To track the long term bioaccumulation of (137)Cs in marine organisms off the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada, we developed a time dependent bioaccumulation model for (137)Cs in a marine mammalian food web that included fish-eating resident killer whales. The model outcomes show that (137)Cs can be expected to gradually bioaccumulate in the food web over time as demonstrated by the increase o...

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation—especially UV-B radiation—can have detrimental effects on marine larvae and elicit behavioral changes in many adult marine organisms. Although there has been a considerable amount of research on chromatophores in marine organisms, little is known about the relationship between cephalopod chromatophores and exposure to UV-B radiation. This study investigates the effect...

The extreme 2010-2011 wet season resulted in highly elevated Burdekin River discharge into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon for a period of 200 days, resulting in a large flood plume extending >50km offshore and >100km north during peak conditions. Export of suspended sediment was dominated by clay and fine silt fractions and most sediment initially settled within ∼10km of the river mouth. Biologi...

The marine environment is known as a rich source of chemical structures with numerous beneficial health effects. Among marine organisms, marine algae have been identified as an under-exploited plant resource, although they have long been recognized as valuable sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. Presently, several lines of studies have provided insight into biological activitie...

Olav Rune Godø1*, Nils Olav Handegard1, Howard I. Browman1, Gavin J. Macaulay1, Stein Kaartvedt2, Jarl Giske3, Egil Ona1, Geir Huse1, and Espen Johnsen1 Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia University of Bergen, PO Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway *Corresponding author: tel: +47 55238500; fax...

The ocean is tremendously diverse and species-rich. It is the home of countless organisms living in very different ecosystems. Fish are a key component of marine biotic communities. Fish is highly nutritious, tasty and easily digestive. It is much sought after by a broad cross-section of the world’s population particularly in developing countries. Monitoring the quality of fish is essential for...

Natural products have been regarded as important sources that could produce potential chemotherapeutic agents. In the search for new bioactive entities, investigations were expanded to marine habitats. Mankind has known for the last several thousand years that marine organisms contain substances capable of potent biological activity. However, the first serious investigation of marine organisms ...

Surface sediment samples were analyzed for organotins namely tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin and monobutyltin from six areas located in the Gulf of Ca ́diz (14 stations), Spain. The total butyltin ranged between undetected and 1,580 ng Sn g. TBT generally prevailed in most of the samples, suggesting fresh inputs of butyltin compounds and/or less degradation of TBT. The observed levels of butyltins...

The California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), a temperate marine region dominated by episodic upwelling, is predicted to experience rapid environmental change in the future due to ocean acidification. The aragonite saturation state within the California Current System is predicted to decrease in the future with near-permanent undersaturation conditions expected by the year 2050. Thus, ...

Biodiversity in the marine environment exceeds that of the terrestrial environment. But exploration of marine natural products is still in the infant stage. Among the diverse bioactive compounds which are discovered from marine organisms, sponges have been assigned a high priority as they have been accepted as a promising organism for the discovery of pharmacologically active drug leads. Marine...