During the recent decades, social, political and academic endeavours have been made to improve environmental quality and reduce pollution. In particular, the ocean, sea and coastal areas show varying degrees of impact from the multiple human activities carried out in the terrestrial as well as in the aquatic environment. Ecology is a science which studies the relationship between organisms and the surrounding environment and in the modern era, the marine world is getting increasing attention. For centuries it has been the final reservoir of human garbage; later it became an oil farm with a concomitant increase of coastal population growth and unplanned growth of the fishing industry and the increasing use of sea routes for cargo transport and recreational uses (cruises). All this led to rising contamination with negative effects on biota and even human health. It is then imperative to know the current situation of the world's oceans: that is the main purpose of this book, to document at a glance the latest research in the field of ocean pollution.

Dr. Andrés Hugo Arias is a researcher, UNEP consultant, member of the Directive Council of the Argentinean Institute of Oceanography (IADO-CONICET) and Teacher at the National South University (Argentina). Group leader, PhD and postdoc supervisor, his area of expertise falls between marine biogeochemistry and ocean monitoring, focusing in the pollution of the marine and coastal environments: Persistent Organic Compounds/Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Assessment. Current editor for Taylor & Francis/CRC Press and international reviewer, have published more than fifty journal articles at international refereed journals and books.

Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Botté, Degree in Biological Sciences and Doctor in Biology (Argentina). Specialist in: marine metal pollution and biogeochemical cycles of elements in marine and terrestrial aquatic environments. Member, advisor and director of different research projects since 1996. A researcher with a workplace since 2000 at the IADO (Argentine Institute of Oceanography) CONICET-UNS. She has more than 60 publications (articles, book chapters, technical reports, etc.) to her credit. She is a teacher since 1996 and Assistant Professor since 2017, in the Department of Biology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy, National University of the South (UNS). Bahía Blanca (8000) Argentina.