Waters Of Greece Research Articles

PFASs intake from fish, eggs and drinking water in Greece in relation to the safety limits for weekly intake proposed in the EFSA scientific opinion of 2020

Food consumption has been recognized as the most significant contributor to human exposure to polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for the general population. In 2020, EFSA introduced for the first time safety limit of 4.4 ng/kg body weight (bw) for weekly intake for the sum of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) which are all perfluoralkyl acids (PFAAs) that belong to PFASs group. Fish and eggs have been found to contribute significantly, almost 50 % to PFOS and PFOA dietary intake of the Greek population. In the present study, estimation of human intake of these four PFASs from fish, eggs and drinking water consumption is attempted. Data from EFSA food consumption database for fish and eggs are used for assessment. Mean weekly intake estimated is above the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently proposed, mainly due to fish consumption. Exceedance of the proposed TWI emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of levels of PFASs in food in parallel with efforts to lower these levels.

A New Automatic Monitoring Network of Surface Waters in Greece: Preliminary Data Quality Checks and Visualization

The monitoring of surface waters is of fundamental importance for their preservation under good quantitative and qualitative conditions, as it can facilitate the understanding of the actual status of water and indicate suitable management actions. Taking advantage of the experience gained from the coordination of the national water monitoring program in Greece and the available funding from two ongoing infrastructure projects, the Institute of Inland Waters of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research has developed the first homogeneous real-time network of automatic water monitoring across many Greek rivers. In this paper, its installation and maintenance procedures are presented with emphasis on the data quality checks, based on values range and variability tests, before their online publication and dissemination to end-users. Preliminary analyses revealed that the water pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors and produced data need increased maintenance and quality checks respectively, compared to the more reliably recorded water stage, temperature (T) and electrical conductivity (EC). Moreover, the data dissemination platform and selected data visualization options are demonstrated and the need for both this platform and the monitoring network to be maintained and potentially expanded after the termination of the funding projects is highlighted.

Spatial energy planning of offshore wind farms in Greece using GIS and a hybrid MCDM methodological approach

The present paper focuses on the efficient development of offshore wind farms in shallow waters in Greece. An integrated spatial energy planning approach is introduced. The proposed methodology is implemented using geographic information system and Statistical Design Institute software and applied at the national spatial planning scale. It consists of four distinct stages: (1) identifying appropriate areas to site offshore wind farms (the macro-siting configuration), (2) determining the principal technical specifications of the offshore wind turbines as well as the micro-siting configurations of offshore wind projects, (3) estimating the total investment cost of each potential offshore wind project, and (4) prioritizing the most suitable potential sites for offshore wind farms based on specific assessment criteria. The final outcomes of the proposed methodology are the development of a marine site suitability index and an assessment of the effects of different policy orientations for offshore wind farm siting on that index. Four ‘what-if’ critical scenarios are applied to test the robustness of the overall suitability index to the subjectivity of expert judgments of potential sites and thus assess the reliability of the proposed methodology. The implementation of the proposed methodology could facilitate the fulfillment of national targets for the energy sector and encourage energy interdependence among many geographic areas in Greece, since the total estimated production capacity of all the proposed offshore wind projects is expected to reach 1,185 MW.

Radon Measurements in Bottled Waters in Greece

Underground waters pass through various types of rocks, which may contain radium and uranium isotopes in such concentrations and chemical forms that could be diluted in the water body. Thus it is possible to contain significant quantities of these radioisotopes such as radium (226Ra), which decays producing a series of alpha and beta emitters that remain in the water. Among them, radon (222Rn) and isotopes of polonium (214Po and 218Po) contribute to significant doses. In this work, we measured radium/radon concentration levels in bottled waters commercially available in Greece. Samples were concentrated by a factor of 20-100, in order to obtain more accurate results, because in the majority of the samples the concentrations measured initially were very low. To measure the radioactivity concentrations, 10 mL of concentrated sample were added to 10 mL of scintillation cocktail in a 20 mL plastic vial and then were counted with a liquid scintillation analyzer. The results show that radium/radon concentrations of the bottled waters range from 7-70 mBq/L.

Stable isotope patterns reveal widespread rainy-period-biased recharge in phreatic aquifers across Greece

The stable isotopic composition of water (δ18O, δ2H) is used to trace different components of the hydrological cycle, particularly interactions between precipitation, surface, and ground water. In Greece, insufficient spatial coverage for isotopes in precipitation hinders investigations of relationship between ground water and precipitation, information that is required to help quantify aquifer replenishment rates. We used precipitation, geospatial, ground water isotope data and General Linear Models (GLM) to predict the spatial distribution of isotopes in phreatic ground water in Greece. Prediction covariates of elevation, latitude, distance to nearest coastline, drainage basin (western vs. eastern Greece), and amount of precipitation predicted 62% of the isotopic variance in ground water. The GLM model yielded predictions of the isotopic composition of shallow aquifers, which allowed us to construct maps for use in hydrological and other forensic applications in Greece. A comparison of the stable isotope values predicted by our GLM to those of existing precipitation models revealed that phreatic aquifers in Greece are mainly recharged during the annual wet period, between November and March, as documented by the high overlap coefficients of 0.77 and 0.82, respectively. Rainy-period-biased aquifer recharge has implications for water quality and management issues, for example, nitrate pollution may be enhanced in the non-growing rainy period when crop uptake is the lowest, or for water resource management if climatic changes alter these temporal rainfall patterns.

Isotopic Composition of Spring Water in Greece: Spring Waters Isoscapes

This paper reviews stable isotopic data concerning spring water in Greece in addition to new measurements (59); their spatial variations are investigated in order to provide basic information and identify the locally significant parameters that affect stable isotopic distributions. The area of interest was partitioned into eight sections according to geographical location and climatic characteristics. Local spring water lines (LSWLs) are more or less consistent throughout the country. High-resolution isoscape maps of spring freshwater (Cl− < 200 ppm; and T < 25 °C) for both δ18O and δ2H were generated, revealing several interesting features such as the effect of Pindos ridge, a strong climatic signal in southern Greece and indications of seawater intrusion in flat coastal areas.

Relationships Among Land Use Patterns, Hydromorphological Features and Physicochemical Parameters of Surface Waters: WFD Lake Monitoring in Greece

The national monitoring network of waters in Greece, in the context of Water Framework Directive (WFD), comprises 50 lake water bodies, both natural and artificial. The aims of the study are: (i) to present the pressures resulting from land cover and population density at river basin level; and (ii) to link catchment area features with physicochemical results from the first period of WFD monitoring. Land cover, population data in the catchment and physicochemical parameters were the main variables used in order to assess the lakes of the Greek WFD monitoring network. Intensive agriculture and urbanization, described as population density, proved to be the main pressure of severe impacted lakes as they were both highly associated with total phosphorus. Principal Components Analysis was used to position the Greek lakes along physical and chemical attributes, such as secchi depth, total phosphorus and ion concentrations and separate them according to their water quality. Clear reservoirs and natural lakes with high secchi depth were separated from more impacted ones with low secchi depth revealing a gradient of eutrophication, the most crucial anthropogenic pressure in Greece and in the Mediterranean area. The sustainable management of Greek lakes requires mitigation measures at a catchment scale, in order to regulate land uses, as well as site specific measures when needed.

Aquaculture systems and pathological problems of new species reared in fresh water in Greece

Published data on growth and pathology of the fish species: Mugil cephalus (mullet) and Acipenser gueldestaedi (sturgeon), under intensive culture, is limited. In particular, data on dietary requirements is non-existing. For the artificial feeding of these fish, other feeds originally prepared for other cultured fish species are used (trout and/or sea bass, sea bream pelleted feeds). Mugil cephalus is very tolerant to intensive rearing and the main problem observed was recurrent infections by Chilodonella sp. Mugilids reared in lagoons are infected with a variety of parasites, but these do not cause problems and mortality. Acipenser gueldestaedi is a very desirable fish for rearing, because of the fast growth rate, the good digestibility of food, even with no specific diets and the ability to be cultured under different systems. Furthermore, it has a wide temperature tolerance, it is very tolerant to stress and the mortality at fish> 5cm is less than 5%. Disease experiences from rearing sturgeon are reported mainly from N. America and concern viral infections. In Greece, Acipenser gueldestaedi seems to be very susceptible to both Noda virus and spinal deformities after the weight of 500g. Fish in open flow systems started to show skeletal abnormalities with increasing prevalence. Histopathology investigations, both in Greece and Canada, were inconclusive as to the aetiology of these skeletal deformities. These could not be proved to be associated with the feed of the fish. These deformities have been observed before in cultured sturgeon, but they are not yet fully investigated. At a later stage, fish cannot swim properly, do not feed and soon succumb to secondary infections by Aeromonas hydrophila.

Commodification and ‘the commons’: The politics of privatising public water in Greece and Portugal during the Eurozone crisis

In response to the Eurozone crisis, austerity and restructuring has been imposed on the European Union’s peripheral member states in order to receive financial bailout loans. In addition to cuts in funding for essential public services, cuts in public sector employment and the further liberalisation of labour markets, this has also included pressure towards the privatisation of state assets. Yet, workers have not simply accepted these restructuring pressures; rather, they have organised and fought back against austerity and enforced privatisation. Based on a historical-materialist perspective and following a strategy of incorporated comparison, in this article, we will comparatively assess the struggles against enforced water privatisation in Greece and Portugal set against the background of the structuring conditions surrounding the Eurozone crisis.

Identification Key to Fishes in Fresh Waters of Greece

Identification Key to Fishes in Fresh Waters of Greece

EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY OF VIRAL NERVOUS NECROSIS (VNN) IN MALAYSIAN GROUPERS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS STRATEGIES AND QUASISPECIES DETERMINANT’S

EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY OF VIRAL NERVOUS NECROSIS (VNN) IN MALAYSIAN GROUPERS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS STRATEGIES AND QUASISPECIES DETERMINANT’S

Application of chemometric methods for assessment and modelling of microbiological quality data concerning coastal bathing water in Greece.

BackgroundWorldwide, the aim of managing water is to safeguard human health whilst maintaining sustainable aquatic and associated terrestrial, ecosystems. Because human enteric viruses are the most likely pathogens responsible for waterborne diseases from recreational water use, but detection methods are complex and costly for routine monitoring, it is of great interest to determine the quality of coastal bathing water with a minimum cost and maximum safety.Design and methodsThis study handles the assessment and modelling of the microbiological quality data of 2149 seawater bathing areas in Greece over 10-year period (1997-2006) by chemometric methods.ResultsCluster analysis results indicated that the studied bathing beaches are classified in accordance with the seasonality in three groups. Factor analysis was applied to investigate possible determining factors in the groups resulted from the cluster analysis, and also two new parameters were created in each group; VF1 includes E. coli, faecal coliforms and total coliforms and VF2 includes faecal streptococci/enterococci. By applying the cluster analysis in each seasonal group, three new groups of coasts were generated, group A (ultraclean), group B (clean) and group C (contaminated).ConclusionsThe above analysis is confirmed by the application of discriminant analysis, and proves that chemometric methods are useful tools for assessment and modeling microbiological quality data of coastal bathing water on a large scale, and thus could attribute to effective and economical monitoring of the quality of coastal bathing water in a country with a big number of bathing coasts, like Greece.Significance for public healthThe microbiological protection of coastal bathing water quality is of great interest for the public health authorities as well as for the economy. The present study proves that this protection can be achieved by monitoring only two microbiological parameters, E. coli and faecal streptococci/enterococci instead four microbiological parameters (the two mentioned above plus Total coliforms and Faecal coliforms) that are usually monitored today. As a consequence, countries, especially those with large quantities of coastal bathing sites, can perform microbiological monitoring of their bathing waters by checking only the mentioned two parameters, thus ensuring economies of scale. Thus, funds can be used in other actions to preserve the quality of coastal water and human health. This in turn, would aid in the assessment of the quality of coastal bathing waters and provide a more timely indication of bathing water quality, hence contributing to the immediate health protection of bathers.

Occurrence of Cr(VI) in drinking water of Greece and relation to the geological background

This study provides a survey on potential Cr(VI) exposure attributed to drinking water in Greece. For this reason, a wide sampling and chemical analysis of tap waters from around 600 sites, supplied by groundwater resources, was conducted focusing on areas in which the geological substrate is predominated by ultramafic minerals. Results indicate that although violations of the current chromium regulation limit in tap water are very rare, 25% of cases showed Cr(VI) concentrations above 10μg/L, whereas Cr(VI) was detectable in 70% of the samples (>2μg/L). Mineralogy and conditions of groundwater reservoirs were correlated to suggest a possible Cr(VI) leaching mechanism. Higher Cr(VI) values are observed in aquifers in alluvial and neogene sediments of serpentine and amphibolite, originating from the erosion of ophiolithic and metamorphic rocks. In contrast, Cr(VI) concentration in samples from ophiolithic and metamorphic rocks was always below 10μg/L due to both low contact time and surface area, as verified by low conductivity and salt concentration values. These findings indicate that under specific conditions, pollution of water by Cr(VI) is favorable by a slow MnO2-catalyzed oxidation of soluble Cr(III) to Cr(VI) in which manganese products [Mn(III)/Mn(II)] are probably re-oxidized by oxygen.

Diachronic long-term surveillance of bacteriological quality of bottled water in Greece (1995–2010)

The aim of this study is the diachronic surveillance (1995–2010) of the microbiological quality of non-carbonated bottled water sold in Greece. One thousand eight hundred and sixty samples, derived from 29 bottling companies (22 domestic and 7 imported) have been analyzed. The samples were analyzed, using standard methods (ISO) for the detection and enumeration of Total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Heterotrophic plate count at 22 °C and 37 °C. 13.0% of the tested samples were characterized as non-comply with human consumption according to Greek legislation, due to the presence of Total coliforms, P. aeruginosa or Enterococcus spp. These microorganisms detected in 9.1%, 6.1% and 1.0% of the samples respectively. The study shows a significant improvement of the quality of the bottled water over time. Also, there was significant difference of microbiological burden among specific brand names and not geographic areas. The present study is one of the very few long-term studies evaluating quality of bottled water in Greece. The study shows a diachronic presence of indicators in bottle water and may help the bottling companies to improve the water quality. The diachronic detection of the bacterial burden in bottled waters highlights the need for systematic and rigorous controls, both in the bottling and during storage and maintenance on the market.

Legislation framework for RES and desalination in Greece

Abstract The paper presents part of the work that has been elaborated within the project entitled “Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) through Desalination”, PRODES, IEE/07/781/ SI2.499059, Intelligent Energy EU Programme. Part of the project work is dedicated to the analysis of the energy and water framework in four target countries, that is, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The present paper is focused on the current situation of the energy and water in Greece as well as on the legislation and administrative framework for RES and Water Desalination. Energy tariffs and water costs from conventional or alternative resources are also presented. The output of this work includes recommendations for policy makers, suggestions on the improvement and acceleration of the procedures, and further progress of RE-Desalination in Greece.

Spatial distribution of the isotopic composition of precipitation and spring water in Greece

This paper reviews all available stable isotopic data concerning precipitation and spring water in Greece, from the 1960s until today. Spatial variability is investigated in order to provide basic information and identify the locally significant parameters that affect isotopic distributions. The area of interest was partitioned into eight sections according to geographical location and climatic characteristics. The distance of the station from the sea and the altitude are the main factors imprinted in the isotopic signature of precipitation. Local meteoric water meteoric line (LMWL) for precipitation and spring water were calculated for each section and for Greece as a whole. Precipitation LMWLs differ from the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) in various ways across Greece. Elevated deuterium excess values are observed, probably due to water vapour originating from the Aegean or the Mid-eastern Mediterranean. Spring LMWLs are more or less consistent throughout the country. Furthermore, a high resolution map of precipitation and freshwater spring (Cl − < 200 ppm and T < 25 °C) δ 18O reveals several interesting features such as an orographic shadow effect induced by the Pindos Mountains, a strong climatic signal in southern Greece and a local city-microclimate effect around Athens.

Study of indoor radon and radon in drinking water in Greece and Cyprus: Implications to exposure and dose

This paper reports passive and active radon concentrations in indoor air and drinking waters in Cyprus and Greece (Attica, Crete) together with exposure–dose estimations. Passive indoor radon concentrations in Cyprus ranged between ( 14 ± 3 ) and ( 74 ± 6 ) Bq m - 3 (arithmetic mean, A.M., 29.3 Bq m - 3 ). Active indoor radon concentrations in Attica ranged between ( 5.6 ± 1.8 ) and ( 161 ± 12 ) Bq m - 3 (A.M. 27.6 Bq m - 3 ) and in Crete, between ( 1.7 ± 0.4 ) and ( 141 ± 12 ) Bq m - 3 (A.M. 23.4 Bq m - 3 ). The radon concentrations in drinking waters in Cyprus ranged between ( 0.3 ± 0.3 ) and ( 20 ± 2 ) Bq L - 1 (A.M. 5.9 Bq L - 1 ) and in Greece between ( 0.8 ± 0.2 ) and ( 24 ± 6 ) Bq L - 1 (A.M. 5.4 Bq L - 1 ). Radon is the main source of exposure and dose in both Greek and Cypriot population.

Contribution to the study of thermal waters in Greece: chemical patterns and origin of thermal water in the thermal springs of Lesvos

AbstractThe occurrence of thermal/spa waters on Lesvos Island is related to the presence of a major faulting system. Thermal waters are the result of mixing of meteoric and infiltrating seawater at great depth, and their total salinity depends on the percentage of seawater in their composition. According to the diagrams of main elements, trace elements and environmental isotopes, most of the components that determine the chemical composition of thermal waters such as sodium, chloride and sulphates originate from seawaters. On the other hand, the concentration of calcium, magnesium, boron, lithium, etc., was affected by water–rock interaction under high temperature conditions. Moving towards the surface, thermal waters may become polluted by influx of recent seawater, allowing their chemical composition to become similar to that of seawater. The thermal waters of Lesvos Island present relatively high concentrations of ammonia and redox sensitive metals because they are hosted in a reducing environment. They also exhibit low nitrate concentrations due to their mixture with recent fresh water. Finally, they show increased radon concentrations, ranging from 20 to 60 kBq m−3 in the eastern and southern parts of the island, and about 230 kBq m−3 in the north, in the area of Eftalou–Argenos. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Natural radionuclides and heavy metals in bottled water in Greece

Natural radionuclides and heavy metals in bottled waters of the major brands in Greece were measured. Gross alpha- and beta-activities were evaluated first; subsequently 226Ra was measured by alpha spectroscopy. Tritium and uranium activities were assessed with liquid scintillation counting. Heavy metals were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy following pre-concentration. A correlation of activity concentrations with the chemical parameters of waters was also attempted. Dose calculations for different age groups were finally performed.

Determination of trace elements in bottled water in Greece by instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analyses

Determination of trace elements in bottled water in Greece by instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analyses