Assessment of heavy metals and proximate composition in jellyfish (Lobonemoides robustus Stiasny, 1920) collected from Cox's Bazar coast: Human health risk assessment.

Jellyfish are known for experiencing periodic blooms in population, which occur when their density increases suddenly. The present study assessed the level of heavy metals and proximate composition in the jellyfish Lobonemoides robustus collected from Cox's Bazar coast of Bangladesh. This is the first study conducted in Bangladesh.

Trace element levels in the muscles of three tern species (Aves: Laridae) from the western Arabian Gulf: environmental assessment and implications for conservation.

In the Arabian Gulf (called also Persian Gulf; hereafter 'the Gulf'), Jana and Karan Islands are recognized as one of the most Important Bird Areas in the region. Many migratory breeding seabirds, like the Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii, White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa and Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus, depend on these islands during the breeding season. However, these aquatic wildlife species are suffering from intensified urban and industrial coastal development and various contamination events including wars and related oil spills.

A review on sea cucumber (Bengali: Somuddro Sosha) as a bioindicator of heavy metal contamination and toxicity.

This review paper exhibits the underexplored realm of heavy metal contamination and associated risks in sea cucumbers (SCs), which hold significant importance in traditional Asian marine diets and are globally harvested for the Asian market. The assessment focuses on heavy metals (HMs) presence in various SC species, revealing a global trend in HMs concentrations across anatomical parts: Fe > Zn > As > Cu > Hg > Pb > Mn > Cr > Ni > Cd. Specific species, such as Eupentacta fraudatrix, Holothuria mammata, Holothuria polii, Holothuria tubulosa, and Holothuria atra, exhibit heightened arsenic levels, while Stichopus herrmanni raises concerns with mercury levels, notably reaching 3.

Hurdles and opportunities in implementing marine biosecurity systems in data-poor regions.

Managing marine nonindigenous species (mNIS) is challenging, because marine environments are highly connected, allowing the dispersal of species across large spatial scales, including geopolitical borders. Cross-border inconsistencies in biosecurity management can promote the spread of mNIS across geopolitical borders, and incursions often go unnoticed or unreported. Collaborative surveillance programs can enhance the early detection of mNIS, when response may still be possible, and can foster capacity building around a common threat.

Bioaccumulation of trace elements and hydrocarbons in chondrichthyans of the western Arabian Gulf: Environmental and human health risk assessment and implications for conservation.

This is a first attempt to assess the levels of trace elements, PAHs, and TPHs in six elasmobranch species (Carcharhinus dussumieri, C. sorrah, Chiloscyllium arabicum, Gymnura poecilura, Sphyrna lewini, S. mokarran) from the Arabian Gulf.

Economic losses related to the reduction of Posidonia ecosystem services in the Gulf of Gabes (Southern Mediterranean Sea).

In the early XXth century, the Gulf of Gabes in SE Tunisia used to host the most extended Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Mediterranean basin and was a highly productive hotspot of benthic species. Since the 70's, >500 million t of wet toxic phosphogypsum discharges from a fertilizer industrial complex have led to the gradual loss of ∼90 % of its initial surface. This drastic shrinkage is accompanied by significant value losses originated from the direct and indirect-use services of which the most important ones are small scale fisheries and carbon storage function.

PET plastics as a Trojan horse for radionuclides.

Mismanaged plastic waste interacts with secondary environmental pollutants, potentially aggravating their impact on ecosystems and human health. Here we characterized the natural and artificial radionuclides in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles collected from the industrial littoral discharge of a phosphate fertilizer plant. The activity concentrations in littered bottles ranged from 0.

Seasonal patterns of microplastics in surface sediments of a Mediterranean lagoon heavily impacted by human activities (Bizerte lagoon, Northern Tunisia).

In this paper, we investigated seasonal variations in concentrations of microplastics (MPs) in surface sediments of a lagoon heavily impacted by human activities, located in northern Tunisia (the Bizerte lagoon, southern Mediterranean Sea). Analyses of 112 sediment samples collected from 28 stations between May 2019 and February 2020 revealed significant seasonal variation in concentrations of total MPs, with the highest levels recorded in August 2019 (109.6 ± 59.

Rare earth elements characterization associated to the phosphate fertilizer plants of Gabes (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea): Geochemical properties and behavior, related economic losses, and potential hazards.

This is the first study on the behavior and industrial fluxes of rare earth elements (REE) in the coastal fertilizer plants of Gabes (south-eastern Tunisia), the economic losses related to their wastes, and their environmental and human health hazards. The concentrations of 16 REE were assessed in phosphate rock (PR), phosphogypsum (PG) and phosphogypsum foam (PGF) samples, collected from Gabes plants. REE concentrations ranged from 0.

Surface sediment enrichment with trace metals in a heavily human-impacted lagoon (Bizerte Lagoon, Southern Mediterranean Sea): Spatial distribution, ecological risk assessment, and implications for environmental protection.

Although several studies previously assessed the contents of trace metals in the sediments of the heavily human-impacted lagoon of Bizerte (northern Tunisia), multi-analytical approaches have not been, so far, used to assess the ecological risks in this water body. This study attempts to provide a comprehensive ecological risk assessment related to the enrichment of the lagoon sediments with seven metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn). Significant spatial variations were found in the metal concentrations in sediments, in relation to the degree of coastal human activities and hydrodynamics.

Strengths and weaknesses in the long-term sustainability of two sympatric seabreams (Argyrops spinifer and Rhabdosargus haffara, Sparidae).

Argyrops spinifer and Rhabdosargus haffara are two sympatric seabream species making important contributions to fisheries landings in the western Arabian/Persian Gulf. We identified the strengths and weaknesses in the long-term sustainability of A. spinifer and R.

Long-term ecological changes in fishes and macro-invertebrates in the world's warmest coral reefs.

The Arabian Gulf is a natural laboratory for examining the consequences of large-scale disturbances due to global warming on coral reef ecosystems because of its extreme temperature regime. Using a coral reef monitoring time series extending from 1985 to 2015, we examined the long-term ecological changes in fish and macro-invertebrate communities as these habitats suffered heat shocks. We used a GLMM modelling framework to obtain clean annual signals in community indicators from noisy data.

Characterization of microplastics in the surface waters of an urban lagoon (Bizerte lagoon, Southern Mediterranean Sea): Composition, density, distribution, and influence of environmental factors.

Compared to open sea environments, there is still limited knowledge about microplastic levels in semi-enclosed systems such as coastal lagoons. This work aims to assess the levels of MPs in the waters of an urban lagoon (Bizerte lagoon, northern Tunisia) and to study the effects of environmental factors on their distribution and abundance. Average concentration of total MPs was found to be 453.

Microplastics in edible mussels from a southern Mediterranean lagoon: Preliminary results on seawater-mussel transfer and implications for environmental protection and seafood safety.

This study assesses the microplastics (MPs) levels in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and seawater from a southern Mediterranean lagoon (Bizerte lagoon, Northern Tunisia) and discusses the potential effects of its consumption on human health. Polyethylene was the most abundant in mussels and seawater, followed by polypropylene and cellophane. The lowest and highest average MPs concentrations were recorded in the lagoon channel and southern area of the lagoon, respectively, for both mussels (2.

Economic impact of human-induced shrinkage of Posidonia oceanica meadows on coastal fisheries in the Gabes Gulf (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea).

In early XXth century, the Gulf of Gabes (SE Tunisia) used to host the most extended Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Mediterranean Sea, and a highly productive hotspot of benthic/demersal biodiversity. Sponge harvesting and seabed trawling provoked a first step of seagrass degradation. Subsequently, phosphogypsum releases from Gabes Industrial Complex, since mid-1970s, accelerated the decline of the remaining patches.

Anthropogenic-induced acceleration of elemental burial rates in blue carbon repositories of the Arabian Gulf.

Along the past century, the Arabian Gulf has experienced a continuous and fast coastal development leading to increase the human pressures on the marine environment. The present study attempts to describe the historical changes of trace elements in the sediments of vegetated coastal habitats in the western Arabian Gulf. Pb-dated sediment cores collected from seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh habitats were analyzed to evaluate historical variations in concentrations and burial rates of 20 trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sr, V and Zn).

DNA barcoding of marine fishes from Saudi Arabian waters of the Gulf.

We used the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (coI) gene DNA to barcode 117 endemic Gulf and cosmopolitan Indo-West Pacific fish species belonging to 54 families and 13 orders. Novel DNA barcodes were provided for 18 fish species (Trachinocephalus sp., Nematalosa sp.

Natural radioactivity and radiation hazard assessment of industrial wastes from the coastal phosphate treatment plants of Gabes (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea).

This work is a first contribution to the knowledge of natural radionuclides (Ra, U, K, and Th) activities in phosphate rock (NORM), phosphogypsum, and phosphogypsum foam (TENORM) from the coastal fertilizer plants of Gabes (Southeastern Tunisia) and the assessment of their radiation hazards on human health and the surrounding environment. In the three studied materials, activities were found to be in the range of 35.4 (K)-375.

Life history traits and temporal trends of abundance of the orange-spotted trevally (Carangoides bajad) from Saudi waters of the Gulf.

In this study we lay the groundwork for sustainability-oriented fisheries management, by estimating parameters the life history of orange-spotted trevally Carangoides bajad as well as trends of abundance in coral-reef habitats. We observed a new record of maximum size of 720 mm fork length. Carangoides bajad is a moderately long-lived (14 years) and slow-growing (K = 0.

Association to vegetated habitats and different vulnerability to habitat degradation for two fish species, Epinephelus areolatus (Serranidae) and Siganus canaliculatus (Siganidae), from the western Arabian Gulf.

Epinephelus areolatus and Siganus canaliculatus are two species of fisheries importance associated with vegetated habitats, which are in turn threatened by human activities such as land filling. We tested their associations with vegetated habitats in the Arabian Gulf and examined essential life history traits to infer their vulnerability to the degradation of vegetated habitats. Epinephelus areolatus is found to be more abundant at deeper offshore vegetated habitats, while S.

Accelerated burial of petroleum hydrocarbons in Arabian Gulf blue carbon repositories.

Massive consumption of petroleum since the past century has led to considerable emissions into marine ecosystems. Marine sediments may accumulate substantial quantities of petroleum and associated contaminants in oil-producing areas. Here, we report accelerated accumulation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in 'blue carbon' vegetated ecosystems of the Arabian Gulf - the world's most important region for oil production.

Characterization of the role of phosphogypsum foam in the transport of metals and radionuclides in the Southern Mediterranean Sea.

The Gabes Gulf had received huge quantities of phosphogypsum discharged from fertilizer plants. Dumping phosphogypsum in coastal waters leads to the formation of foam layers which can float on the surface and be passively transported to distant areas. This is the first attempt at geochemical and mineralogical characterization of these industrial foams in order to understand their role in the dynamic and behavior of contaminants in marine environment.