scholarly journals Sightings and stranding reports of Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Levantine Sea, with recent sightings from Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Georgia Stephens ◽  
Aylin Akkaya Bas ◽  
Joseph Hardy ◽  
Nilüfer Araç ◽  
Patrick Lyne
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Levantine Sea ◽  
Levantine Basin ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Current Report

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are the most commonly observed mysticetes within the Mediterranean Sea, however their status remains vulnerable (VU) and their population in decline mainly due to increasing anthropogenic activities. Sightings of fin whales in the eastern Mediterranean are negligible relative to the central and western basins which eludes to the impression that the eastern Mediterranean provides a less favourable habitat for these cetaceans. This study outlines the sighting and stranding reports of fin whales in the Levantine Basin, the latest of which (an opportunistic sighting of four sub-adults off the coast of Anamur, Turkey in March, 2019) demonstrates the continued presence of this species in the eastern Mediterranean. The current report highlights the need for increased targeted survey effort and collaborative research between neighboring waters to enhance our understanding of the population status of this vulnerable species and aid in the implementation of the necessary conservation actions that are long-missing.

scholarly journals First report of Evelineus mcintoshii (Langerhans, 1880) (Heteronemertea, Lineidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAZY HOFFMAN ◽  
HIROSHI KAJIHARA
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
First Record ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Report ◽  
Levantine Sea ◽  
Levantine Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

The ribbon worm Evelineus mcintoshii is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. Observations that took place, during two algal surveys, on the intertidal abrasion platforms at the middle of the Levantine Sea of Israel indicated that this species is hiding inside a mixture of local and non-indigenous marine seaweeds. It is probably another alien species, one of many, that adopted the Levantine basin of the Eastern Mediterranean due to tropical environmental conditions that characterize this sea. We discuss the first record of this species and its possible origins as well as the first report of Notospermus geniculatus, the other marine nemertean species recently reported from Israel.

scholarly journals Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lydersen ◽  
Jade Vacquié-Garcia ◽  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
Nils Øien ◽  
Christophe Guinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Tracking ◽  
The Other ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Breeding Area ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Westerly Direction ◽  
Satellite Transmitters ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Insight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.68°N) for their entire tracking periods (max 45 days). The other 15 whales moved in a south-westerly direction; the longest track ended off the coast of northern Africa (> 5000 km from the tagging location) after 96 days. The whales engaged in ARS behaviour intermittently throughout their southward migrations. During transit phases the whales moved quickly; one individual maintained an average horizontal speed of 9.3 km/h (travelling 223 km per day) for a period of a week. This study documents that: (1) some fin whales might remain at high latitudes during winter; (2) the whales that do migrate probably feed along the way; (3) they can maintain high transiting speed for long periods and; (4) one breeding area for this species is likely located in deep, warm water some 100 km west of Morocco.

Evidence of a calving ground of the resident population of fin whales ( Balaenoptera physalus ) in the Gulf of California

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Bernot‐Simon ◽  
Lorena Viloria‐Gómora ◽  
Alejandro Gómez‐Gallardo ◽  
Jorge Urbán R.
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Resident Population ◽  
Fin Whales

Middle-to late Holocene environmental changes based on a multi-proxy lagoonal record, Klisova lagoon, Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros Emmanouilidis ◽  
Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos ◽  
Katerina Kouli ◽  
Pavlos Avramidis
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Palynological Analysis ◽  
Drilling Site ◽  
Geomorphological Changes ◽  
Shallow Water Depth

<p>Coastal wetlands are dynamic environments prone to climatic and anthropogenic forcing and ideal settings to study past climatic and environmental changes.  In the eastern Mediterranean region and particularly in Greece, the climate presents high spatiotemporal diversity, while human activity is a significant factor in shaping the landscape. This study presents a sediment record from Klisova lagoon, situated in central Greece, at the eastern part of Messolonghi lagoon complex. The area is recorded from antiquity to have great anthropogenic activity. The paleoenvironmental synthesis was based on standard sedimentological analysis (grain size, TOC, magnetic susceptibility), joint micropaleontological and palynological analysis, X-ray Fluorescence scanning, and radiocarbon dating. The Bayesian age-depth model is based on radiocarbon dating and yields an age of 4700 cal BP for the base of the recovered sediment sequence. For the last 4700 years, the freshwater influx, the progradation of the Evinos river delta and related geomorphological changes control the environmental conditions (e.g. depth and salinity) in the lagoon system. Prior to 4000 cal BP, a relatively shallow water depth, significant terrestrial/freshwater input and increased weathering in the lagoon area are inferred. Elemental proxies and increased dinoflagellate and foraminifera abundances, which indicate marine conditions with prominent freshwater influxes, point to the gradual deepening of the lagoon recorded at the drilling site up to 2000 cal BP. The marine and freshwater conditions equilibrium sets at 1300 cal BP, and the lagoonal system seems to reach its present state. Maxima of anthropogenic pollen indicators during the Mycenaean (~3200 cal BP), Hellenistic (~ 2200 cal BP) and Late Byzantine (~ 800 cal BP) periods suggest intervals of increased anthropogenic activities in the study area.  </p>

scholarly journals Atmospheric Water Soluble Organic Nitrogen (WSON) over marine environments: a global perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 11361-11389 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Violaki ◽  
J. Sciare ◽  
J. Williams ◽  
A. R. Baker ◽  
M. Martino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Marine Atmosphere ◽  
Marine Aerosols ◽  
Total Dissolved Nitrogen ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Soluble Organic Nitrogen

Abstract. To obtain a comprehensive picture on the spatial distribution of water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) in marine aerosols, samples were collected during research cruises in the tropical and south Atlantic Ocean and during a one year period (2005) over the southern Indian Ocean (Amsterdam island). Samples have been analyzed for both organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen and the factors controlling their levels have been examined. Fine mode WSON was found to play a significant role in the remote marine atmosphere with enhanced biogenic activity, with concentrations of WSON (11.3 ± 3.3 nmol N m–3) accounting for about 84% of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN). Such levels are similar to those observed in the polluted marine atmosphere of the eastern Mediterranean (11.6 ± 14.0 nmol N m–3). Anthropogenic activities were found to be an important source of atmospheric WSON as evidenced by the ten times higher levels in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than in the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH). Furthermore, the higher contribution of WSON to TDN (40%) in the SH, compared to the NH (20%), underlines the important role of organic nitrogen in remote marine areas. Finally, Sahara dust was also identified as a significant source of WSON in the coarse mode aerosols of the NH.

scholarly journals Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Macarena Santos-Carvallo ◽  
Fernanda Barilari ◽  
María José Pérez-Alvarez ◽  
Laura Gutiérrez ◽  
Guido Pavez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Observation Point ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Response Variables

Whale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) this has not been extensively studied. To identify the effects of WW on the behavioral patterns of this species, we studied its traveling and resting behaviors in a locality of north-central Chile from 2015 to 2018. Using a theodolite, we calculated the response variables of swim speed, directness index, and reorientation for each behavior. We used the number of WW boats and the WW scenarios of “before”, “during”, and “after” the presence of boats as possible factors to explain the differences in the response variables of the whales, along with the factors of year, month, group size, and distance from the observation point. Reorientation increased significantly and the directness index decreased significantly for both traveling and resting behaviors from “before” to “during” WW scenarios, indicating more erratic and sinuous movements in the presence of boats. These changes in movement patterns are a commonly reported evasion response of cetaceans to the presence of WW boats. For traveling behavior, the swimming speed significantly increased, and trends showed increased reorientation and a decrease in the directness index in the “after” WW scenario, which suggests perturbation of the whales potentially associated with the speed and the direction in which the boats left. During resting behavior, the trajectories of the fin whales became straighter (decrease in reorientation) as the number of boats increased, thus evasion (more erratic and sinuous movements) is a behavior used less by fin whales as the number of boats increases. Notwithstanding the fact that tourism development in the study area is small in scale, we found that WW generates adverse effects that are reflected in changes in the whales’ movement patterns. This kind of information is valuable to the adjustment and/or design of management strategies for the species, which is fundamental for WW to continue to be a sustainable activity.

scholarly journals Forecasting circulation in the Cilician Basin of the Levantine Sea

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1481-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Özsoy ◽  
A. Sözer
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Surface Flux ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Open Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Open Boundary Conditions ◽  
Levantine Sea

Abstract. The Cilician Basin/Shelf Model is adapted for studying the shelf circulation in the Cilician Basin – Gulf of İskenderun region of the Levantine Basin of the Eastern Mediterranean between the Turkish Mediterranean coast, Syria and the island of Cyprus. The model initial conditions and open boundary conditions are supplied by the ALERMO regional model of the Levantine Sea, while interactive surface flux boundary conditions are specified by an atmospheric boundary layer sub-model using calculated water properties and surface atmospheric variables supplied by the Skiron atmospheric model, within the nested modelling approach of the MFSTEP (Mediterranean Forecasting System: Towards Environmental Predictions) project. Sensitivity tests are performed for alternative surface boundary conditions. Model performance for shelf/meso-scale forecasts is demonstrated.

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