Temporal changes of soft-bottom zoobenthic communities in and around Alsancak Harbor (Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea), with special attention to the autecology of exotic species

Temporal and spatial variation in soft‐bottom benthic communities following recovery from a pollution episode were studied between January and September 2004 in and around Alsancak Harbor, located in the polluted part of Izmir Bay (Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean). Samples were collected at seven stations by van Veen grab. Three additional stations were sampled by means of a beam trawl to take into account large mobile animals and for a better estimate of the local biodiversity. A total of 231 species belonging to 10 zoobenthic groups were found. Polychaetes contributed 90% of the total faunal populations and mollusks 87% of the total biomass in the area. Community parameters varied significantly among stations and sampling periods; number of species ranged from 2 to 79 per 0.1 m² grab sample; density from 20 to 81,720 ind·m^?2; biomass from 0.1 to 4190 g·m^?2; Shannon–Wiener diversity index (log₂ base) from 0.4 to 4.4; and Pielou's evenness index from 0.11 to 1.0. Collections indicate that a number of species, including those sensitive to pollution, have colonized the area where azoic conditions had been previously reported. A total of six exotic species, Streblospio gynobranchiata, Polydora cornuta, Hydroides dianthus, Hydroides elegans, Anadara demiri and Fulvia fragilis, probably transferred to the area via ballast water or hull fouling, dominated soft or hard substrata in and near Alsancak Harbor. The first two species accounted for more than 70% of the total population in the area, while A. demiri contributed the most to the biomass (93%, at station 7).     

Petro Gram: An excel-based petrology program for modeling of magmatic processes

Petro Gram is an Excel?based magmatic petrology program that generates numerical and graphical models.Petro Gram can model the magmatic processes such as melting,crystallization,assimilation and magma mixing based on the trace element and isotopic data.The program can produce both inverse and forward geochemical models for melting processes(e.g.forward model for batch,fractional and dynamic melting,and inverse model for batch and dynamic melting).However,the program uses a forward modeling approach for magma differentiation processes such as crystallization(EC:Equilibruim Crystallization,FC:Fractional Crystallization,IFC:Imperfect Fractional Crystallization and In-situ Crystallization),assimilation(AFC:Assimilation Fractional Crystallization,Decoupled FC-A:Decoupled Fractional Crystallization and Assimillation,A-IFC:Assimilation and Imperfect Fractional Crystallization)and magma mixing.One of the most important advantages of the program is that the melt composition obtained from any partial melting model can be used as a starting composition of the crystallization,assimilation and magma mixing.In addition,Petro Gram is able to carry out the classification,tectonic setting,multi-element(spider)and isotope correlation diagrams,and basic calculations including Mg^#,Eu/Eu^*,εSrandεNdwidely used in magmatic petrology.     

Performance analysis of podded propulsors

In this study, the flow around the pod unit is analysed and the performance characteristics of the propeller on the pod are investigated. The main objective of the present work is to further improve the original numerical method developed before for the prediction of performance of podded propellers and to further validate the earlier developed numerical model with a specific emphasis on the hydrodynamic interaction amongst the propulsor components. While in the earlier numerical method, the axial induced velocities by pod and strut parts were included into the calculations on the propeller disc plane, in the present method the tangential induced velocities on the propeller disc plane are included in the calculations as well. The flow domain around the podded propeller is mainly divided into three parts; the axisymmetric pod part, the strut part and the propeller part. While the pod and strut parts are modelled by a low-order boundary element method (BEM), the propeller is represented by a vortex lattice method (VLM). Coupling of the BEM and the VLM is carried out in an iterative manner to incorporate the effect of the pod on the propeller, and vice versa. The present numerical method is applied to two different podded propellers with zero yaw angles in order to compare the results with those of experimental measurements. The present numerical method is also validated in the case of 15° of yaw angle for a podded propulsor. The effect of pod and strut on the propeller and vice versa are discussed.     

GIS based analysis of doline density on Taurus Mountains,Turkey

The Taurus Mountain is one of the most important karstic region of the world and dolines are characteristics landforms of this area. However, the number and distribution of doline are unknown in the study area. The aims of this study are to explain the total number of dolines, distribution of doline density, effects of slope conditions and the change of doline orientation in the Taurus Mountains. According to the 1/25000 scale topographic maps utilized in this study, a total of 140,070 dolines were determined in a 13,189 km² area on eleven high karstic plateaus bordered by steep slopes and deep gorges. These plateaus are substantially affected by highly-faulted and jointed systems and about 80% of each plateau is covered with neritic limestone. The dolines are located at an elevation between 10 and 2870 m. Average elevation of all dolines is 1842 m. 90% of dolines are located between 1300 and 2270 m and only 5% of dolines found under 1330 m. According to this results, the densest doline zone corresponds to the alpine and periglacial zone above the treeline. Doline density reaches?>?100 doline/km² on Mt. Anamas and the Seyran, Geyik and Akda? ranges as well as the Ta?eli plateau. Maximum density (187 doline/km²) is found on the Akda? Mountains. However, 66% of the study area is characterized by low density, 29.9% with moderate density, 3.4% with high density and 0.7% with very high density. The highest doline densities are seen on gentle slopes (15°–25°/km²) and steep slopes (>?35°/km²) are limited doline distribution. According to the rose diagram formed by the azimuths of the long axis of the dolines at the Central Taurus, two direction are dominant in doline orientations (NW–SE and NE–SW). However, dominant directions are NE-SW at eastern, NE–SW and NW–SE at central and NW-SE at western part of the Central Taurus. According to this elongations, doline orientations are formed an arc which is formed by tectonic evolution of the Central Taurus.     

Geochemical Monitoring of Geothermal Waters (2002–2004) along the North Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey: Spatial and Temporal Variations and Relationship to Seismic Activity

A total of nine geothermal fields located along an 800-km long E-W transect of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), Turkey were monitored for three years (2002–2004 inclusive; 3-sampling periods per year) to investigate any possible relationship between seismic activity and temporal variations in the chemistry and isotope characteristics of waters in the fields. The geothermal fields monitored in the study were, from west to east, Yalova, Efteni, Bolu, Mudurnu, Seben, Kur?unlu-Çank?r?, Hamamözü, Gözlek and Re?adiye. The chemical (major anion-cation contents) and isotopic (¹⁸O/¹⁶O, D/H, ³H) compositions of hot and cold waters of the geothermal sites were determined in order to both characterize the chemical nature of the individual fields and identify possible temporal variations associated with localized seismic activity. The geothermal waters associated with the NAFZ are dominantly Na-HCO₃, whereas the cold waters are of the Ca-HCO₃ type. The oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope compositions reveal that the hot waters are meteoric in origin as are their cold water counterparts. However, the lower δ¹⁸O, δD and ³H contents of the hot waters point to the fact that they are older than the cold waters, and that their host aquifers are recharged from higher altitudes with virtually no input from recent (post-bomb) precipitation. Although no major earthquakes (e.g., with M ≥ 5) were recorded along the NAFZ during the course of the monitoring period, variations in the chemical and isotopic compositions of some waters were observed. Indeed, the timing of the chemical/isotopic changes seems to correlate with the occurrence of seismic activity of moderate magnitude (3 < M < 5) close to the sampling sites. In this respect, Cl, ³H and Ca seem to be the most sensitive tracers of seismically-induced crustal perturbations, and the Yalova and Efteni fields appear to be the key localities where the effects of seismic activity on the geothermal fluids are most pronounced over the monitoring period. The present study has produced a ‘baseline’ database for future studies directed at characterizing the effects of moderate-major earthquakes on the composition of geothermal waters along the NAFZ. Future work involving longer monitoring periods with more frequent sampling intervals should lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanism(s) producing the observed chemical and isotopic variations.