SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN COMPOSITIONS OF EASTERN AND WESTERN BLACK SEA AEROSOL

In this study daily aerosol samples were collected at two different sampling stations at the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Western Black Sea sampling station is located at the Bulgarian border of Turkey and approximately 50 km from the Black Sea coast. The station on the Eastern Black Sea is located at a high altitude site which is approximately 75 km from the Black Sea coast. Both stations are situated at relatively remote rural locations. Nearest large settlement area is at least 50 km away from both sites. At both sampling stations daily coarse (PM2.5-10) and fine (PM2.5) aerosol samples were collected on polycarbonate (Nuclepore) filters using Stacked Filter Units (SFU) between March 2011 and December 2012. Concentrations of eighteen elements were determined in collected aerosol samples by using an energy dispersive X-ray flurescence spectrometry. Measured concentrations of elements and ions varied between 0.46 ng m(-3) for As and 2071 ng(-3) for SO42- for Eastern Black Sea atmosphere and 0.6 ng m(-3) for As and 3415 ng(-3) for SO42-center dot for Western Black Sea atmosphere. Concentrations of pollution derived elements were higher at the western part of the Black Sea, which is not surprising when the distribution of industrial sources around sampling location is considered. However, concentrations of some specific elements like Mn, Cr were higher at the Eastern part of the basin, due to emissions from smelters and metallurgical industries located at Georgia, Eastern part of Ukraine and central Russia. Besides the general evaluation of the elemental data also Factor Analysis (FA) was applied to the elemental data to characterize aerosols with respect to sources and to quantify the different sources and their importance for the composition of the aerosols at both Eastern and Western atmospheres

Multivariate Statistics and Heavy Metals Contamination in Beach Sediments from The Sakarya Canyon, Turkey

WOS: 000312621500066The aim of the study is to determine heavy metal contents and their possible origins that represent the variability of The Sakarya Canyon coastal sediments. In addition to determine the source of heavy metals (natural and anthropogenic), simple and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to the samples. In all the samples, ignition loss ratio is between 0.01-0.09. 47.26 % of the samples, which have 0.5-0.25 mm, show very good sorting. G10, G19, G20 and G21 reflect the conditions of the irregular sedimentary environment. The heavy metals, Fe, Mg, Ti, Cr, Zn, Pb and Cu, are considered to come from near regions according to frequency histograms. By principal component analysis (PCA; factor 1: 40.911 %; factor 2: 21.558 %; factor 3: 13.548 %) and cluster analysis, heavy metals were formed three (3) groups. According to hierarchical cluster analysis, Q-type cluster at the similarity level of 50 % form three (3) different groups and they show the same features during pollution. These results reveal that they are highly reliable data for statistical data of model summary (according to the value R-2 = 100) and Anova 21 explanation value. According to maximum abundances As:G4; Ni:G7; Mg, Ti, Mn, Fe, V, Cr, Co, Nb:G13; Cu, Zr, Sn:G20; Al, Zn, Ga, Cd, Pb:G22 stations showed the highest anomaly. Influence of anthropogenic can be constituted in this region coming from port wastes, mining operations, road pollution, urban wastes and industrial wastes.Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz UniversityThe financial support of the Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz University is gratefully acknowledged

Could atmospheric carbon be driving sedimentation?

Purpose: The objective of this study was to provide insights into the most recent responses of sediments to climate change and their capability to sequester atmospheric carbon (C). Methods: Three sediment cores were collected, one from the western Black Sea, and two from the southern Adriatic Sea. Cores were extruded and sectioned into 1 cm or 0.5 cm intervals. Sections were frozen, weighed, freeze-dried, and then weighed again to obtain dry weights. Freeze-dried samples were dated by using lead 210 (210Pb) and cesium 137/ americium 241 (137Cs/241Am). Organic and inorganic C were determined by combustion. Particle size distribution was determined using a Beckman Coulter particle size analyzer (LS 13,320; Beckman Coulter Inc.). Mineralogical analyses were carried out by a Philips X’Pert powder diffractometer. Results: Sedimentation and organic and inorganic C accumulation rates increased with time in both the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea. The increase in accumulation rates continued after the global introduction in the early 1970s of controls on the release of phosphorus (P) into the environment and despite the reduced sediment yield of major rivers (Po and Danube). Therefore, the increased accumulation of organic and inorganic C in the sediments cannot be assigned only to nutrient availability. Instead, we suggest that the increase in organic C is the consequence of the increase in atmospheric C, which has made more carbon dioxide (CO2) available to phytoplankton, thus enabling more efficient photosynthesis. This process known as CO2 fertilization may increase the organic C accumulation in sediments. Simultaneously, the increase of sea temperatures decreases the calcite solubility resulting in increases of the inorganic C accumulation. Conclusion: Our results suggest that long-term, general increases in accumulation rates of organic and inorganic C in sediments are the consequence of increases in atmospheric C. This shows that coastal sediments play an important role in C uptake and thus in regulating the Earth’s climate