Sources, pathways, and abatement strategies of macroplastic pollution: an interdisciplinary approach for the southern North Sea

The issue of marine plastic pollution has been extensively studied by various scientific disciplines in recent decades due to its global threat. However, owing to its complexity, it requires an interdisciplinary approach to develop effective management strategies. The multidisciplinary scientific approach presented here focuses on understanding the sources and pathways of macroplastic litter and developing abatement strategies in the southern North Sea region. Over 2.5 years, more than 63,400 biodegradable wooden drifters were deployed with the help of citizen science to study the sources, pathways, and accumulation areas of floating marine litter. Rivers act as sinks of most of the floating marine litter released within their waterways. Short-term field experiments were also conducted to analyse the hydrodynamic and atmospheric processes that govern the transport of floating litter particles at the sea surface. Numerical models were used to examine the transport of virtual litter particles in the entire North Sea and in coastal regions. It was found that there are no permanent accumulation areas in the North Sea, and the Skagerrak and fronts can increase the residence times of floating marine litter and favour sinking. Field surveys revealed that the majority of litter objects originate from fisheries and consumer waste. To develop effective abatement strategies, the key stakeholder landscape was analysed on a regional level. The interdisciplinary approach developed in this study highlights the importance of synergizing scientific resources from multiple disciplines for a better understanding of marine plastic pollution and the development of effective management strategies

Visible light photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol with a coke-containing titanium dioxide photocatalyst

Photocatalysts based on titanium dioxide have been prepared by a modified sol–gel process using different alkoxide precur- sors. Depending on the precursor and the calcination temperature of the gels, carbon-containing catalysts with large surface areas, capable to photodegrade p -chlorophenol (4CP) with visible light ( λ> 400 nm), have been obtained. Photodegradation and mineralisation were confirmed by HPLC and TOC measurements. The catalysts were characterised by physisorption of argon, elemental analysis, EPR, UV/VIS, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), FT-IR and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). A highly condensed, carbonaceous species formed during calcination is responsible for the photosen- sitisation. When used as a photoelectrode, the appearance of a photocurrent indicated the semiconductor nature of these novel materials. The catalysts exhibit a surprisingly good long-time stability despite of the carbonaceous nature of the sensitising species. It is also shown, that commercially available TiO 2 can be photosensitised by impregnation with suitable alcohols followed by pyrolysis

Distribution and characteristics of marine habitats in a subpolar bay based on hydroacoustics and bed shear stress estimates - Potter Cove, King George Island, Antarctica

Marine habitats worldwide are increasingly pressurized by climate change, especially along the Antarctic Peninsula. Well-studied areas in front of rapidly retreating tidewater glaciers like Potter Cove are representative for similar coastal environments and, therefore, shed light on habitat formation and development on not only a local but also regional scale. The objective of this study was to provide insights into habitat distribution in Potter Cove, King George Island, Antarctica, and to evaluate the associated environmental processes. Furthermore, an assessment concerning the future development of the habitats is provided. To describe the seafloor habitats in Potter Cove, an acoustic seabed discrimination system (RoxAnn) was used in combination with underwater video images and sediment samples. Due to the absence of wave and current measurements in the study area, bed shear stress estimates served to delineate zones prone to sediment erosion. On the basis of the investigations, two habitat classes were identified in Potter Cove, namely soft-sediment and stone habitats that, besides influences from sediment supply and coastal morphology, are controlled by sediment erosion. A future expansion of the stone habitat is predicted if recent environmental change trends continue. Possible implications for the Potter Cove environment, and other coastal ecosystems under similar pressure, include changes in biomass and species composition

Identification of the one-quadrupole phonon21,ms+state of 204 Hg

One-phonon states of vibrational nuclei with mixed proton–neutron symmetry have been observed throughout the nuclear chart besides the mass A ≈ 200 region. Very recently, it has been proposed that the 2+2 state of ²¹²Po is of isovector nature. This nucleus has two valence protons and two valence neutrons outside the doubly-magic ²⁰⁸Pb nucleus. The stable isotope ²⁰⁴Hg, featuring two valence-proton and valence-neutron holes, with respect to ²⁰⁸Pb, is the particle-hole mirror of ²¹²Po. In order to compare the properties of low-lying isovector excitations in these particle-hole mirror nuclei, we have studied ²⁰⁴Hg by using the projectile Coulomb-excitation technique. The measured absolute B(M1; 2+2 → 2+1 )strength of 0.20 (2)μ2 N indicates that the 2+2 level of ²⁰⁴Hg is at least the main fragment of the 2+1,ms state. For the first time in this mass region, both lowest-lying, one-quadrupole phonon excitations are established together with the complete set of their decay strengths. This allows for a microscopic description of their structures, achieved in the framework of the Quasi-particle Phonon Model