Spatial and temporal distribution of mesozooplankton in the coastal waters of Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean)

This study provides elements on the spatial and temporal mesozooplankton variability during a three-year study, encompassing vertical hauls from 50 m deep to the surface from four coastal locations of Cyprus. The total mesozooplankton abundance fluctuated between 190.4 and 882.5 individuals m-3. A total of 90 holoplanktonic and meroplanktonic taxa were recorded. Copepods dominated in the community and accounted for 71.7% of the total mesozooplankton, followed by appendicularians, molluscs, cladocerans, and siphonophores, which contributed 8.04%, 5.48%, 4.60%, and 3.31%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences among the four sampling sites for any of the mesozooplanktonic taxa, though seasonal and interannual differences were recorded for several of them. The community composition reinforced the evidence for a higher resemblance of the Cyprus mesozooplankton to the offshore communities of the northern and central Levantine Sea and those around Rhodes Island, instead of the northeastern Mediterranean coastal areas. Comparisons of the seasonal abundance variation of the mesozooplankton taxa with other coastal areas of the Levantine Sea are provided. Considering the seasonality of the mesozooplankton, there was a separation of the taxa into distinct groups representing the summer, the winter-spring, and the autumn periods. Temperature was the most important variable that shaped the formation of the distinct seasonal groups of taxa, while chlorophyll-α, dissolved oxygen, and salinity contributed to a lesser extent. Chlorophyll-α concentrations verified the oligotrophic character of the area and seem to be unaffected by inland inputs. The mesozooplankton community showed a spatial consistency, probably as the result of the open sea influence, and seems to be regulated mainly by the properties of the central Levantine pelagic waters and less by terrestrial inputs of inland waters

Port state control: the deficiencies found on ships during port state control inspections

164 σ.Η µελέτη αυτή έχει σκοπό την διερεύνηση των κρατήσεων πλοίων (detentions) και παρατηρήσεων/ελλείψεων (deficiencies) που βρέθηκαν µετά από επιθεωρήσεις κράτους λιµένος (PSC) σε παγκόσµια κλίµακα µε την βοήθεια βάσης δεδοµένων.This study was made to investigate the detentions of ships, and marks the deficincies that were found after port state control inspections worldwide with the help of a databaseΧριστοφής Π. Πολυκάρπο

Algorithms as Co-Researchers: Exploring Meaning and Bias in Qualitative Research

This is the author accepted manuscript

Avantages et limites de l'intercalibration de méthodes d'évaluation phytoplanctoniques basée sur l'expérience des réservoirs du GIG méditerranéen

International audienceThe status of European legislation regarding inland water quality after the enactment of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) originated scientific effort to develop reliable methods, primarily based on biological parameters. An important aspect of the process was to ensure that quality assessment was comparable between the different Member States. The Intercalibration process (IC), required in the WFD ensures the unbiased application of the norm. The presented results were developed in the context of the 2nd IC phase. An overview of the reservoir type definition of the Lake Mediterranean Geographical Intercalibration Group, where four types were considered divided by both alkalinity and climate, together with the results for selection of Maximum Ecological Potential sites (MEP) are presented. MEP reservoirs were selected based on pressure and biological variables. Three phytoplankton-based assessment methods were intercalibrated using data from Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean Assessment System for Reservoirs Phytoplankton (Spain), the New Mediterranean Assessment System for Reservoirs Phytoplankton (Portugal and Cyprus) and the New Italian Method (Italy) were applied. These three methods were compared through option 3 of the Intercalibration Guide. The similarity of the assessments was quantified, and the Good/Moderate (GM) boundaries assessed. All three methods stood as comparable at the GM boundary except for the MASRP in siliceous wet reservoirs, which was slightly stricter. Finally, the main taxonomic groups represented in the phytoplankton community at MEP conditions were identified, as well as their main changes with an increasing trophic status. MEP sites are dominated by chrysophytes in siliceous wet reservoirs and by the diatoms Cyclotella and Achnanthes in calcareous ones. Cyanobacteria take over the community in both calcareous and siliceous wet reservoirs as eutrophication increases. In summary, the relevance and reliability of the quality assessment methods compared were confirmed both from an ecological perspective and a health risk management point of view

Water Framework Directive Intercalibration Technical Report. Mediterranean Lake Phytoplankton ecological assessment methods

One of the key actions identified by the Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) is to develop ecological assessment tools and carry out a European intercalibration (IC) exercise. The aim of the Intercalibration is to ensure that the values assigned by each Member State to the good ecological class boundaries are consistent with the Directive\u27s generic description of these boundaries and comparable to the boundaries proposed by other MS. In total, 83 lake assessment methods were submitted for the 2nd phase of the WFD intercalibration (2008-2012) and 62 intercalibrated and included in the EC Decision on Intercalibration (EC 2013). The intercalibration was carried out in the 13 Lake Geographical Intercalibration Groups according to the ecoregion and biological quality element. In this report we describe how the intercalibration exercise has been carried out in the Mediterranean Lake Phytoplankton group