Application of micro and micro and meioorganisms to environmental problems [Mikro ve meioorganizmalarin çevre sorunlarina uygulanmasi]

The Second International on Conference "Applications of Micro- and Meioorganisms to Environmental Problems" was inaugurated at Winnipeg, Canada on August 28-September 1, 2000. It was the second in a series of conferences, which are carrying out on a regular 2-3 time interval. The previous one was held in Israel in 1997, and presented the results of innovative multidisciplinary research of the scientists from 49 countries in micro- and meioorganisms (e.g., bacteria, foraminifera, ostracoda, radiolaria, diatoms, calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellates, pollen and spores), to show their significance in solving environmental / paleo-environmental problems in the fields of biosciences, geosciences, environmental sciences, and agriculture. This Second Conference also aimed to introduce the utilisation of micro- and meioorganisms to a broader audience. Industries as well as regulatory environmental agencies still consider these applications "new", i.e. not proven. It is very important to bridge this gap between science, industries, and regulators

Geomorphological, depositional, and foraminiferal indicators of late Quaternary tectonic uplift in Iskenderun Bay, Turkey

Iskenderun Bay is a major shallow embayment in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, where the African and Anatolian Plates converge. This tectonically active basin was investigated for oceanographic, sedimentological, geochemical, and foraminiferal parameters. On the basis of the data acquired, the distribution of living and fossil foraminifera in 284 grab and 54 gravity core samples was determined, the basin floor bathymetry of the bay constructed, radiocarbon ages of sediments and fossils ascertained, and depositional environments reconstructed. It has been discovered that for the last 13.5 k.y., water masses were stratified and sedimentation was discontinuous within the basin, which is characterized by irregular sea bottom morphology. The sedimentation rate was very slow, varying in time and space from 0 to 0.012 cm yr-1. The foraminiferal distributions were spatially varied and discontinuous and indicate a reversal from deep to shallow marine conditions in the cores. These irregularities were attributed to active tectonics in the bay and a major tectonic uplift of the bay since the late Pleistocene. © 2006 Geological Society of America

Bulgaria: sea-level change and submerged settlements on the Black Sea

The Black Sea is recognised as having great potential for the preservation of submerged prehistoric sites because of the large area of land exposed on the continental shelf at lowest sea levels, especially along its western and north-western coastlines. However, very few have been discovered to date, and those that are known are located in Bulgaria. Because of the complexities associated with the periodic isolation of the Black Sea from the Mediterranean and its reconnection, offshore research has tended to focus on geological and geophysical investigation of inundation history, with unresolved and strongly-held disagreements about the timing and rapidity of sea level rise at the end of the Last Glacial and its potential human impact. In Bulgaria, a rich concentration of underwater prehistoric sites has been discovered thanks to dredging activities earlier in the 20th century and a long tradition of underwater archaeological investigations going back to the 1970s. These demonstrate the presence of substantial in situ village settlements of Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age date in shallow water (< 10 m), with excellent preservation of large ceramic assemblages, wooden structures, and faunal and palynological data on palaeodiet and palaeoeconomy. More recently, large scale marine-geological and archaeological projects have begun, aimed at integrating shallow-water inshore investigations with offshore survey in deeper water

Pleistocene water intrusions from the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas into the Black Sea

The hydrological balance of the Black Sea is governed by riverine input and by the exchange with the Mediterranean Sea. A speleothem record from a cave in northern Turkey that tracks the isotopic signature of Black Sea surface water suggests an open connection to the Mediterranean Sea in at least twelve periods in the past 670,000 years