Marine environments represent an underexplored source for numerous biotechnological applications. Of particular interest are organisms that can provide various valuable molecules and are potential candidates for bioremediation strategies. Fungi, algae, bacteria, yeasts, and sponges are some unique resources in marine ecosystems. But these must be preserved and protected from irreversible damage. Sustainable exploitation through farming systems is the alternative to prevent pressure on harvesting wild marine organisms. Written by an international team of experts, this book provides a broad overview of the possible approaches and technologies that can be applied in bioremediation processes and the possibilities to add value to the biomass produced. It provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of current research and practice in bioremediation technology and bio-based materials. New processing technologies, and recent technical advances in molecular biology such as gene mining, omics techniques, and metabolic engineering are highlighted. The exciting possibilities that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of the biotechnology industry are also approached. The multidisciplinary nature of this book makes it of interest to a wide range of readers, including researchers, students, consulting professionals, engineers, governmental entities, and institutions working in environmental biotechnology, pollution control and prevention, and chemical processes.

Marine environments represent an underexplored source for numerous biotechnological applications. Of particular interest are organisms that can provide various valuable molecules and are potential candidates for bioremediation strategies. Fungi, algae, bacteria, yeasts, and sponges are some unique resources in marine ecosystems. But these must be preserved and protected from irreversible damage. Sustainable exploitation through farming systems is the alternative to prevent pressure on harvesting wild marine organisms. Written by an international team of experts, this book provides a broad overview of the possible approaches and technologies that can be applied in bioremediation processes and the possibilities to add value to the biomass produced. It provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of current research and practice in bioremediation technology and bio-based materials. New processing technologies, and recent technical advances in molecular biology such as gene mining, omics techniques, and metabolic engineering are highlighted. The exciting possibilities that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of the biotechnology industry are also approached. The multidisciplinary nature of this book makes it of interest to a wide range of readers, including researchers, students, consulting professionals, engineers, governmental entities, and institutions working in environmental biotechnology, pollution control and prevention, and chemical processes.

Marine debris is a global pollution problem affecting marine life, maritime commerce and environmental quality. Scientists, policymakers and the public must be knowledgeable about the source, impact and control efforts if effective solutions are to be developed. Marine Debris addresses the origin of persistent solid waste in the ocean, from urban and rural discharges to waste from ships and the recreational use of oceans. The book identifies key issues from biological, technological, economic and legal perspectives, and gives a framework for controlling each of the main sources of marine debris.

Pollution of estuaries and coastal marine waters is of profound ecological and societal importance. These coastal environments serve as critical habitat for a multitude of organisms and are of great commercial and recreational value to humans. Designed to meet the research, monitoring, and assessment needs of scientists, administrators, planners, and managers, Pollution Impacts on Marine Biotic Communities is a uniquely comprehensive reference covering pollution in coastal marine and estuarine waters. The book provides a detailed look at the short- and long-term impacts of pollutants on these ecologically important regions. Case studies that reflect a broad range of pollution problems are analyzed, outlining the real-life issues and providing solutions to common problems. Despite being highly sensitive systems, estuarine and coastal marine environments have served as repositories for dredge spoils, sewage sludge, and industrial and municipal effluents for many decades. The adverse effects of these pollutants are only now being fully realized and understood. Pollution Impacts on Marine Biotic Communities includes a basic introduction to the subject of pollution in estuarine and marine environments and also a detailed examination of specific marine pollutants. Both the coverage and the format - which includes abundant illustrations and tables - make this book a valuable reference for scientists, administrators, and students engaged in coastal research and planning.

Marine environment is the largest habitat covering approximately 70% of the total earth surface. Oceans are the main regulatory agent of earth’s climate and harbour a huge diversity of living organisms. Marine environment provide a unique ecological niche to different microbes which play a significant role in nutrient recycling as well as various environmental activities. However with rapid industrialization, urbanisation, ship trafficking and mining activities enormous amounts of waste including heavy metals, hydrocarbons, chemicals, dyes, organic load, agriculture waste, pesticides, antifoulants (e.g. tributyltin) and bacterial pathogens have accumulated in marine/estuarine environments over several decades and pose a serious threat to marine macro and micro biota and humans and therefore require special attention. However some natural marine microbes are known to possess diverse resistance mechanisms and degradation pathways to variety of toxic pollutants and these unique characteristics of marine/estuarine bacteria proved to be an ideal tool in bioremediation of contaminated marine and estuarine environmental sites. Reclamation of marine polluted environments using marine microbes has been found to be effective, affordable and ecofriendly technological solution over conventional physical and chemical methods. Objective of this book is focus on marine pollution and application of marine microorganisms in cost effective and ecofriendly methods of pollution abatement.

This book brings together the state of our knowledge on the interactions between climate change and marine biota. It focusses broadly on the environmental stressors during the Anthropocene period; when human activities started to have a significant global impact on earth's geological imprint and ecosystems. This period of rapid change is accompanied by rising carbon dioxide levels, increasing global temperatures, loss of oxygen in aquatic systems, and the fast release of pollutants into the environment among many other environmental stressors originating from large scale human activities, such as widespread overfishing.The Future of Marine Life in a Changing Ocean starts by providing the reader with a brief background on fundamental concepts in ocean science and climate. It then moves on to a brief description of recent changes in marine chemistry such as ocean acidification, a decline in oxygen levels in the oceans, ocean warming, and marine pollution, with some examples of shifts in ecosystem diversity. The chapters discuss these topics in the context of how a changing ocean impacts ecosystem health, the biological carbon pump, the sequestration of carbon dioxide from the surface ocean into the deep sea, and the perceived notion of the ocean's unlimited resilience to maintain its role as a 'carbon reservoir'. Topics include threats to marine diversity, ecosystem function, latitudinal shifts in productivity and diversity, and changes in global cycling of elements such as carbon. It concludes with an analysis of the impact of climate change on food security.Written for undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers in the natural and social sciences, this book provides a science background to study environmental change in marine ecosystems as well as a science framework to study policy, marine law and the economics of climate change. This book is an essential read for anyone hoping to understand key challenges facing our oceans.

While oceans are vast, they represent a fragile resource that must be protected if we want to protect our livelihoods and our planet. Marine pollution has been a topic of concern for a long time, and it has recently attracted the attention of scientists, environmentalists, economists, politicians and journalists in mainstream media. Besides providing food, transportation routes and other resources, the oceans serve as a heat absorbing sink which offsets the extreme heating effects of climate change, but only to a limited degree. Pollution in marine environments such as the oceans, poses a threat to coastal communities by affecting the fauna and flora in the environment and the health of the nearby population. This has a disruptive effect on the health and economy of these communities. Marine Pollution: Current Status, Impacts and Remedies emphasizes the limitations of marine resources that relevant environments provide. Readers will find chapters on methods to assess pollution as well as important information for identifying, measuring, and remediating various pollutants. The book also covers some known pollutants (heavy metals, organic pollutants, microplastics) and ways to manage these substances. Other issues covered in the book include problems caused by invasive species, and the ecological problems caused by pollutants which affect local fauna and flora. This book will prove to be a useful resource for students, researchers, and policymakers, who are working in environmental science, marine conservation and allied fields. [Series Intro] Marine Ecology: Current and Future Developments brings forth contemporary issues in the study of marine environments. The scope of the series includes ecological, toxicological and biological aspects of the topic. Each volume of the series focuses on a broad theme, with reviews contributed by several experts in the field. The series is essential reading for environmental scientists, ecologists, conservationists and marine biologists.

As a society, we use more than 100,000 different industrial compounds to promote health and treat disease, to grow food and to access clean water. While technological developments have improved our lives, most of these compounds end up in our oceans where they threaten marine life and human health. The practice of ocean waste disposal has had a long history and was initially believed to have minimal associated costs. However, it is now clear that although we can use the oceans for cheap waste treatment, we do this at the expense of the other key benefits we derive from the sea, notably human food supplies as well as its aesthetic value (including opportunities for recreation and tourism). Many of the pollution problems of previous decades appear to have been solved in the developed world, or at least managed to minimise their environmental impacts. However, despite treatment being available for some waste products, a potent mixture of toxic compounds and other potentially harmful additions continue to enter the marine environment every day. So, have the problems of marine pollution really been solved or have we simply generated a suite of different and potentially more complex challenges? In this volume we consider marine pollution from the perspective of the historical problems that are now successfully managed or solved, the ongoing problems and the emerging challenges that we face. These include hormone mimics, the residues from pharmaceuticals, nanometre-sized particles added to new materials, the millimetric plastics added to shampoos and cosmetics, the artificial fibres in the clothes we wear, and the noise and light pollution from our expanding industries and cities. Marine Pollution is aimed at senior undergraduates, masters and graduate level students studying marine sciences. It will also serve as a useful reference for researchers and professionals working in the fields of environmental management, marine planning, marine environmental regulation and protection, as well as those working for government departments, environmental NGOs and marine environmental consultancies.