Turkish Mediterranean Coast Research Articles

A Comprehensive Study on Sustainable Fisheries and Environmental Factors in an Eastern Mediterranean Freshwater Lake

It was aimed to determine the fishery potential of a freshwater lake in the Eastern Mediterranean where fishing is prohibited, however considered to be reopened for fishing activities. Kocagöl is located on the western part of the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Fisheries is important for the local people for livelihood. Especially, the Mugilid catch is important for local Mediterranean small-scale fishermen. Fishery related parameters (Catch per Unit Effort, growth, mortality, exploitation rate, reference points), biomass, physical (temperature, salinity, pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen) and chemical (nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus) water parameters were determined. A generalized linear model was established between catch and physical environmental parameters. In general, exploitation rates of the main target, Mugilidae, species are at safe levels. However, selectivity and Lopt parameters showed that the mesh sizes should be increased to provide more sustainable fishery in the area. A controlled fishing practice in this fragile and sensitive area will constitute an environment for the sustainable use of fishery resources in the region. According to results, limit reference points are better for fisheries management plans. This study is an example for eastern Mediterranean freshwater fishery management regulations.

Records of Three Immature Gelatinous Specimens for the Turkish Mediterranean Coast with an Emphasis on Alternative Pathways

Records of Three Immature Gelatinous Specimens for the Turkish Mediterranean Coast with an Emphasis on Alternative Pathways

Acoustic scattering properties of a seagrass, Cymodocea nodosa: in-situ measurements

Abstract Marine prairies play various crucial roles in marine ecosystems. The seagrasses that compose them are one of the most important components engineering the marine coastal system, providing significant spatial niches. Some of the seagrasses found in marine prairies are protected, and it is not recommended to sample them with destructive methods. Non-destructive methods such as remote sensing have been proposed as important means of studying these protected species. In the present study, the acoustic scattering properties of Cymodocea nodosa were studied with two different in/ex situ experiments conducted on a Turkish Mediterranean coast using a scientific echosounder (206 kHz split beam transducer) in different months over the years 2011 and 2012. After a series of acoustic processes, correlations and regression equations were established between different acoustic parameters of the Elementary Distance Sampling Units and biometric traits of below/above ground parts of the seagrass. The relationships were logarithmically established producing first a Rayleigh zone, followed by a geometrical zone that occurred with increased biometrics. No seasonal difference occurred in the relationships for the above-ground parts. Unlike the leaves, seagrass sheaths demonstrated unstable echo energy, inconsistent relationships, and unexplained acoustic responses over the span of several months. Regarding leaf density changing in time, significant relationships were explained as a function of the acoustic zones. Four points were highlighted to explain the differences in the estimations between the two experiments; i) the backscattering strengths depended on strength of biomass and its fractions (leaf area, shoot density and volume) between the two experiments, ii) the first experiment measured backscattering strength from individual specimens, but the second experiment was performed on the total biomass of seagrass per unit area, iii) different frequency response to the biometrics occurred in the two experiments, and iv) the non-linear effect of the sheath could not be separated from that of the leaf during the second experiment. The present study was the first attempt to characterize relationships between the biometric and acoustic backscattering properties of C. nodosa, and will guide researchers in future use of non-destructive methods.

Survey on Betanodavirus in Wild Fish Species in the Turkish Coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea and Molecular Characterization: detecting different genotypes from different fish in different locations

Viral nervous necrosis is a viral disease caused by betanodavirus causing deaths and epidemics in wild or farmed sea fish, especially in juveniles. Betanodavirus has been detected in farmed European seabass and gilthead seabream in Turkey. However, there are no studies on the presence of betanodavirus in wildlife along the Turkish Mediterranean coast. This study aimed to investigate the presence of betanodavirus in wild fish along the Turkish coast of the Mediterranean and to characterize isolates using molecular tools. Hence, 400 fish belonging to 27 different wild species were caught and tested using real-time RT‒PCR. The betanodavirus genome was detected in red mullets (25/50) and garfish (2/4) and identified as RGNNV and RGNNV/SJNNV genotype, respectively according to partial genome sequencing of the RNA1 and RNA2 segments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that isolated viruses were similar to isolates collected from other parts of the Mediterranean Sea and China, India, and Japan. The results of the studies show that different genotypes are circulating in the studied region in different species. These findings indicates that more research on wildlife, both around the farm and in other regions, are needed to prevent spreading of the virus to aquaculture facilities.

Density-depended Acoustical Identification of Two Common Seaweeds (Posidonia Oceanica and Cymodocea Nodosa) in the Mediterranean Sea

The non-destructive samplings are very important in not damaging seagrasses and seaweed under protection, at the field studies. The grasses are prominent in the assessment of the ecological status of the marine environments. One of the effective non-destructive samplings was the acoustical methods which need a low level of the sea and atmospheric conditions as compared to the other remote sensing system. Like the others, acoustic data alone are inherently ambiguous concerning the identities of the scatterers and need sea-truthing at the field studies. Considering the requirements above and the advantages of the acoustical methods, an acoustical in situ study was conducted to discriminate two dominant seagrasses along the western Turkish Mediterranean coast in August (in the year 2012) when biometrics of both species was at maxima. Four different regions were involved in the study during data collection using a split beam echosounder operated at 206 kHz since each region had different strengths of their biometrics reflecting regional variations of the acoustical measurements. For discrimination, a statistical approach based on the acoustical parameters and their statistics was enriched and validated with multivariate analyses (Silhouette, k-means, PCA and CAP analyses). Posidonia oceanica was correlated with mean, median, SD and maximum value of Sa, whereas Cymodocea nodosa was characterized by hardness and roughness of leaf echo, followed by skewness and kurtosis of Sa. The acoustics of C. nodosa were related to regional differences, but P. oceanica was related to the depthwise difference. Both species had highly different densities (g/cm3), followed by biomass. The present study will interactively help acoustical studies to be more common and comprehensible and the other previous studies published did as well.

Biometrical Variation of Posidonia oceanica with Different Bottom Types Along the Entire Turkish Mediterranean Coast

Biometrical Variation of Posidonia oceanica with Different Bottom Types Along the Entire Turkish Mediterranean Coast

Contributions to the Diatom Flora of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea from the Turkish Coasts with Remarks on Rare Taxa

This study reports on newly recorded and several rare marine benthic diatoms from the Turkish coasts of the Aegean Sea. Altogether 510 species were observed from 6 locations throughout the Aegean Sea, and taxonomic and biogeographic remarks concerning thirty-four new recorded species are presented. Amongst the represented taxa, Amicula, Auricula, Cyclophora, Minidiscus, Oestrupia and Ralfsiella were observed for the first time in Turkish coastal waters. Biddulphia seychellensis, Cyclophora tabellariformis, Grammatophora maxima, G. gibberula, Amphicocconeis mascarenica, Cocconeis maxima, Amicula specululum, Caloneis egena, Diploneis dalmatica, D. droopii, Mastogloia affinis, M. linearis, M. mauritana and Oestrupia powelii var. vidovichii, which were rarely recorded from the coasts of the oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, were examined by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the findings revealed that the geographic range of A. mascarenica, B. seychellensis, C. tabellariformis and Psammodictyon corpulentum, which were distributed in warmer marine waters, has expanded to the temperate waters of the Aegean Sea. Additionally, the recently described species Hyalosira septata, from the loggerhead sea turtle carapace and the Turkish Mediterranean Sea coast was observed in the Aegean Sea. This study contributes to the diatom knowledge of marine waters from the understudied Aegean Sea coasts of Türkiye, enhancing the biogeography of some rare and well-established taxa.

Seasonality and phenology of an epiphytic calcareous red alga, Hydrolithon boreale, on the leaves of Posidonia oceanica (L) Delile in the Turkish water.

Epiphytes on Posidonia oceanica play a crucial role for determination of the ecological status of marine environment in time and space besides the seagrasses alone. The study was aimed to estimate the spatiotemporal ecological status linked to variation in biometry of an epiphytic micro-calcareous red alga, Hydrolithon boreale, found on leaves of the meadow with the exclusive environmental parameters along the entire Turkish coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Collection of Posidonia oceanica samples was conducted at 64 stations in winter (December 2018-January 2019) and 112 stations in summer (June-July 2019) by SCUBA (0.4 × 0.4m of a quadrate frame) in the infralittoral zone along the entire Turkish Mediterranean coast surrounded by the siliciclastic Taurus Mountain Range which favor growth of epiphytic micro-calcareous red algae. Percent occurrence of the epiphyte changed seasonally-lower in winter (25%) than in summer (44%). The epiphyte which is an indicator and sensitive to undisturbed marine area grew up well to 5mm in diameter, 0.35mm in thickness of the crust size, and was populated up to 1006 ind/m2 in summer owing to the increased utilization of the carbonate by the epiphyte with the increased water temperature. The size was contrasted to the density (abundance and biomass) in space. The biometry was significantly dependent on the siliciclastic-carbonate deposition as inferred from SiO4-Si of the water in relation to the leaf area index (LAI) of P. oceanica. Therefore, this deposition induced specimens to grow in size, followed by the reduced density concerning the N-based nutrient of the water. Further major environmental parameters which negatively affected the biometry were pH and total suspended matter of the water, analogous to turbidity. Of the trace elements, Ni was negatively correlated with the biometry, whereas the LAI was however positively correlated with all the anthropogenic-sourced trace elements (V, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in the leaves. Of the bottom types, the calcite rock had a higher density than the other soft bottoms in contrast to the size of the epiphyte. Future studies could be based on the present study for determination of the ecological status regarding two dominant epiphytes on leaves of two seagrasses (H. boreale on P. oceanica and partly Pneophyllum fragile on Cymodocea nodosa) found in the different environments and substrates in space and time.

Oceania armata Türünün Türk Sularındaki Muhtemel Havza Ölçekli Akıntı Kaynaklı Son Kaydı ve Diğer Jeli Organizmaların Yakın Geçmişteki Kayıtları

The present study reports the occurrence of Oceania armata in the Turkish Levantine Sea, and presents evidence to support a hypothesis established to link an increased recent and near-past records of many gelatinous zooplankton species in the Turkish seas, and particularly in the Turkish Levantine Sea to specific Mediterranean basin-scale currents (Atlantic-Ionian Stream and the Mid-Ionian Jet). One worldwide-distributed oceanic cnidarian specimen was collected from the surface water of a location of 36.59002 N and 29.02471 E by a SCUBA diver on January 18, 2019 in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The hydrozoan specimen was then identified as O. armata and recorded for the first time in the Turkish Mediterranean coast and only second time in the Levant coast after about 30 years. This is the second report of the species from the Turkish waters, and the first report was from the Turkish Aegean coast. Recently, new records of the gelatinous species have increased from the Turkish marine coasts; Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and Levantine Sea. Most of them are distributed in the West Mediterranean Sea, but are also present in the Adriatic Sea (East Mediterranean Sea). In the Mediterranean Sea, one branch of the Atlantic current (Atlantic-Ionian Stream) enters the eastern basin via the Mid-Ionian Jet, linked with the southern Adriatic current. Therefore, it is possible that zooplankton could have entered East Mediterranean by the Atlantic current through West Mediterranean.

Spatiotemporal biometrics of Cymodocea nodosa in a western Turkish Mediterranean coast

Spatiotemporal biometrics of Cymodocea nodosa in a western Turkish Mediterranean coast

Determination of sea level variations in Turkish Mediterranean coast using GNSS reflectometry

Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) can be used to measure sea level heights based on reflected signals recorded as oscillations in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data. This study utilizes the SNR data from an existing MERS, located in Erdemli, Mersin on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey over a one-year time period. The dominant multipath frequency in the SNR data is derived with two methods presented in this study: the Lomb-Scargle periodogram (LSP) and the LSP with the Moving Average (MA) filtering. The results of both methods are compared in terms of the accuracy and correlation with respect to sea level records from the nearby Erdemli tide gauge. The correlations between the GNSS-R and tide gauge by using the LSP are 0.88 and 0.84 for GPS L1 and L5 signals, respectively. With the LSP with MA method, the correlations are increased by 0.91 and 0.88 for GPS L1 and L5 signals, respectively.

Taxonomy and distribution of diatoms on the Turkish Mediterranean Coast, Dalyan (Muğla)

Diatoms are one of the components in the littoral zone and the most productive in terms of O2 production and primary production. Despite their importance in these coastal ecosystems, the diatoms of littoral zones of Turkish coastlines have been understudied. In this report, we document the littoral diatoms from Dalyan Iztuzu Beach at the southeast coasts of Aegean Sea. Samples were collected from 6 stations in Dalyan Beach between 2012 and 2016. We report here on the occurrence of 9 genera including, Catenula Mereschkowsky, Cymatosira Grunow, Dimeregramma Ralfs, Diplomenora Blazé, Eunotogramma Weisse, Meloneis Louvrou, Danielidis & Economou-Amilli, Neohuttonia Kuntze, Plagiogramma Greville and Tetramphora Mereschkowsky, as well as 40 taxa as newly-recorded from Turkey. The newly-recorded diatoms are characterized in terms of their morphology and illustrated with light micrographs. For each species, their habitat and geographic distribution along the coasts are discussed.

Reproductive biology of the Nile Soft-Shell Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, at the Seyhan River, Turkey (Testudines: Trionychidae)

Several populations of the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, are found along the Levantine and Turkish Mediterranean coast. The riverbanks of the Seyhan River hold one of the largest nesting populations. In a survey carried out between 2009 and 2018, a total of 209 nests were recorded (20.9 nests per season). Ninety-four percent of the nests were concentrated at one specific site where the nesting density was 4.18 nest/metre, but where most of the nests were predated by Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) or Golden Jackal (Canus aureus). 137 nests (65.5%) with altogether 5,716 eggs were therefore transferred to a safe place, where 1,811 hatchlings emerged and were released at the nesting site at the Seyhan River. The average clutch size was 40.8±0.89 eggs. The mean hatching success in relocated nests was 34.6%. A total of 1,718 eggs (23.0%) were predated by mammalian predators. The remainder were developmentally interrupted eggs of early (37.9%), middle (4.3%), and late (6.5%) stages. It is discussed whether the high rate of loss of early stage eggs is related to the translocation process.

WITHDRAWN: Geospatial Data of Transversal Continuum Depth of Natural Land Cover along the Turkish Mediterranean Coast

WITHDRAWN: Geospatial Data of Transversal Continuum Depth of Natural Land Cover along the Turkish Mediterranean Coast

Revealing the transversal continuum of natural landscapes in coastal zones - Case of the Turkish Mediterranean coast

The study presents an analytical framework for examining the transversal structure, rather than the longitudinal pattern of the landscape in coastal zones. Our methodology introduces the concept of the ‘band’ as an alternative to the ‘buffer zone’. The Band is a dynamic notion which is rooted in the organic structure of landscape patterns and which relies on the order of adjacency/connectivity between land cover patches and the coastline. The study utilizes CORINE Land Cover data to produce 10 bands that stretch along the Turkish Mediterranean coast. By introducing two extra attributes: ‘band level’ and ‘transversal continuum depth’, this method is useful for the identification of; (i) transversally connected coastal natural landscape mosaics, (ii) endangered natural landscape patches to be conserved, and (iii) potential artificial surfaces to be restored. The workflow is formalized via Model Builder (ArcGIS), and is applicable to any coastal context in support of diverse decision making processes such as those of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).

Geopolitical dimensions to build the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Nabucco gas pipeline to Western Europe

Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline carries oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field and condensate from Shah Deniz across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. It links Sangachal terminal on the shores of the Caspian Sea to Ceyhan marine terminal on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. In addition, crude oil from Turkmenistan continues to be transported via the pipeline. Starting in October 2013, we have also resumed transportation of some volumes of Tengiz crude oil from Kazakhstan through the BTC pipeline. The pipeline that became operational in June 2006 was built by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline company (BTC Co) operated by BP. The pipeline buried along its entire length is 1768km in total length: 443km in Azerbaijan, 249km in Georgia, and 1,076km in Turkey The Azerbaijan and Georgia sections of the pipeline are operated by BP on behalf of its shareholders in BTC Co. while the Turkish section is operated by BOTAS International Limited (BIL). The diameter of the pipeline is 42 inches throughout most of Azerbaijan and Turkey. In Georgia the pipeline diameter is 46 inches. The pipeline diameter reduces to 34-inches for the last downhill section to the Ceyhan Marine Terminal in Turkey. Throughput capacity-one million barrels per day from March 2006 to March 2009. Since March 2009 it has been expanded to 1.2 million barrels per day by using drag reducing agents (DRAs). The hypothesis of our research stems from the following questions Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Nabucco gas pipeline "to Western Europe: Is it a re-engineering of drawing lines of power in the Caucasus or is it a step that could contribute to obstructing energy corridors between East and West? The Caucasus Energy Department begins in the oil-and-gas-rich countries of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan, located to the west of the Caspian basin, is the source of any power lines emanating from the basin. In the north, Russia wants to be the only buyer from these sources, so that it can capture sales to Western markets. However, Azerbaijan has, to date, worked with the West and Turkey to build pipelines instead of working with Russia. "Turkey, which lies to the west, is shutting down the energy department as the last stop for pipelines. On the other hand, energy experts believe that the improvement of TurkishArmenian relations should not be at the expense of the East-West energy corridor, in other words, cooperation with regard to pipelines extending from Azerbaijan to Turkey. This corridor is a critical strategic tool for Washington to reduce the Western dependence on oil and gas from the Middle East. Oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline amounted to 14.9 million tons in the first half of this year, up 2.8 percent from the same period in 2015, according to a report by Reuters. Oil exports through the pipeline, which passes through Georgia and Turkey, rose 1.5 percent in 2015 to 28.84 million tonnes. Azerbaijan exports oil through the pipeline from the oil fields of Shiraj and Jonsheli, operated by British company BP. Crude is also exported through Russia through the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, through the Georgian territory by rail and through the Baku-Supsa pipeline. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are also exporting oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. These rates are expected to rise during 2016/2017.

Demography and lifetime growth patterns in viviparous salamanders (genus Lyciasalamandra): Living underground attenuates interspecific variation

The viviparous urodeles Lyciasalamandra spp. are restricted to a narrow mountain range of ca. 30km width along the southern Turkish Mediterranean coast and some adjacent Turkish and Greek islands. All species share a predominantly subterranean life-style in crevices of boulder fields, probably since their speciation about 10 million years ago. In this study we test the hypothesis that similar subterranean environmental conditions attenuates within- and among-species variation of demographic life-history features in four populations of Lyciasalamandra from three different taxa (L. atifi, L. billae, L. luschani) and from two altitudinal zones, the eumediterranean (0–400m) and the supramediterranean (400–1100m) belts or not. Skeletochronological age determination was successful in all 325 individuals sampled. Phalange bones showed a regular annual arrest of growth during winter. Local age at maturity varied between two and three years, maximum lifespan between nine and eleven years. Adult survivorship and subsequently estimated life expectancy of females exceeded slightly those of males, but sexual size dimorphism was absent in all taxa. L. atifi were significantly larger than the other species due large size at birth and subsequent fast subadult growth. L. billae shared the fast subadult growth, but small birth size and same age at maturity contributed to a smaller maximum adult size. L. luschani had a large birth size and slow subadult growth irrespective of the elevation of habitat resulting in the same maximum size of adults as present in L. billae. We concluded that a subterranean mode of living attenuated the thermal effects of altitude and that the minor, but detectable variation in life-history traits of the salamanders mainly resulted from the periods of surface activity.

A crude marriage: Iraq, Turkey, and the Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline

ABSTRACTSince the discovery of oil at Kirkuk in northern Iraq, oil has shaped relations between Iraq and Turkey, as the former needed markets and export routes to the Mediterranean and the latter reliable sources of supply. This article examines the origins of the Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline from northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean coast, charting the period of Iraqi–Turkish economic rapprochement in the 1960s to the construction of the pipeline in the 1970s. It also seeks to add to our collective understanding of why transnational oil pipelines in the Middle East succeed or fail by examining the pipeline's operational record.

Silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), causes a substantial economic losses in the Turkish Mediterranean coast: A call for decision makers

Silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), causes a substantial economic losses in the Turkish Mediterranean coast: A call for decision makers

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sea sediments of the Turkish Mediterranean coast, composition and sources.

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 25 surface sediment samples from five sites located at Oludeniz Lagoon of the Turkish Mediterranean coast. The total concentration of the PAHs (1.85 ± 1.39 mg/kg) was lower than the sediments from highly urbanized areas, while it was comparable with the sediments from similar locations. Acenaphthene and chrysene were dominant ones with the concentrations of 0.620 and 0.515 mg/kg, respectively. The isomeric ratios indicated that combustion is the predominant source of PAHs in the sediments. Factor analysis solution supports the same finding with three major factors accounting for 71.7% of the variability in the data. Factor 1 with 43.4% of the total variance identified as a pyrogenic source (coal combustion; 4 rings PAH and traffic related pollution; 5-6 rings PAHs). Factor 2 (explains 39% of the total variance) represents PAHs originating from traffic, and factor 3 (explains 12% of the total variance) represents petrogenic source. Our results suggest that combustion of fossil fuels affects most of the points, followed by combustion of biomass and human activity.