A Landscape Matrix Proposal For Haliç (Golden Horn) Coastal Zone

The impacts of urbanization on landscapes andecosystems have been increasing globally. Howurban landscape is shaped, in other wordsdesigned, is a fundamental human activity interms of urban sustainability. Landscape is oftendealed with mostly by aesthetic concerns whichpresents sustainable/ecological/naturalqualities only at formal level, is limited bylegislative framework, hardly responds tohuman needs and behavioral patterns and lacksa holistic approach within the Turkish spatialdesign practice. This study aims to develop alandscape matrix in the example of Istanbul(Golden Horn) region as an open spaceoperation model within the existing urbantexture, which the built environment has beenrepresented with different layers of historicaldevelopments. The matrix presented in thisstudy presents a design process on the basis ofurban ecology as well as the physical and socialrelations of the study area located in the GoldenHorn, one of the cultural identity values ofIstanbul, formed by urban layers belonging todifferent historical periods. It is thought that theconstruction of the coastal and hinterlandrelationship through the open space system bothcontributes to the dissolution of the urbantexture towards the coastal zone andstrengthens the character of the waterfront.

Assessment of phytoplankton group composition in the Golden Horn Estuary (Sea of Marmara, Turkey) determined with pigments measured by HPLC-CHEMTAX analyses and microscopy

Phtytoplankton group composition determined by microscopy was compared with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) derived from pigment signatures in surface water samples taken bi-weekly and monthly between October 2018 and September 2019 in the Golden Horn Estuary (Sea of Marmara). A total of 80 eukaryotic phytoplankton taxa belonging to eight algal classes were identified in surface water during the study period. Forty-three taxa (54%) were diatoms, 29 taxa (36%) were dinoflagellates and eight taxa (10%) were other phytoflagellates. The average contribution of diatoms to total phytoplankton abundance decreased considerably (41 to 25%), while the average contribution of dinoflagellates and other phytoflagellates increased markedly (59 to 75%) from the lower to the middle estuary. Chlorophyll-a and seven other group-specific pigments, including fucoxanthin, peridinin, chlorophyll-c1 + c2, alloxanthin, 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, 19′-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin and divinyl chlorophyll-a were identified in the study area. The relative contribution of the major phytoplankton groups to chlorophyll-a was estimated on three different initial ratio matrices by CHEMTAX. The results obtained were compared with those from microscopic examination. It was concluded that the CHEMTAX method was not accurate enough to characterize the phytoplankton community in the Golden Horn Estuary ecosystem and microscopic analysis was essential to determine the major contributing species to chlorophyll-a.

Main tendencies of temporal changes for concentration of priority pollutants in sediments of the coastal areas at Vladivostok (Peter the Great Bay, Japan Sea)

Concentrations of hydrocarbons, phenols, DDT and its metabolites, Cu, Pb, Fe, Ni, DDD/DDE and DDD+DDE/DDT ratios, and total level of chemical contamination (TPF index) in the bottom sediments are traced for 16 stations in the coastal areas at Vladivostok in 1982−2017. Temporal variations of the concentrations and derived indices are classified to 4 types of dynamics, using the methods of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, crosscorrelation analysis, and fuzzy set classification procedure. They are: primary contamination; secondary contamination; exponential growth; and polymodal dynamics. These variations are induced by two main sources of pollution, such as the industrial influx including wastes from Vladivostok and nearby settlements, aeolian transfer and polluted precipitations, and the terrigenous influx with polluted freshwater discharge. Impact of the first source prevails in the Golden Horn Bay, Diomid Inlet and Eastern Bosphorus Strait, and the second source is important for the Amur and Ussuri Bays (the coast of Vladivostok in these bays is influenced by both sources with predominance of the second). The terrigenous impact has two modes depended on certain processes of contamination: the permanent pollution inherent in the types of secondary contamination and exponential growth and the extreme pollution that forms the polymodal dynamics. The secondary contamination follows the primary one with a lag of 6–7 years. The secondary contamination of terrigenous usually has inverse correlation with the Razdolnaya/Suifen River discharge; for instance, strengthening of the freshwater inflow causes lower concentrations of Cu and Pb in the bottom sediments due to dilution effect. On the contrary, contamination depends directly on the Razdolnaya/Suifen River discharge for the exponential growth of terrigenous — the stronger the freshwater inflow, the higher the concentrations of Fe, Ni, and phenols (the latter is a sign of eutrophication). The types of dynamics change following the balance between pollution and self-cleaning of the sediments that is determined by external factors, as a drop in economic activity and its subsequent recovery, limitation and finally ban for using of tetraethyl lead additive, extreme floods on rivers, etc.

Climax of the War

The initiative swung back to the Persians in 626. Two Persian armies attacked, Shahrbaraz driving Heraclius from Lake Van back to the Anatolian plateau, Shahen advancing across Transcaucasia. Shahrbaraz pressed on to the Bosporus, for a planned joint attack with the Avars on Constantinople. In the event, the Persian contingent was intercepted on the Bosporus, which left siege operations entirely in Avar hands. The huge host which they had assembled assaulted the city for ten days (29 July–7 August), deploying a full array of siege engines by land and Slav naval forces on the Golden Horn, but they could not breach the defences and withdrew on 8 August. Meanwhile, the Turks had invaded the Persian north-west across the Caucasus, and Heraclius, who had veered north on reaching Anatolia, had intercepted and destroyed Shahen’s army.