The interactions of plastic with tar and other petroleum derivatives in the marine environment: A general perspective.

Plastic and oil pollution are closely linked to our dependence on petroleum derivatives. Their excessive use and inefficiencies in their management, have led to negative impacts on marine ecosystems since their very introduction. Agglomerates of tar, plastic, paraffins, and other petrochemicals and oil derivatives with naturally occurring materials, are increasingly widespread in coastal environments, stalling as an iconic and readable sign of environmental degradation. Starting from a historical review of the available reports on the occurrence of similar aggregates dating back to 1971, we highlight how most of these observations are based on the morphological description of the petroleum residues with no chemical fingerprinting and are mainly related to materials stranded on the coastline, with few and unclear indications for the open sea. We discuss here a list of scientific questions and knowledge gaps, that need to be examined by future studies.

Monte Carlo techniques for in-situ specific activity estimation of radionuclides with a portable coaxial HPGe: preliminary results.

In this work, gamma-ray spectrometry with HPGe detectors is used to measure radionuclides' specific activity (Asp) in soils. The main purpose of the paper is to present a general procedure to assess Asp in soils from in-situ acquisitions. The soil from two experimental sites was analyzed both in the field, with a portable HPGe detector, and in the laboratory, with a BEGe detector. Sample analysis in the laboratory provided a benchmark for the values of soil's Asp since it is easier to measure. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to obtain detectors' efficiency at different gamma-ray energies and allowed to assess radionuclides' Asp from in-situ acquisitions. Finally, the applicability and limitations of this procedure are discussed.

Low-background gamma spectrometry and neutron diffraction in the study of stony meteorites.

Non-destructive characterisation of meteorites is here performed on a stony meteorite. The identification of the sample is performed by low-background γ-ray spectrometry in order to determine the presence of certain cosmogenic radionuclides, whereas a mineralogical phase quantitative analysis is carried out by Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction (ToF-ND) on the sample as-it-is. The protocol is then validated by applying micro-Raman Spectroscopy (µRS) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). This paper is focused on γ-ray spectrometry, proving the meteoric origin of the sample, and it also presents some preliminary results of ToF-ND.

First detection of microplastics in reef-building corals from a Maldivian atoll.

The presence of microplastics in the world's oceans and their effects on marine habitats are highly concerning. As suspension-feeders, corals are very exposed to microplastics, compromising the health of coral reef ecosystems. In this study we surveyed for the first time the presence of microplastics in Maldivian reef-building corals. Aiming to determine the influence of exposure and depth on microplastic distribution, analyses were carried out on 38 individuals belonging to three different species. 58% of the investigated colonies resulted contaminated with particles within the 25-150 µm size range. The maximum concentration was encountered in a Pocillopora verrucosa colony sampled from a shallow inner reef (8.9 particles/g of coral). No significant differences in microplastic concentration were observed between different depths, exposures, sites and species. Overall, this study confirmed microplastic presence in coral reefs of the Maldivian archipelago including foundation species.

Phthalates bioconcentration in the soft corals: Inter- and intra- species differences and ecological aspects.

The bioconcentration of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) diethyl phthalate (DEP) dibutyl phthalate (DBP) butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), di-(2-ethy hexyl) phthalates (DEHP), mono-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-(2-ethy hexyl) phthalate (MEHP) in the soft corals Coelogorgia palmosa, Sinularia sp., Sarcophyton glaucum, and Lobophytum sp. was investigated. Specimens were cultured in a microcosm environment built-up at the Genova Aquarium and analyses were carried out by in vivo SPME-LC-MS/MS. The distributions of the phthalates among the four surveyed species resulted significantly different. Calculated bioconcentration factors (BCFs) showed values spanning over two orders of magnitude, from a minimum of log10 BCFDEP = 1.0 in Sarcophyton glaucum to a maximum of log10 BCFDBP = 3,9 calculated for Coelogorgia palmosa. Moreover, the calculated BCFs of the long chain phthalates resulted up to three orders of magnitude lower than theoretically predicted (from logKow), whereas BCF of short chain phthalates resulted higher. This, together with the detection of phthalic acid monoesters, suggests the presence of species-specific different metabolic transformation among the surveyed soft coral species that involve DEHP.

Combining Micro-Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy Mapping: A Stony Meteorite Study.

Meteorite characterisation represents a privileged and unique opportunity to increase our knowledge about the materials composing the Universe and, particularly, the Proto Solar System. Moreover, meteorites studies evolve contextually with the development of analytical technologies. In the present paper, the results from an unclassified stony meteorite (chondrite) characterisation have been reported on the basis of the innovative analytical protocol presented here. Advanced Mapping by micro-Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy have been combined to disclose molecular and elemental features on the same regions sample at a micrometric resolution. Thanks to their non-destructive properties, the mapping tools of both instruments have been applied to single chondrules analysis and the best match between the mineralogical information and the chemical composition has been obtained. This combined approach proved to be highly suitable in disclosing the crystallinity features of the phases, with in-depth spatial and morphological details too.

137Cs contamination in the Adamello glacier: Improving the analytical method.

An alpine ice core, extracted from the Adamello glacier (Central Italian Alps), was analyzed in its entire length through low background γ-spectroscopy, for the detection of 137Cs. Our results show that in glacier ice 137Cs is tightly bound to insoluble particulate matter inside the ice core, and it is therefore possible to restrict γ-spectroscopy analysis to particulate matter only. We show how the sensibility of the detection limit can be improved by almost one order of magnitude by using a well-type detector instead of a coaxial one. Hypothesis on the dating of some radioactive layers are also hereby presented.

Author Correction: Cryoconite as a temporary sink for anthropogenic species stored in glaciers.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Cryoconite as a temporary sink for anthropogenic species stored in glaciers.

Cryoconite, the typical sediment found on the surface of glaciers, is mainly known in relation to its role in glacial microbiology and in altering the glacier albedo. But if these aspects are relatively well addressed, the same cannot be said about the geochemical properties of cryoconite and the possible interactions with glacial and peri-glacial environment. Current glacier retreat is responsible for the secondary emission of species deposited in high-altitude regions in the last decades. The role played by cryoconite in relation to such novel geochemical fluxes is largely unknown. Few and scarce observations suggest that it could interact with these processes, accumulating specific substances, but why, how and to what extent remain open questions. Through a multi-disciplinary approach we tried to shed lights. Results reveal that the peculiar composition of cryoconite is responsible for an extreme accumulation capability of this sediment, in particular for some, specific, anthropogenic substances.

A new method based on low background instrumental neutron activation analysis for major, trace and ultra-trace element determination in atmospheric mineral dust from polar ice cores.

Dust found in polar ice core samples present extremely low concentrations, in addition the availability of such samples is usually strictly limited. For these reasons the chemical and physical analysis of polar ice cores is an analytical challenge. In this work a new method based on low background instrumental neutron activation analysis (LB-INAA) for the multi-elemental characterization of the insoluble fraction of dust from polar ice cores is presented. Thanks to an accurate selection of the most proper materials and procedures it was possible to reach unprecedented analytical performances, suitable for ice core analyses. The method was applied to Antarctic ice core samples. Five samples of atmospheric dust (µg size) from ice sections of the Antarctic Talos Dome ice core were prepared and analyzed. A set of 37 elements was quantified, spanning from all the major elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn and Fe) to trace ones, including 10 (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Ho, Tm, Yb and Lu) of the 14 natural occurring lanthanides. The detection limits are in the range of 10(-13)-10(-6) g, improving previous results of 1-3 orders of magnitude depending on the element; uncertainties lies between 4% and 60%.

The medical mystery of Napoleon Bonaparte: an interdisciplinary exposé.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 to 1821) is one of the most studied historical figures in European history. Not surprisingly, amongst the many mysteries still surrounding his person is the cause of his death, and particularly the suspicion that he was poisoned, continue to intrigue medical historians. After the defeat of the Napoleonic Army at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the small island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died 6 years later. Although his personal physician, Dr François Carlo Antommarchi, stated in his autopsy report that stomach cancer was the cause of death, this diagnosis was challenged in 1961 by the finding of an elevated arsenic concentration in one of Napoleon's hair samples. At that time it was suggested that Napoleon had been poisoned by one of his companions in exile who was allegedly supported by the British Government. Since then Napoleon's cause of death continues to be a topic of debate. The aim of this review is to use a multidisciplinary approach to provide a systematic and critical assessment of Napoleon's cause of death.