indicating that these species might be a source of water-insoluble organic matter with surfactant properties and specific IN activities. Guided by these results, we formulated and tested multiple parameterizations for the abundance of INPs in marine SSAs, including a single-component model based on POCSSW and a two-component model based on SSA WIOC and OC. We also altered a previous model based on OCSSA content to account for oligotrophy of the Mediterranean Sea. We then compared this formulation with the previous models. This new parameterization should improve attempts to incorporate marine INP emissions into numerical models.
A growing awareness of the risks associated with skin exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation over the past decades has led to increased use of sunscreen cosmetic products leading the introduction of ...new chemical compounds in the marine environment. Although coastal tourism and recreation are the largest and most rapidly growing activities in the world, the evaluation of sunscreen as source of chemicals to the coastal marine system has not been addressed. Concentrations of chemical UV filters included in the formulation of sunscreens, such as benzophehone 3 (BZ-3), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), TiO₂ and ZnO, are detected in nearshore waters with variable concentrations along the day and mainly concentrated in the surface microlayer (i.e. 53.6-577.5 ng L⁻¹ BZ-3; 51.4-113.4 ng L⁻¹ 4-MBC; 6.9-37.6 µg L⁻¹ Ti; 1.0-3.3 µg L⁻¹ Zn). The presence of these compounds in seawater suggests relevant effects on phytoplankton. Indeed, we provide evidences of the negative effect of sunblocks on the growth of the commonly found marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis (mean EC₅₀ = 125±71 mg L⁻¹). Dissolution of sunscreens in seawater also releases inorganic nutrients (N, P and Si forms) that can fuel algal growth. In particular, PO₄³⁻ is released by these products in notable amounts (up to 17 µmol PO₄³⁻g⁻¹). We conservatively estimate an increase of up to 100% background PO₄³⁻ concentrations (0.12 µmol L⁻¹ over a background level of 0.06 µmol L⁻¹) in nearshore waters during low water renewal conditions in a populated beach in Majorca island. Our results show that sunscreen products are a significant source of organic and inorganic chemicals that reach the sea with potential ecological consequences on the coastal marine ecosystem.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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