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Identifying trophic status shift and developing nutrient criteria were considered important for controlling coastal eutrophication. Based on data from 1980 to 2018, we used sequential t -test analysis of regime shifts and assessment of coastal trophic status models to detect regime shifts in trophic status in Bohai Bay (China). We identified four distinct periods: unimpaired (1980–1984), minimally impacted (1985–1994), tipping point (1995–1999) and severely degraded (2000–2018). Using the reference conditions at different trophic status, a frequency distribution analysis was performed to develop candidate nutrient criteria. By considering other factors, such as the quantity and quality of data and long-term nutrient variations, we determined recommended criteria for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (15.3 μmol L−1) and phosphorus (0.42 μmol L−1) in Bohai Bay. This study provides a novel and feasible approach to determine reference conditions for the determination of nutrient criteria for coastal waters. Regime shift in trophic status of Bohai Bay during different time periods. [Display omitted] • Four distinct periods of trophic status were identified in Bohai Bay in the past four decades. • The reference conditions were determined based on the combined results of STARS and ASSETS models. • The regionally specific nutrient criteria were developed for Bohai Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of OPEs were investigated. • Total OPE concentrations decreased by 67–70% in waters after the COVID-19 outbreak. • OPEs released from masks were insufficient to increase their concentrations in water. • Spatial distribution of OPEs was affected by riverine inputs & coastal engineering. • TCEP, TNBP, and BDP showed potential ecological risks to aquatic organisms. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a group of synthetic chemicals used in numerous consumer products such as plastics and furniture. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly slowed anthropogenic activities and reduced the emissions of pollutants. Meanwhile, the mismanagement of large quantities of disposable plastic facemasks intensified the problems of plastic pollution and leachable pollutants in coastal waters. In this study, the joint effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the occurrence of 12 targeted OPEs in the waters of Laizhou Bay (LZB) were investigated. The results showed that the median total OPE concentrations were 725, 363, and 109 ng L−1 in the sewage treatment plant effluent, river water, and bay water in 2021, decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by 67%, 68%, and 70%, respectively, compared with those before the COVID-19 outbreak. The release potential of targeted OPEs from disposable surgical masks in the LZB area was ∼0.24 kg yr−1, which was insufficient to increase the OPE concentration in the LZB waters. The concentrations of most individual OPEs significantly decreased in LZB waters from 2019 to 2021, except for TBOEP and TNBP. Spatially, a lower concentration of OPEs was found in the Yellow River estuary area in 2021 compared with that before the COVID-19 pandemic due to the high content of suspended particulate matter in the YR. A higher total OPE concentration was observed along the northeastern coast of LZB, mainly owing to the construction of an artificial island since 2020. The ecological risks of the OPE mixture in LZB waters were lower than those before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, TCEP, TNBP, and BDP should receive continuous attention because of their potential ecological risks to aquatic organisms. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PPCPs decreased gradually in detection rates and levels from rivers to coastal seas. • Amoxicillin and p-hydroxybenzoic acid accounted for over 50% of the total PPCPs. • Southeastern waters outside the yangtze estuary had higher PPCP concentrations. • PPCP mixtures posed medium to high risks to different aquatic organisms. • Priority PPCPs with high ecological risks were identified. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have captured global concern due to their detrimental effects on aquatic organisms. Thirty PPCPs were analyzed in the water of the Jiaozhou Bay watershed, the Yellow Sea (YS) and the East China Sea (ECS) in China to investigate the distribution and risk of PPCPs from rivers to coastal seas, which are not yet well documented. The results showed the prevalence of the target PPCPs with a downward trend in detection frequencies and total concentrations from rivers (675 ng/L on average) to bay (166 ng/L) and to coastal seas (103 ng/L). Antibiotics and personal care products (PCPs) were dominated by amoxicillin (AMOX) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, respectively, while the dominant estrogens were inconsistent in different regions. Spatially, the total PPCP concentrations were higher in the ECS than that in the YS due to the larger quantity of sewage flowing into the ECS. Additionally, higher total PPCP concentrations were appeared in the southeastern waters outside the Yangtze estuary and Hangzhou Bay of the ECS. The PPCP mixtures might pose medium to high risk to aquatic organisms in general. The total risk quotient (RQ T) of antibiotics and PCPs to algae was higher than that to crustacean and fish, while estrogens may cause the greatest damage to fish. Despite the higher PPCP concentrations in river water than in seawater, the RQ T of PPCPs in bay water was generally higher than that in river water, which may be associated with the susceptibility of marine organisms. Furthermore, the high-risk pollutants that need special concern in different regions were clarified, showing that AMOX, 17ß-estradiol, and estriol deserve the highest-priority in rivers, bay, and coastal waters, respectively. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrients play a major role in sustaining marine ecosystems. However, in the past few decades, nutrient inputs from land have significantly changed worldwide, resulting in the variations in nutrient concentrations and compositions in marginal seas. Based on historical data, the long-term variation patterns of nutrients and its compositions, as well as its potential influencing factors, were presented in the southern Yellow Sea. The concentrations of NO 3 -N and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the southern Yellow Sea have been continuously increasing from the 1980s, with a most rapid increase after the mid-1990s. While the concentrations of SiO 3 -Si and PO 4 -P generally exhibited a decreasing trend before the mid-1990s, and then gradually increased. The N/P ratio has been continuously increasing from the 1980s and run up to a level of >16 at the end of the last century. The Si/N ratio decreased rapidly from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s and then maintained a low level of ~1 at the end of the last century and at the beginning of this century. Similar to the variation of SiO 3 -Si, the Si/P ratio decreased from the 1970s to the mid-1990s and then started to increase gradually. There was an evolution trend from N limitation to P and Si limitation in the southern Yellow Sea. The variations in the concentrations of nutrients were related to the variations of the riverine flux and atmospheric deposition, and especially the long-term variations of PO 4 -P and SiO 3 -Si concentrations were both consistent with the variation of precipitation. In addition, the nutrient transport from the Kuroshio Subsurface Water to the continental shelf, in combination with the cultural eutrophication in the coastal zones, may also influence the nutrient levels in the southern Yellow Sea under the global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the previous decade, neonicotinoids (NEOs) and fipronil (FIP) have received increasing attention as environmental pollutants because the high toxicity of these insecticides to nontarget arthropods has been recognized. In this study, a new method was developed for the simultaneous determination of seven NEOs and FIP and its metabolites (FIPs) in seawater and river water samples using disk-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). The optimization of disk-based SPE extraction and HPLC separation parameters of target analytes was investigated. Under optimal conditions, the low limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 11 target analytes in actual water samples ranged from 0.05 ng/L to 0.50 ng/L. Satisfactory absolute recoveries (58.9%–109.9%), precision (relative standard deviations, ≤13.3%), and linearity (R 2 ≥ 0.995) were also achieved, thereby indicating that the developed method would be suitable to determine the target NEOs and FIPs in seawater and river water. Finally, the proposed method was applied to determine the amounts of these insecticides in authentic environmental water samples collected from Jiaozhou Bay, China, and its adjacent rivers. Nitenpyram, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, clothianidin, and acetamiprid were detected, as well as FIPs in seawater and river water samples. This study is the first to report that NEOs and FIPs are detected in the coastal seawater. The total concentration of these insecticides ranged from ≤LOD to 11.19 ng/L, which indicates that these pesticides are eventually discharged into the marine environment. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the temporal spatial distribution, migration and transformation, environmental fate, and bioavailability of these pesticides in further studies. Image 1 • SPE disk had favorablerecoveries for simultaneous enrichment of trace NEOs and FIPs. • A reliable analytical method was developed for NEOs and FIPs in water samples. • Several NEOs, FIP, and its metabolites were detected in Jiaozhou Bay coastal water. • The analysis of NEOs and FIPs in seawater was reported for the first time. • More attention has to be focused on environmental risks of the coastal area posed by NEOs and FIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Historical evolution of coastal eutrophication in China exhibited two periods. • Nutrient composition and stoichiometry in coastal waters were significantly changed. • Increased N and P are mainly from river input, atmosphere deposition and SGD. • Changed nutrients have resulted in distinctly varied harmful algal blooms. • Eutrophication combined with climate change continually impact coastal ecosystems. Eutrophication in coastal waters caused by excess nutrient inputs has occurred widely on a global scale. Due to the rapid economic development over the last four decades, most of the Chinese coastal waters have experienced a eutrophic process. Major observed trends of coastal eutrophication include two periods, a slow development from the 1970s to 1990s and a fast development after 2000, with major contributions of increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from river inputs, atmospheric deposition, and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Nutrient composition and stoichiometry have been significantly changed, including increased ammonium, bioavailable organic N and P, and asymmetric ratios between N, P and silicate (Si). Most of these changes were related to the rapid increases in population density, fertilizer application, sewage discharge, aquaculture and fossil fuel combustion, and have resulted in distinctly increased harmful algal blooms. Coastal eutrophication combined with the effects of climate change is projected to continually grow in coming decades. Targeted research is therefore needed on nitrogen reduction and control, potential adaptation strategies and the consequences for ecosystems and economic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]