Effect of Pollution on Marine Organisms

Abstract

Papers reviewed herein are limited to the biological, chemical and physical effects of environmental disturbance, natural, and anthropogenic, on marine and estuarine plants and animals. Over 200 papers from the worldwide literature (of several thousand papers) are reviewed with focus on original research reports and reviews published in 2005. The first four sections focus on field and laboratory measurement activities (concentrations of contaminants, field surveys, toxicity testing and biomarker/endocrine distruptor studies). The last ten sections focus further on pollution issues of current interest (vessel and marine coatings, marine debris, oil spills, wastewatern discharges, etc.). A special closing feature is a tabular listing of the body burden of inorganic and organic contaminants in plants and animals. The effects of pollutants on individual species and communities are included. Changes at the cellular and sub cellular level as caused by contaminants are reviewed. This review made extensive use of online searching and sorting methods and the citations heavily rely on the information presented in various search engines. As always, readers should only use this as a guide and must consult the original papers before citing them. We particularly urge caution in citing and double-checking units. The authors are extremely indebted to Mr. Brian Voss, head of the Western Regional Center Library of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Over the past several years Mr. Voss has assembled a major new electronic library system for this NOAA center and has helped bring the new Senior author into the new the new world of electronic search and retrieval. This has allowed access to journals previously difficult to obtain. As a result, we had to be very selective of material. We have much more to learn and hope the samples that follow will serve as worthy introductions to a vast and growing literature on the effects of pollutants in marine environments.