A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of the Marine Algae in the Saronikos Gulf (Greece)

Abstract. One hundred ninety-seven macroalgal taxa, belonging to four classes, were identified at seven characteristic stations of the Saronikos Gulf.
Species diversity was higher in cleaner waters. From the outer to the inner section, the number of species and the coverage increased in Bryopsidophyceae and decreased in Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae.     

Imaging crustal discontinuities and the downgoing slab beneath western Crete

The migration of teleseismic receiver functions yields high-resolution images of the crustal structure of western Crete. Data were collected during two field campaigns in 1996 and 1997 by networks of six and 47 short-period three-component seismic stations, respectively. A total of 1288 seismograms from 97 teleseismic events were restituted to true ground displacement within a period range from 0.5 to 7 s. The application of a noise-adaptive deconvolution filter and a new polarization analysis technique helped to overcome problems with local coda and noise conditions. The computation and migration of receiver functions results in images of local crustal structures with unprecedented spatial resolution for this region. The crust under Crete consists of a continental top layer of 15–20 km thickness above a 20–30 km thick subducted fossil accretionary wedge with a characteristic en echelon fault sequence. The downgoing oceanic Moho lies at a depth of 40–60 km and shows a topography or undulation with an amplitude of several kilometres. As a consequence of slab depth and distribution of local seismicity, the Mediterranean Ridge is interpreted as the recent accretionary wedge.     

A biomonitoring study: Heavy metals in macroalgae from eastern Aegean coastal areas

The concentrations of metals were measured in macroalgae species seasonally at eight coastal stations along the eastern Aegean coast. Sediment and seawater samples were also collected to detect their metal contents in order to gain more information on the environmental conditions of the area and possible bioaccumulation patterns. The aim of this study is, to gather more information on the use of selected species as cosmopolitan biomonitors for the eastern Aegean; to provide information on the marine environmental quality by the use of macroalgae and to determine which algae species are suitable as biomonitoring species for the study area. The relative abundance of metals in macroalgae decreases in the order: Fe-Zn-Cu-Cr-Cd-Hg-Pb and seawater: Fe-Zn-Pb-Cu-Cr-Cd-Hg. In sediment the distribution order from higher to lower was Fe-Cr-Zn-Pb-Cu-Hg-Cd. The brown algae Cystoseira sp., the green algae Ulva sp. and Enteromorpha sp. possess high potential as cosmopolitan biomonitors for trace metals in the Aegean Sea.     

Probabilities of occurrence of large earthquakes in the Aegean and surrounding area during the period 1986–2006

Repeat times of large shocks are obtained for 17 seismic fracture zones of the Aegean and surrounding area, from times of historic and present century earthquakes. The mean standard deviation of the repeat times is approximately 50% of any one observation.A probabilistic approach is then used to forecast the likelihood of large future earthquakes in each fracture zone, using as input the time of the last large shock, the average repeat time and its standard deviation. Shallow and intermediate depth earthquakes are examined separately. The calculated probabilities are high for the entire Hellenic arc, both for shallow and intermediate depth seismicity, for the area of Leucas island (Ionian), of Lesbos island (Aegean), for Patraikos-west Corinthiakos Gulfs, for Evoikos Gulf as well as for southern Bulgaria.The probability estimates based on the most recent large earthquakes, involve a number of basic physical assumptions and we would think that they provide a semi-stochastic approach to the problem of earthquake prediction in Greece.     

A high-resolution aftershock seismicity image of the 2002 Sultandaği-Çay earthquake (Mw = 6.2), Turkey

A moderate-size earthquake (Mw = 6.2) occurred on 3 February 2002 (07:11:28 GMT) in the Sultanda??-Çay region of southwest Turkey. The mainshock was followed by a strong aftershock of Mw = 6.0 just 2 h after the mainshock, at 09:26:49 GMT. A temporary seismic network of 27 vertical component seismometers was installed to monitor aftershock activity. One thousand sixty nine aftershocks (0.2 < ML < 3.3) were recorded during the period from 5 to 10 February 2002. We analyzed the P and S arrival times and P wave first motion data to obtain high-quality hypocenters and focal mechanisms, which revealed fine details of the fault zone. We infer that the mainshock has ruptured a segment of the Sultanda? Fault Zone that is approximately 37 km long and 7 km wide at depth. The average slip over the rupture plane during the mainshock is estimated to be 32 cm. The linear distribution of the aftershocks and the location of the mainshock epicenter suggest that rupture has initiated in the eastern bending of the fault and propagated unilaterally to the west. The majority of fault plane solutions indicate E–W to ESE–WNW striking oblique–normal faulting mechanisms with an average dip angle of 62° N ± 10° . The high-resolution aftershock seismicity image also shows that faulting involved a complex array of synthetic and possibly antithetic structures during the evolution of the aftershock sequence. The steady increase of the b value towards the west implies that the highest moment release of the mainshock occurred to the west of the epicenter. The study clearly shows the activation of the WNW–ESE-trending Sultanda? Fault Zone along the southern margin of the Ak?ehir-Afyon Graben (AAG). The westernmost end of the aftershock activity corresponds to a structurally complex zone distinct from the main rupture. It is characterized by both ENE–WSW- and NNE–SSW-trending oblique-slip normal faulting mechanisms, the latter being associated with the NNE–SSW-trending Karam?k Graben. The intersection of these two grabens, AAG and Karam?k Graben, provides abundant faults available for failure in this region. The occurrence pattern of large events in recent years indicates a possible migration of earthquakes from east to west. Thus, we conclude that this has an important implication for earthquake hazard for the city of Afyon, which lies along the same fault line and only 20 km west of the termination point of the aftershock zone.     

S-wave spectral analysis of the 1995 Kozani-Grevena (NW Greece) aftershock sequence

S-wave spectral analysis is applied to 174 strong motion accelerationrecords to obtain the source parameters of 27 aftershocks(3.1 M_L 4.3) of the May 13, 1995, M_w 6.6,Kozani-Grevena (NW Greece) earthquake. The data are derived from atemporary network, of three-component digital accelerographs, deployedwithin the strongly affected area some days after the mainshock occurrence.Site effects were evident in the strong motion records at 3 out of the 4stations used, and a correction was applied to account for theoverestimation of seismic moment due to amplification of thelow-frequency part of the spectrum. The data from this analysis arecomplimented with previously obtained source parameters for earthquakesin Greece, in order to study the applicability of the empirical scalingrelations used so far, towards smaller magnitudes. In general, a goodcorrelation was observed in most cases, validating the use of empiricalrelations that are applicable to the Aegean area. Empirical relations aredetermined between seismic moment and seismic slip, as well as, betweenseismic moment and stress drop, applicable to small magnitude earthquakes(M_L < 4.3). Stress drop values were found to be relatively small,ranging from 2 to 41 bars, indicative of inter-plate environments. Thevalues of f_c and of f_max were found in good agreement withrelations based on observations from larger worldwide earthquakes.     

Meiofaunal community structure in Thermaikos Gulf: Response to intense trawling pressure

Among the most important impacts of trawling is the disturbance of the benthic environment as well as the mortality of the larger benthic organisms, which is caused by the passage of the fishing gear. Meiofauna, which are among the smallest benthic organisms, may be more resistant to disturbance by trawling since they are likely to be re-suspended rather than killed by trawls. Their short generation times allow populations to withstand elevated mortality. In this study, we determined the effect of trawling disturbance, season and sediment type on the structure of meiofaunal communities in a commercial fishing ground in Thermaikos Gulf, north Aegean Sea, Greece. The trawling season is limited to 8 months between October and May. A grid of five nearshore stations was chosen along a north–south productivity gradient and an additional offshore station was included as a reference point. Sediment chemistry and meiofaunal community structure were studied before the trawling season started, as well as 1 and 4 months after the initiation of the fishing period. Results showed that there were no short term (30 days) trawling impacts on meiofauna in terms of abundance and community structure but that there were recognizable effects on the community structure of nematodes and the abundance of polychaetes. In contrast, most meiofaunal taxa displayed significant seasonal variability, 4 months after the initiation of the fishing period; however, other closely related factors such as temperature, sediment particle size and primary productivity are more likely to be responsible for the observed patterns.     

Seasonal dynamics, environmental preferences and habitat selection of John Dory (Zeus faber)

Spatial distribution patterns of John Dory (Zeus faber, L.) were examined in relation to sea bottom temperature, bathymetry, locational covariates and season. Data were collected during a 2-year period (1996–1997) of seasonal sampling using demersal trawl surveys in the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean). The ecological preferences of the species throughout four seasons were elucidated and the degree in which these environmental relationships might be modulated by the different hydrographic and topographic regime was also considered. Key determinants of the species' spatial aggregation in all four seasons were the water depth, the sea bottom temperature and the latitude. The sea bottom temperature had a significant effect on seasonal John Dory abundance both directly, as a main effect, and indirectly, through its interactive effect with the water depth. John Dory seasonal abundance was consistently greater in the shallower regions of the area having warmer bottom waters. Results indicated a distinct southward shift as progressing through the year, with peak abundances being observed in gradually lower latitudes of shallow areas as seasons evolved. John Dory appeared to avoid the deeper waters regardless of their bottom temperature and geographic position. The present results also suggested a seasonal pattern of habitat associations for specific locations characterised by weak hydrographic activity. John Dory preferences for certain water depth zones, sea bottom temperatures and substrate types are hypothesized to modulate the seasonal spatial aggregation of the species to preferred grounds.