Characterization of an undocumented CO2 hydrothermal vent system in the Mediterranean Sea: Implications for ocean acidification forecasting.

A previously undocumented shallow water hydrothermal field from Sicily (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) is here described, based on a multidisciplinary investigation. The field, covering an area of nearly 8000 m2 and a depth from the surface to -5 m, was explored in June 2021 to characterise the main physico-chemical features of the water column, describe the bottom topography and features, and identify the main megabenthic and nektonic species. Twenty sites were investigated to characterise the carbonate system.

Potential contamination and health risk assessment of heavy metals in Hurghada coastal sediments, Northwestern Red Sea.

Throughout the year, people flock to the Red Sea's shoreline for tourism and fishing. The current study aims to document heavy metal contamination and human health assessment in 30 surface sediment samples collected along the Hurghada shoreline in Egypt. To estimate sediment contamination, the pollution index (PI), pollution load index (PLI), degree of contamination (Cdeg), and Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) were calculated, while the chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard index (HI), cancer risk (CR), and total lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were determined on both adults and children via ingestion, dermal, and inhalation pathways.

Sanctuaries are not inviolable: Haplosporidium pinnae as responsible for the collapse of the Pinna nobilis population in Lake Faro (central Mediterranean).

The rapid spread of the protozoan Haplosporidium pinnae is having a strong negative effect on Pinna nobilis populations. A case study on a residual population in Lake Faro (Sicily, Central Mediterranean), whose long-term monitoring has revealed a dramatic decline following the 2018-2020 mass mortality event, is presented. In the framework of such monitoring, we performed tissue sampling on nine living P.

Heavy metal pollution in surface sediments and human health assessment in southern Al-Khobar coast, Saudi Arabia.

Surface sediment samples from twenty-nine stations in south Al-Khobar coastline, Arabian Gulf, have been examined to assess the heavy metal contamination and impact on human health through dermal contact. The content in Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Fe, Mn, Co, Hg and Ni, was evaluated. Pollution index, modified degree of contamination, and pollution load index agreed to exclude heavy metal pollution.

A first insight into haemocytes of Pinctada imbricata radiata: A morpho-functional characterization.

The pearl oyster Pinctada imbricata radiata (Leach, 1814), from the Pacific Ocean, was one of the first species to reach via Suez the Mediterranean, colonizing the eastern basin and recently spreading to the western. The species showed to be able to adapt to a wide range of climatic, hydrological, and ecological conditions. Since 2000 it reached the Strait of Messina, where is now infesting the transitional waters of the oriented natural reserve "Laguna di Capo Peloro.

Contamination and health risk assessment of arsenic and chromium in coastal sediments of Al-Khobar area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia.

The contamination and health risks by arsenic and chromium in the Al-Khobar coastal area, Arabian Gulf, have been assessed by examining 29 samples of surface sediment. Several single and complex indices were accounted to assess contamination, while the chronic daily intake (CDI), the hazard index (HI) and the total lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were applied to assess human health. The studied sediments showed absence or low level of As and Cr contamination.

Identification of haemocytes and histological examination of gills of the spiny oyster Spondylus gaederopus (Linnaeus, 1758).

In the framework of investigations aimed to detect new available bioindicators in marine environment, haemolymph cells and ctenidia of the Mediterranean spiny oyster, Spondylus gaederopus, have been investigated. Haemocyte count and characterisation, phagocytosis and superoxide anion production and enzyme activity assays, have been carried out. TEM observations have been performed.

Common patterns of functional and biotic indices in response to multiple stressors in marine harbours ecosystems.

Evaluating the effects of anthropogenic pressure on the marine environment is one of the focal objectives in identifying strategies for its use, conservation and restoration. In this paper, we assessed the effects of chemical pollutants, grain size and plastic litter on functional traits, biodiversity and biotic indices. The study was conducted on the benthic communities of three harbours in the central Mediterranean Sea: Malta, Augusta and Syracuse, subjected to different levels of anthropogenic stress (high, medium and low, respectively).

Mapping toxic mineral contamination: the southern oyster drill, S. haemastoma (L., 1767), as evaluable sentinel species.

The nickel, chromium, arsenic, cadmium, and lead content have been evaluated, by ICP-MS, in digestive gland of the amphiatlantic gastropod Stramonita haemastoma, sampled along the highly anthropized Gulf of Milazzo (Central Mediterranean). Concentrations notably higher than those reported in literature for other Mediterranean Muricidae have been recorded. The results also indicated a different impact in different sites, according to distribution and typology of human activities, whilst recorded seasonal variations might relate with rapid metabolic response.

Are shipwrecks a real hazard for the ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea?

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hazard from shipwrecks on communities by a holistic approach taking into account different effects on biological communities. Multibeam and Remotely Operated Vehicles surveys recorded ecological assessment of fish and benthic species on three shipwrecks flooded during the Second World War on Maërl beds habitats in the strait of Sicily. Pollution levels of a wide range of chemicals of ecotoxicological concern were also measured in sediments and in fish species from different trophic levels.

Ecological assessment of a heavily human-stressed area in the Gulf of Milazzo, Central Mediterranean Sea: an integrated study of biological, physical and chemical indicators.

Marine environmental disturbance can be assessed directly from physical and chemical parameters, or indirectly by the study of indicator species. In this study, an integrated approach to monitor the Gulf of Milazzo, labeled as a highly contaminated site, is presented. A total of 83 samples were collected from hard and soft bottoms in 2010.

Environmental quality assessment of Grand Harbour (Valletta, Maltese Islands): a case study of a busy harbour in the Central Mediterranean Sea.

Contamination levels by plastic debris, trace elements and persistent organic pollutants were assessed and related to macrobenthic diversity within soft bottoms of Grand Harbour (Malta, Central Mediterranean). Sediment toxicity was evaluated by ecotoxicological method, deploying Bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), Echinodermata (Paracentrotus lividus) and Crustacea (Corophium orientale). Univariate analysis (Pearson's test) was used to test relationships between biodiversity indices, pollutants and grain size.