Delimitation Of Zones Research Articles

Legal Standards and Dispute Resolution in Exclusive Economic Zone Delimitation: A Critical Analysis of Article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Legal Standards and Dispute Resolution in Exclusive Economic Zone Delimitation: A Critical Analysis of Article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

THE PECULIARITIES IN THE FORMATION OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS CHANNELS CAUSED BY 7.62 MM EXPANSIVE «HPBT» AND «SP» TYPE BULLETS

The aim of the study – to study the peculiarities of wound channel formation, causedby 7.62 mm «HPBT» and «SP» bullets, by means of experimental methods of forensicballistics with the use of human biological tissue simulators.Materials and methods. Experimental investigations were carried out under conditionsof the ballistic route of the National Scientific Center «Hon. Prof. M. S. Bokarius ForensicScience Institute». To determine the velocities of the fired bullets, the optoelectronicmeasuring complexes IBX-731.4 were used. Ballistic plasticine «Beschussmasse,6287156» was used as a simulator of human body tissues. The experimental shooting wascarried out with a TS.M308 model .308 «Winchester» sniper rifle. For the experimentalshooting 7.62 × 51 mm (.308 «Winchester») cartridges were used, which were filled with«SP» and «HPBT» bullets.Results. In the course of experimental shooting, the peculiarities of the formation ofdamage channels caused by 7.62 mm «SP» and «HPBT» bullets were determined. Basedon the results of experimental studies, it has been found that the bullets of these types ofthe same caliber and practically the same mass are able to cause different amounts ofbodily injury, which is primarily due to the peculiarities of the design of the bullets. SPtype bullets with a bare core cause more severe bodily injuries, they are less subject tofragmentation and in most cases retain a relatively heavy bottom part. As a consequence,such bullets are able to cause longer wound channels than other types of expansivebullets. HPBT-type bullets can also cause sufficiently large amounts of bodily injury,but because of their design, they are more prone to fragmentation when hitting thehuman body. In the course of the research it has been established that there are severalperipheral (secondary) channels in the area of the main wound channel. They are formeddue to destruction of the bullet and movement of its separate fragments away from themain direction, which leads to complication of diagnostics and further treatment of suchgunshot wounds.Conclusions. The use of 7.62 × 51 mm (.308 «Winchester») expansive «SP» and «HPBT»type bullets in the course of combat operations for firing modern sniper systems resultsto severe bodily injuries. Wounds caused by such bullets are characterized by significantin volume zones of direct traumatic necrosis (contusion), which significantly extend deepinto the tissues and structures of the human body and form even larger in size zonesof conditional necrosis (contusion) and morpho- functional changes. The formationnature of both the main wound channel and the peripheral wound channels, caused byfragments of bullet structural elements, depends on the velocity, design features andposition (projection) of the bullet at the moment of impact. Changes in biological tissuesin the area of wounds caused by these types of expansive bullets have rather complexarchitectonics, which significantly complicates the issue of clear delimitation of gunshotwound zones and adequate surgical intervention. The used investigation methods of thestriking properties of expansive bullets are suitable for predicting the severity and volumeof the caused injuries, as well as for determining the individual characteristic complex ofgunshot wounds signs caused by such bullets.

Delimiting supervision zones to inform the revision of land reclamation management modes in coal mining areas: A perspective from the succession characteristics of rehabilitated vegetation

The rational delimitation of supervision zones is an important means of regional management that can effectively solve the problem of unbalanced development among reclaimed coal mine areas. In this study, 32 years of vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) series data from 1989 to 2020 were obtained for the area around the Pingshuo opencast coal mine. Then, the S-logistic function was applied to fit the VFC series data for each reclamation dump unit. Combined with the recognition results of coal mining and land reclamation years and by setting three delimitation criteria, the supervision zones of land reclamation that need to be better managed in the reclaimed dump sites were delimited. Finally, optimization revisions of the land reclamation management mode were proposed. The results showed that the effective reclamation zones of land reclamation occupied most of the study area, especially in the early reclaimed west dump, south dump and inner dump I areas of the Antaibao coal mine. The level one supervision zones, which were delineated as the general management zones, were mainly concentrated in the Anjialing inner dump, Nansigou dump, east dump, and west dump. The level two supervision zones, which were delineated as special management zones, were mainly concentrated in the Anjialing Nansigou dump site. Moreover, the Pingshuo coal mine dump sites were divided into four mode areas, namely, ecological conservation, ecological monitoring, ecological restoration, and ecological reconstruction, for the revision of land reclamation management. The proportion of area corresponding to each management mode was 49 %, 23 %, 24 % and 4 %, respectively. The management modes applicable to different reclaimed dump sites differed, and the specific management measures to be adopted depend on the succession pattern of the whole processes of rehabilitated vegetation. This study provides a new approach for delimitating the supervision zones of land reclamation and proposes revision management modes for the precise implementation of land reclamation development plans in coal mining areas.

Antarctic Maritime Zones in the Era of Climate Change: ILC, ILA and the Long Road Ahead

The legal process of determining maritime zones is largely dependent upon the drawing of baselines, which in most cases correspond to the low-water line located on the coast of a land territory subject to the sovereignty of a State. In the case of Antarctica, the unique geographic and legal characteristics of the continent make the drawing of baselines an atypically difficult process, thus subsequently hindering the determination and delimitation of maritime zones by States. First, this article summarizes the traditional and continuing legal debate on how to define baselines in the specific context of Antarctica. It will then examine the recent discussions under International Law Association (ILA) and International Law Commission (ILC) on the issue of baselines and sea level rise to analyse their implications, if any, to the Antarctic continent. Said analysis does not intend to provide definitive answers to this long-standing problem, but rather seeks to put into perspective the application of traditional legal theories in highly complex contexts of the Antarctic with its unique legal and geographic indeterminacy and in light of increasing effects of the climate change.

VULNERABILIDADE AMBIENTAL NO ENTORNO DO MONUMENTO NATURAL DO ITABIRA, ES, BRASIL

ABSTRACT The institution of biological value areas through the creation of Natural Protected Areas is an essential tool for protecting the country’s environmental resources to face advanced anthropic development in natural areas, either to increase agriculture production or for economic growth. Environmental vulnerability studies combined with geotechnological tools have been vital to identifying the most vulnerable areas and consequently help Conservation Units protection. This study aimed to analyze environmental vulnerability at the buffer zone of Itabira Natural Monument (MONAI) in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Brazil. The necessary methodological steps for this study were as follows: a) Photointerpretation of land use; b) Anthropic variables selection; c) Application of Euclidean distance function in variables vector images; d) Application of fuzzy membership function in variables raster images; e) Application of Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP); and f) Spatial classification of environmental vulnerability around MONAI. Land use conflicts reveal a relevant presence of pasture areas, representing 49.80% of the buffer zone. This fact corroborates with its Euclidean distance value, which showed the lowest linear value, 836 meters. Eight anthropic variables have been incorporated, highlighting crops, urban areas, exposed soil and pasture. Jenks natural breaks defined five vulnerability classes. According to the results, 57.14% of the entire MONAI buffer zone is represented by the high and very high classes. The outdated law creation of MONAI and the need for a management plan result in a vulnerable buffer zone. The present study can support management plan formulation and assist MONAI’s buffer zone delimitation.

Maritime Delimitations in the Mediterranean: Current Challenges

Abstract The Mediterranean Sea has always been a reflection of scenarios of cooperation and conflict. In the last decade, the discovery of hydrocarbons, especially large gas deposits, has activated some of the latent legal and political conflicts in this region, transferring to the sea the problems that already existed on land. This is most visible in the case of the delimitation of maritime zones of the 23 States and State-like entities, whose coasts in the Mediterranean are adjacent or opposite each other. This article focuses on the maritime delimitations made conventionally or unilaterally in the Meditarranean Sea since 2010 as well as on the current implications of such delimitations. Therefore, it will be divided into three main parts, dealing with the Eastern Mediterranean, the Central Mediterranean and the Western Mediterranean. Each main part first addresses the maritime delimitations since 2010 in each of these three areas, and then the legal, economic and political challenges that each area is facing as a consequence of these maritime delimitations.

Resolving Maritime Delimitation Disputes by Agreement: The Danish–Polish Boundary in the Area of the Island of Bornholm

The extension of coastal states’ jurisdiction over seas in the twentieth century significantly increased the maritime area of overlapping entitlements. The Baltic Sea is a textbook example of such competing claims. In principle, the two main avenues for a coastal state to resolve its dispute are to either conclude a delimitation agreement or lodge the case with an international court or tribunal. This article analyzes the Delimitation Agreement between Denmark and Poland concerning the Baltic Sea south of the island of Bornholm. The states were divided as to how to apportion the maritime zone of 3,500 km2, where the economic zones of Denmark and Poland had not been delimited for several dozen years. The agreed single maritime boundary split the disputed area into unequal parts. The settlement of the maritime dispute coincided temporally with Poland and Denmark’s plans to build a natural gas pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, which probably prompted the two states to put an end to their maritime boundary dispute. The law of the sea provides that the delimitation of maritime zones between states with opposite or adjacent coasts is effected by agreement on the basis of international law in order to achieve an equitable solution. The purpose of this article is to show that (energy) security issues may prompt a resolution of a maritime boundary dispute, and to analyze the Polish–Danish Agreement in the light of the principles governing the maritime delimitation.

Mixing zone delimitation for submarine outfall in tropical marine water using the uranine dilution measurement approach

Submarine outfalls are standard wastewater management systems implemented in coastal areas. This manuscript presents a methodology for mixing zone delimitation of wastewater plume discharged through a submarine outfall in tropical marine waters. Sodium fluorescein (Uranine) was used as a tracer to track wastewater mixing and dilution factor in the coastal water of Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). Historical marine water quality, marine currents, and meteorology data were obtained, and analyzed. Two field campaigns were carried out to monitor coliforms, enterococci, and uranine concentrations in the studied area. The results showed that the water column was well mixed, and stratification was negligible due to the low vertical variations in temperature (29.0–29.35 °C), salinity (35.8–36.2), and density (1022.6–1023.0 kg ⋅ m−3). The initial dilution during the dry to the rainy (April) and from the rainy to the dry (December) seasons reached similar dilution factors up to 1:43000 in less than 150 m. The regulatory mixing zone was delimited to an area of 6.6 km2. Uranine is suitable for delimiting the wastewater mixing zone in tropical marine waters.

Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Physicochemical Parameters of Three Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes Indicating Threats in Ecological Sustainability

The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes provide substantial economic, environmental and social benefits across diverse ecological settings. Sustainability of these benefits is affected substantially by the mega-environmental level climate change and cumulative anthropogenic effects at the lakes and in their catchments landscapes. To provide an insight on some of the challenges that affect the lakes' health, this study assessed major water physicochemical status of three Rift Valley lakes: namely, Chamo, Koka and Ziway and compared with previous data. The water physicochemical data were measured in-situ for two years, i.e., from May 2018 to April 2020. Nutrients loading to the lakes were analyzed from water samples. The study demonstrated that water temperature, pH, electric conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity and total phosphorus (TP) varied significantly between seasons within and between the lakes. The findings demonstrated that the EC and TDS levels during the period of this study were higher than previous reported levels. The findings also showed that establishment and invasion of water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) weed had association with nutrient loading into the lakes and vegetation in the lake's shore. The very likely anthropogenic effects associated factors including water turbidity, soluble reactive phosphorus, and nitrate-N concentrations varied among the lakes, across seasons and time. Our findings indicate that the urgent need of education and participatory intervention of watershed management, proper agricultural practices, strict and enforced municipal and industrial waste management practices, protection of wetlands vegetation and delimitation of the lakes' buffer zones to sustain the services of the lakes. Keywords : Chamo, Koka, nutrient pollution; water hyacinth, Ziway DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-9-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

Conservation Zone Delimitation Based on Physical Properties in Langsa Watershed, Aceh Province

Watershed zoning is essential for regional development, specifically the conservation aspect. Langsa is a city in Aceh province that has no watershed zoning map as a basis for development. Therefore, this study aims to delimit the conservation area in the Langsa River Basin, Aceh Province, based on three factors, which include rainfall, slope, and vegetation density. The data used are Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Langsa City rainfall, and satellite imagery from Landsat 8 OLI TIRS. Furthermore, the data was obtained online from the website of Badan Informasi Geospasial also known as Geospatial Information Agency, the United States Geological Survey, and Badan Pusat Statistik or Central Bureau of Statistics. The data was processed using the Quantum GIS 3.16 application with scoring and weighted overlay. In this study, the Langsa watershed was divided into three areas, namely cultivation, buffer, and conservation. The cultivation area dominates the Langsa watershed with a sloping morphology, moderate rainfall, and moderate vegetation density. Also, the conservation area has a high morphology with high rainfall and vegetation density, while that of the buffer has characteristics that falls between the cultivation and conservation areas. Each zone namely cultivation, buffer, and conservation has respective areas of 63.75 km2, 4.84 km2, and 3.55 km2 with different land use priorities. For example, the cultivation zones are prioritized for agricultural and urban areas. Buffer is separated for perennials, while conservation zones are for protected forests or national parks.
 Keywords : Langsa Watershed; Conservation Area; Buffer Area; Cultivation Area
 
 Copyright (c) 2022 Geosfera Indonesia and Department of Geography Education, University of Jember
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share A like 4.0 International License

First delimitation and land-use assessment of the riparian zones at Uruguayan Pampa

The expansion and intensification of agriculture frequently affect riparian zones, mainly in basins where agriculture is the most important activity. In countries with basins dominated by agricultural activities, land use change in riparian zones promotes water quality loss and biodiversity degradation. As a tool to prevent these environmental impacts, the delimitation of riparian zones and buffer strips is crucial. For that purpose, photo interpretation jobs and botanical studies are usually necessary. However, a digital terrain model (DTM) becomes the best alternative when the information is unavailable or the survey area is too large. This work made the first delimitation of riparian zones of the country's water drainage network. The results obtained by using a 1-m vertical buffer in DTM allowed the delimitation of the riparian zones of Uruguay. The results indicate that of the areas identified as riparian, 62% would be authentic and that the 29% of riparian areas identified under cultivation could rise to 46% if the identification improved the identification accuracy. The results indicate the existence of 4,608,890 ha of riparian zones, of which 94,651 ha could be under cultivation.

Flood Hazard Index Application in Arid Catchments: Case of the Taguenit Wadi Watershed, Lakhssas, Morocco

During the last decade, climate change has generated extreme rainfall events triggering flash floods in short periods worldwide. The delimitation of flood zones by detailed mapping generally makes it possible to avoid human and economic losses, especially in regions at high risk of flooding. The Taguenit basin, located in southern Morocco, is a particular case. The mapping of the flood zones of this basin by the method of the Flood Hazard Index (FHI) in a GIS geographic information systems environment was based on the multi-criteria analysis, taking into consideration the seven parameters influencing these extreme phenomena, namely rainfall, slope, flow accumulation, drainage network density, distance from rivers, permeability, and land use. Average annual rainfall data for 37 years (1980 to 2016) was used in this study for floodplain mapping. A weight was calculated for each parameter using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The combination of the maps of the different parameters made it possible to draw up a final map classified into five risk intervals: very high, high, moderate, lower and very lower presenting, respectively, 8.04%, 20.63%, 31.47%, 15.36%, and 24.50% of the area of the basin. The reliability of this method was tested by a Flood susceptibility analysis. The results generated by the Flood Hazard Index (FHI) model are similar to those of previous historical events. Realistic and applicable solutions have been proposed to minimize the impact of these floods as much as possible.

Ecological Memory and Socio-Ecological Resilience Approach Within the Scope of Muğla Wildfires

The climate change crisis stemming from anthropogenic reasons has triggered severe weather events and disasters all over the world in recent years. In this context, the main purpose of the paper is to reveal the importance of ecological memory in the face of the wildfires threatening our living spaces and taking place between 29 July-12 August 2021 throughout Muğla Province, and to divulge basic strategies for the future of the region by questioning the resilience of ecosystem. The damage caused by wildfires are determined by using satellite images and remote sensing methods in GIS. Accordingly, the borders of burned areas were determined by using mainly remote sensing data according to the degree of burn severity on the basis of NBR. In turn, these borders were overlapped with CLC data and administrative borders at different scales for determination of the land cover types of the burned areas and the urban areas affected. Subsequently, the actual surface areas of the burned regions were calculated by using SRTM GL1 satellite images. The results show that not only forest assets, but also agricultural areas, production areas, mining areas, urban transportation network and residential areas were damaged by the wildfires. Although burned areas can be calculated by using remote sensing methods as done in this study, exact delimitation of fire zones and precise distribution of the burned areas according to land cover types also require in-situ work. Hence, the scope of the paper doesn’t cover these issues that can only be addressed by future studies. Overall, the paper proposes a framework for questioning the socio-ecological resilience of the ecosystem in the upcoming period of the disasters that threaten our living spaces, and formulates a set of strategies for spatial planning by employing a socio-ecological approach for increasing the resilience of habitats by revealing ecological memory.

Impact of Productive Activities on Forest Cover Change in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve Region: Evidence and Research Gaps

Background and Research Aims Human activities seeking to satisfy various needs have resulted in deforestation and other forest cover change processes. The Natural Protected Areas are among the most efficient instruments to contain forest loss. The compensation from conservation is not sufficient to compete with land uses with higher economic rent, such as timber extraction and food production. This study summarizes the evidence and identifies research gaps on forest processes caused by productive activities in Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Methods We systematically reviewed the scientific literature investigating forest processes caused by the productive activities in the Calakmul, including the transition zone. We calculated the frequencies of codes on forest processes and productive activities in the entire sample (53), evaluated each code’s significance in the qualitative synthesis and interpretation, and summarized the measurements of forest processes considering only the primary studies (46). Results Deforestation was the most commonly investigated process. Traditional agriculture initially caused deforestation, while livestock and conventional agriculture became more dominant recently with the agricultural intensification policies. Few articles investigated forest degradation experiencing a steady increase from fallow shortening and selective logging. Also, few studies identified forest recovery resulting from long fallows and core zone delimitation. No publications evaluated the forest cover impact of sustainable initiatives. Conclusion The tendency to quantify deforestation on a regional scale masks presence of other forest processes. The rural development programs in Calakmul did not include the environmental perspective, while participation in sustainable initiatives was low. The understanding of productive activities at the local level will allow differentiation of the long-term from temporary forest dynamic. Implications for Conservation To assure resilient and inclusive growth in Calakmul, the reduced-impact logging, sustainable agricultural intensification, improved fallows, and beekeeping should be supported with monetary resources that cover the transaction costs of unsustainable livestock breeding and industrial agriculture.

Influence of Dam Breach Parameter Statistical Definition on Resulting Rupture Maximum Discharge

However rare, dam breach occurrences are recently reported and associated with significant damage to life and property. The rupture of the structural dam wall generates severe flow rates that exceed spillway capacity consequently generating unprecedented flooding scenarios. The present research aims to assess the influence of the dam breach statistical configuration on the most relevant parameters to predict the rupture maximum discharge (RMD). McBreach© software was used to provide the necessary inputs for the operation of the HEC-RAS dam breach module. McBreach© automates the process of batch mode simulations providing a Monte Carlo approach to characterize the breach parameters stochastically. Thus, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the most influential breach parameters, followed by an uncertainty assessment regarding their statistical definition of the resultant RMD. Analysis showed that the overtopping failure mode discharges are most sensitive to the breach formation time (tf) parameter, followed by the final height breach (Inv) and the final width of the breach (B), which combined are responsible for 85% of the rupture’s maximum discharge. Further results indicated highly variable RMD magnitudes (up to 300%) depending on the breach parameter’s statistical definition (i.e., probability density function and associated statistical parameters). The latter significantly impacts the estimated flood risk associated with the breach, the flood zone delimitation, preparation of emergency action plans (EAP) and scaling of future dam projects. Consequently, there is a plausible need for additional investigations to reduce this uncertainty and, therefore, the risk associated with it.

Territorial Claims in North Polar Maritime Zone in View of International Security

The main feature of the political relations, developed among the coastal states with strong interests over the North Pole region and the Arctic Ocean, have been the frequent interstate disputes over the last fifty years, as well as the efforts of these Arctic states during this period to cooperate in so that the sovereignty and sovereign rights of each coastal state over this region turn into a common benefit for the entire international community. Consequently, sovereignty and sovereign rights are considered fundamental factors for interstate relations in the Arctic Ocean region, for which coastal states have historically been willing to engage in political or military conflicts. The Arctic Ocean, including North Pole maritime region, is governed by customary international law and the law of the sea, which are largely represented by UNCLOS (1982) and the Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea (1958). Four Arctic coastal states, Canada, Norway, Denmark, and Russia have ratified these international conventions, while the US accepts its main provisions as norms of customary international law, but is also in the process of ratifying UNCLOS. The purpose of this article is to analyze and discuss the legal, practical, and political situation regarding the delimitation of maritime zones in the North Pole region and the Arctic Ocean, addressing interstate disputes over the major economic, strategic and geopolitical interests of this maritime area in the context of international security.

ВПЛИВ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ НА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА

This paper investigates the role and impact of modern information technology on the activities of the enterprise. The existing scientific approaches to defining the concept of information technology (IT) are analyzed, and its own definition is given, according to which IT is the most modern information management tool that allows users and employees to collect, accumulate, process, organize, store and disseminate information in a convenient way. It is emphasized that modern management information technologies and systems allow to more quickly deliver important economic information to different levels of decision-making, rationally process it and systematize it. The main reasons that encourage the introduction of modern information technologies at enterprises are indicated. The logical and structural model of the mechanism of introduction of information technologies at modern enterprises is presented. The process of measuring informatization, which occurs on the basis of the scale of implementation of information technology in the management system of the organization is described. The perspectives of Ukraine to rise to the European level of informatization are outlined. The influence of modern information technologies both on the change of strategic plans of the enterprise and on the modernization of the work culture in general is revealed. It is substantiated that, first of all, the introduction of information technologies at the enterprise will solve the issues of delimitation of management zones, rationalization of the system of evaluation indicators, ensuring the relationship between operational, accounting and statistical accounting, rationalization of information flows, etc. The list of software for small and medium enterprises is given. And also, the criteria of economic, organizational, managerial, marketing and social effects of enterprise informatization are defined. It is determined that today a promising trend is the growing integration of modern information systems with analytical tools to improve the management of all types of business and business modeling.

The influence of water source protection zone delimitation on development in Huanren Manchu Autonomous County

Under the background of rapid urbanization and industrialization development, in order to satisfy the increasing demand of residents for domestic water, the establishment of water source protection zone is the most effective way to protect water resources at present. However, the influence on the social and economic development could not be ignored. The article analyzes the influence of the delimitation of water source protection zone on economy such as ecological migration, urban municipal pipe network construction, rural drinking water and urban water supply. The impact on economy like industrial enterprises, agricultural planting, livestock industry, aquaculture, tourist industry were also mentioned. The article triggers the exploration of the way to realize the coordination and sustainable development of economy, society, resources and environment

The Mediterranean Sea Basin as a Single Ecosystem: Problems and Prospects for International Cooperation

The article justifies that the Mediterranean Basin in the broad sense (Mediterranean, Black, Azov and Marmara Seas) is a single ecosystem. The state of this ecosystem is affected by the rivers of this water intake basin, among them - the Nile, Tiber, Po, Rhone, Ebro, Danube, Don and others. The interconnection of the individual elements of the ecosystem is ensured through active water exchange and a sufficiently branched system of currents that turn the inland seas of the Mediterranean basin into communicating vessels. The paper analyzes the main anthropogenic factors, as well as the influence of climate changes on the ecological condition of the Mediterranean ecosystem. Within the framework of anthropogenic impact, special attention is paid to the negative impact of urbanization, the oil industry (production, transportation and oil refining), industrial and agricultural waste, as well as runoff waters. The problem of plastic, as well as contamination with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is discussed in detail. Analysis of DDT accumulations in the bottom sediments of the Mediterranean basin makes it possible to study the synchronization of anthropogenic processes and their long-term nature. Aridization (intensification of droughts) in the Mediterranean is shown as an important problem for the regional ecology, not directly related to the anthropogenic factor. The article reveals the disastrous effects of increasing droughts and climate change on Mediterranean basin countries. International cooperation to regulate transboundary environmental problems in the region is associated with a number of problems. Among them is the delimitation of sea zones between countries, first of all - the territorial claims of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. The problem of the shelf around the Serpents Island in the Black Sea is also considered, as well as territorial disputes in the Western Mediterranean (France/Spain). The paper widely presents successful cases of cross-boundary cooperation: the 1976 RAMOGE Agreement, the 1975 Mediterranean Action Plan and the 1995 Barcelona Convention, as well as its seven protocols. The cases of PEGASO and 4GreenInn projects, as well as the BSEC environmental projects, are considered as successful examples of cross-border academic cooperation. Promising areas of cooperation are outlined and the conclusion is made about the importance of transboundary environmental risk management, despite the political differences between the Mediterranean countries and the EU sanctions restrictions on Russia after 2014.

Taphofacies and Petrofacies Theoretical Marine Models Applied to the Coquina of the Amaral Formation (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal)

The Amaral Formation has a wide geographic distribution within the Lusitanian Basin, at the western Iberian Margin (Portugal). The different depositional contexts for this unit enabled the distinction of three sectors: lagoon, lagoon-barrier, and marine-distal. The integration of the evolutionary taphonomic analysis of its fossil assemblages with the analysis of multiscale properties through the CAMURES methodology (Multiscale Reservoir Characterization) allowed the application of a methodology for the classification of coquina which was previously developed for the Morro do Chaves Formation (Sergipe–Alagoas Basin, Brazil). Here, it was adapted according to the complexity of the Amaral Formation deposits. The classification of ten taphofacies, in association with four lithofacies, allowed the definition of 84 petrofacies, based on the nature of the sedimentary and taphonomic processes. The relationship between the structural context, the systems tracts, the diversity of the fossil record, the classification of taphofacies and petrofacies, and the understanding of vertical and lateral variations of the sediments’ deposition within the unit support the construction of geological and theoretical models for coquina deposits. These models will allow for prediction of the spatial distribution of facies in other coquina analogous hydrocarbon reservoirs, as well as specifying the delimitation of reservoir zones for 3D geocellular modeling and flow simulation of hydrocarbon-producing reservoirs, thus improving predictive analyses.