Assessing the Status of Electricity Generation in the Non-Interconnected Islands of the Aegean Sea Region

Assessment of the electricity generation status for Non-Interconnected Islands (NIIs) of the Aegean Sea region, excluding the electricity systems of Crete and Rhodes, is undertaken in the current study. The authors focus on the long-term analysis of thermal power generation characteristics and also on the challenges so far limiting the contribution of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in covering the electricity needs of the specific area. According to the present analysis, due to the existing technical limitations, the annual RES shares in the electricity balance of NIIs of the Aegean Sea have since 2010 stagnated in the range of 15% to 18%. Moreover, the performance of thermal power stations for all 30 NII systems is evaluated on the basis of their utilization factor, associated fuel consumption and electricity production costs. The vast majority of these stations is characterized by low capacity factors in combination with high specific fuel consumption and high operational expenses that in the case of smaller scale island regions could even exceed 600€/MWh. At the same time, the authors discuss on the alternatives and encourage further investigation of novel, intelligent energy solutions, such as the smart microgrid and battery-based hybrid power station that are currently developed on the island of Tilos under the implementation of the TILOS Horizon 2020 program

The freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece - an update based on a hydrographic basin survey

Distribution records (historical, contemporary) for native and non-native freshwater fish species from 105 hydrographic basin areas were compiled and analysed in order to develop a nation-wide inventory (including transboundary river basins). Overall, 162 species, including diadromous and euryhaline, with documented occurrence records in freshwaters, and taxa of unclarified taxonomic status, are accommodated in the distributional compilation. An annotated checklist summarises the confirmed ichthyofauna of Greek freshwaters (161 species); a provisional supplementary list contains species recorded in brackish waters (55 species). In comparison to the last published (1991) checklist of freshwater fish of Greece, the present checklist shows an increase in species number of 53% (56 species). This increase has resulted mainly from taxonomic re-evaluations of existing taxa on the basis of new information and adoption of a new systematic concept. The current trend, as reflected in recent ichthyological publications, is towards abandonment of the biological species concept (BSC) and adoption of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC) for the delineation of species boundaries. The practical implications of the change in species concept on biodiversity conservation and watershed management are discussed. An overview of the composition and characteristics of the freshwater fish fauna of Greece is provided, especially with regard to the native and introduced status of species, and the spatial patterns of species richness and endemism. This systematic inventory may assist in efforts to develop nation-wide surface water bioassessment tools within the demands of the Water Framework Directive (WFD); it may further promote biodiversity conservation and biologically-orientated fishery management approaches

Demilitarization regimes in contemporary international law: the Greek case and beyond

Εκ πρώτης όψεως, φαντάζει σχεδόν ως παραδοξότητα το γεγονός ότι το ακριβές περιεχόμενο του νομικού όρου της αποστρατικοποίησης, δεν έχει αποκρυσταλλωθεί στη νομική θεωρία, παρότι τυγχάνει αντικείμενο εκτεταμένης επισκόπησης για πάνω από έναν αιώνα. Η νομική διαμάχη ως προς το ζήτημα της αποστρατικοποίησης των νησιών του Αιγαίου, με άλλα λόγια η "Ελληνική περίπτωση", συνιστά το ιδανικό παράδειγμα για να διασαφηνίσει την εν θέματι έννοια και να αναδείξει τη θέση της, στο πλαίσιο του σύγχρονου Δημοσίου Διεθνούς Δικαίου. Η διαμάχη επιπλέον, είναι απολύτως επίκαιρη, καθότι το ζήτημα εγείρεται από την Τουρκία σε διαρκή βάση. Η παρούσα εργασία, πέραν την Ελληνικής περίπτωσης, καταπιάνεται επίσης με καθεστώτα αποστρατικοποίησης, έξω από το πλαίσιο της κρατικής κυριαρχίας, επιχειρώντας να αναδείξει τις νομικές ιδιαιτερότητες αυτών. Ειδικότερα, θα αναλυθούν τα καθεστώτα αποστρατικοποίησης, τα οποία έχουν εφαρμοστεί στην Ανταρκτική, στο διάστημα και στο βυθό της θάλασσας. Η εργασία, σκοπεί στην προσέγγιση της έννοιας της αποστρατικοποίησης υπό νομικούς όρους και στην επισήμανση κάποιων όψεων λιγότερο προβεβλημάνων από τη νομική βιβλιογραφία. Προκειμένου το αποτέλεσμα να καταστεί πλήρες και δογματικά ακριβές, το πρώτο κεφάλαιο αποτυπώνει την ιστορική εξέλιξη της έννοιας και τις διάφορες μορφές τις οποίες προσέλαβε η αποστρατικοποίηση ανά τους αιώνες. Ακολούθως, το δεύτερο κεφάλαιο καταπιάνεται με τα καθεστώτα αποστρατικοποίησης, τα οποία εκφεύγουν της σφαίρας της κρατικής κυριαρχίας (Ανταρκτική, διάστημα, βυθός θάλασσας). Το τρίτο κεφάλαιο, το οποίο συνιστά και τον πυρήνα της εργασίας, καταπιάνεται με το νομικό πλαίσιο, το οποίο διέπει τη διαμάχη ως προς την αποστρατικοποίηση των νησιών του Αιγαίου. Εντός αυτού, εκτίθεται το σύνολο της αναπτυχθείσας επιχειρηματολογίας, τόσο της Ελλάδας όσο και της Τουρκίας, ως προς τις τρεις ζώνες αποστρατικοποίησης του Αιγαίου: Nησιά των Στενών (Λήμνος και Σαμοθράκη), νησιά του Κεντρικού Αιγαίου (Λέσβος, Χίος, Σάμος και Ικαρία), Δωδεκάνησα. Τέλος, το τέταρτο κεφάλαιο περικλείει τα σχετικά συμπεράσματα της συγκριτικής ανάλυσης των επιχειρημάτων των δύο κρατών.At first glance, it seems almost paradoxical that the exact content of demilitarization, has not been crystalized yet by international law theory, despite the fact that the notion, has concerned heavily the legal literature, for more than a century. The dispute regarding the Aegean islands’ demilitarization, i.e. the Greek case, constitutes the perfect example, in order to shed some light to this obscure term and examine its relevance and validity in the context of contemporary international law. The inquiry is also extremely relevant, as Turkey raises the matter of Aegean’s demilitarization on a constant basis. The present work, also discusses the status of some extraterritorial demilitarization regimes, exposing their legal nature and peculiarities. Each and every approach to these regimes, is always critical, since it reflects the heavy interest of the international community as a whole, to the status and the resilience of the common heritage of humankind. This paper purports to approach the notion of demilitarization, mostly under legal terms and elaborate on some facets that are not so obvious and are infrequently exposed by literature. In order for the result to be doctrinally coherent, it is deemed necessary to dedicate the first Chapter to the historic evolution of the term, so as to clarify all the different formats that the notion has acquired throughout history and categorize them appropriately. Subsequently, the second Chapter will address in detail three pioneering demilitarization regimes pertaining some extraterritorial spheres, namely Antarctica, Outer Space and Seabed. The third Chapter, constitutes the core of the dissertation and within it, it is being analyzed the exact legal framework that governs the demilitarization of the Aegean islands. In this part, it is also displayed the aggregate of both Greek and Turkish argumentation, on the three distinct demilitarization zones of the Aegean, i.e. the islands of the Straits (Lemnos and Samothrace), the Central Aegean islands (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria) and the Dodecanese Islands. Lastly, the fourth chapter contains the conclusions of this comparative exam

Comparison of cube attacks over different vector spaces

We generalise the cube attack of Dinur and Shamir (and the similar AIDA attack of Vielhaber) to a more general higher order differentiation attack, by summing over an arbitrary subspace of the space of initialisation vectors. The Moebius transform can be used for efficiently examining all the subspaces of a big space, similar to the method used by Fouque and Vannet for the usual cube attack. Secondly we propose replacing the Generalised Linearity Test proposed by Dinur and Shamir with a test based on higher order differentiation/Moebius transform. We show that the proposed test provides all the information provided by the Generalised Linearity Test, at the same computational cost. In addition, for functions that do not pass the linearity test it also provides, at no extra cost, an estimate of the degree of the function. This is useful for guiding the heuristics for the cube/AIDA attacks

Interpretations of Reservoir Induced Seismicity may not always be valid : the case of seismicity during the impoundment of the Kremasta dam (Greece, 1965-1966)

The ‘Kremasta seismic sequence’ in western Greece is one of the most commonly cited examples of Reservoir Induced Seismicity (RIS). Here, we show that this ‘sequence’ is a result of normal tectonic activity and that only some small, unrelated microseismic events are reservoir induced. Shortly after the beginning of the impoundment of the Kremasta Dam in 1965, the then newly established seismic monitoring network in Greece recorded two Ms ≥ 6.0 events and numerous small shocks spread over a 120 km wide region. These were interpreted as a single seismic sequence (namely the Kremasta seismic sequence), and assumed to be reservoir induced. We revisit the epicenter locations of these events and interpret them in the framework of the regional tectonic context and the local hydrogeology. Placing these events into the local context shows that they represent an amalgamation of separate, ordinary (tectonic) seismic sequences. Further, the regional rocks are highly fragmented by small faults and the spatial distribution of seismic events is not consistent with a model of stress transfer from reservoir loading. In addition, it is not likely that events at such long (> 20-30 km) distances from the reservoir could be induced by an initial reservoir load head of 30 m. Whilst the larger magnitude events are tectonic, after impoundment local residents reported an unusual frequency of small microseismic events felt only within 10 km of the dam. We provide evidence that these are a result of the collapse of numerous shallow karstic cavities adjacent and beneath the reservoir due to increased water load (locally 100-150 m depth). This study has significant implications for interpretation of seismic triggering mechanisms in other regions: earthquake occurrence within the proximity of reservoirs during and after impoundment time cannot be assumed to be RIS unless supported by seismological, geological and hydrogeological evidence

The 2008 Methoni earthquake sequence: the relationship between the earthquake cycle on the subduction interface and coastal uplift in SW Greece

Seismological, GPS and historical data suggest that most of the 40 mm yr$^{-1}$ convergence at the Hellenic Subduction Zone is accommodated through aseismic creep, with earthquakes of $\textit{M}$W ≲ 7 rupturing isolated locked patches of the subduction interface. The size and location of these locked patches are poorly constrained despite their importance for assessment of seismic hazard. We present continuous GPS time-series covering the 2008 MW 6.9 Methoni earthquake, the largest earthquake on the subduction interface since 1960. Post-seismic displacements from this earthquake at onshore GPS sites are comparable in magnitude with the coseismic displacements; elastic-dislocation modelling shows that they are consistent with afterslip on the subduction interface, suggesting that much of this part of the interface is able to slip aseismically and is not locked and accumulating elastic strain. In the Hellenic and other subduction zones, the relationship between earthquakes on the subduction interface and observed long-term coastal uplift is poorly understood. We use cGPS-measured coseismic offsets and seismological body-waveform modelling to constrain centroid locations and depths for the 2008 Methoni $\textit{M}$W 6.9 and 2013 Crete $\textit{M}$W 6.5 earthquakes, showing that the subduction interface reaches the base of the seismogenic layer SW of the coast of Greece. These earthquakes caused subsidence of the coast in regions where the presence of Pliocene–Quaternary marine terraces indicates recent uplift, so we conclude that deformation associated with the earthquake cycle on the subduction interface is not the dominant control on vertical motions of the coastline. It is likely that minor uplift on a short length scale (∼15 km) occurs in the footwalls of normal faults. We suggest, however, that most of the observed Plio-Quaternary coastal uplift in SW Greece is the result of thickening of the overriding crust of the Aegean by reverse faulting or distributed shortening in the accretionary wedge, by underplating of sediment of the Mediterranean seafloor, or a combination of these mechanisms.AH is supported by a Shell Exploration studentship. This study forms part of the NERC- and ESRC-funded project “Earthquakes Without Frontiers” under grant NEJ02001X/1, and was partly funded by the NERC grant “Looking inside the Continents from Space”

Subduction and vertical coastal motions in the eastern Mediterranean

Convergence in the eastern Mediterranean of oceanic Nubia with Anatolia and the Aegean is complex and poorly understood. Large volumes of sediment obscure the shallow structure of the subduction zone, and since much of the convergence is accommodated aseismically, there are limited earthquake data to constrain its kinematics. We present new source models for recent earthquakes, combining these with field observations, published GPS velocities and reflection-seismic data to investigate faulting in three areas: the Florence Rise, SW Turkey and the Pliny and Strabo Trenches. The depths and locations of earthquakes reveal the geometry of the subducting Nubian plate NE of the Florence Rise, a bathymetric high that is probably formed by deformation of sediment at the surface projection of the Anatolia-Nubia subduction interface. In SW Turkey, the presence of a strike-slip shear zone has often been inferred despite an absence of strike-slip earthquakes. We show that the GPS-derived strain-rate field is consistent with extension on the orthogonal systems of normal faults observed in the region and that strike-slip faulting is not required to explain observed GPS velocities. Further SW, the Pliny and Strabo Trenches are also often interpreted as strike-slip shear zones, but almost all nearby earthquakes have either reverse-faulting or normal-faulting focal mechanisms. Oblique convergence across the trenches may be accommodated either by a partitioned system of strike-slip and reverse faults or by oblique slip on the Aegean-Nubia subduction interface. The observed late-Quaternary vertical motions of coastlines close to the subduction zone are influenced by the interplay between: (1) thickening of the material overriding the subduction interface associated with convergence, which promotes coastal uplift; and (2) subsidence due to extension and associated crustal thinning. Long-wavelength gravity data suggest that some of the observed topographic contrasts in the eastern Mediterranean are supported by mantle convection. However, whether the convection is time dependent and whether its pattern moves relative to Nubia are uncertain, and its contribution to present-day rates of vertical coastal motions is therefore hard to constrain. The observed extension of the overriding material in the subduction system is probably partly related to buoyancy forces arising from topographic contrasts between the Aegean, Anatolia and the Mediterranean sea floor, but the reasons for regional variations are less clear.AH is supported by a Shell Exploration studentship. This study forms part of the NERC- and 1069 ESRC-funded project "Earthquakes Without Frontiers" under grant NEJ02001X/1, and was 37 partly 1070 funded by the NERC grant "Looking inside the Continents from Space"