Evolution of primary production and its drivers on the Lebanese coast between 1986 and 2013

Physical-biogeochemical models help us to understand the dynamics and the controlling factors of primary production. In this study, the outputs of a validated hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model were used to elucidate the primary production dynamics between 1992 and 2012 for three studied sites on the Lebanese coast: Naqoura, Beirut, and Tripoli. The results showed that primary production presents a homogeneous spatial distribution along the Lebanese coastline. The phytoplankton community has a low optimal temperature. The thermocline develops in March, with maximum stratification in August and fades in October. Chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen and salinity were positively correlated throughout the water column. A significant increasing trend of sea surface temperature was found on the Lebanese coast over 27 years, between 1986 and 2013. Annual averages increased from 22°C in 1986 to 23.1°C in 2013 with the highest recorded average temperature of 23.7 °C in 2010.

Mesoscale Activity in the Eastern Mediterranean: Blending Altimetry with in situ observations

<p>Mesoscale to sub-mesoscale surface dynamics in the ocean is a key parameter, driving, for instance, the dispersion of pollutants emanating from heavily populated coastal areas for example. Estimating the surface velocity can be challenging especially when data is sparse. In [1], the authors developed a near real-time 3D-Var assimilation algorithm that blends in-situ Lagrangian drifters’ positions with altimetry data to improve the estimation of the surface velocity in the Eastern Levantine Mediterranean. The algorithm was tested near the Lebanese coast and in the case of an eddy between Lebanon and Cyprus. The objective of this work is to further validate the algorithm.</p><p>First, a Comparison with Ocean color satellite images shows that eddies’ shapes and location are more consistent after the assimilation of drifter data.Independent in-situ current-meter data provided from the EGYPT campaign are also used to validate the results of the algorithm in terms of velocity intensity and direction. The comparison shows an improvement of the estimated velocity, particularly in terms of direction.</p><p>We also address the question of extending the algorithm to a larger regional scale in the Eastern Levantine Mediterranean, which is subject to a high mesoscale activity but which is less densely observed than the western part.</p><p> </p><p><span>[1] L. Issa, J. Brajard, M. Fakhri, D. Hayes, L. Mortier, P-M. Poulain. </span>Modelling Surface Currents in the Eastern Levantine Mediterranean Using Surface Drifters and Satellite Altimetry. Ocean Modelling, May 2016. Doi: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2016.05.006</p>

Increase in knowledge of the marine gastropod fauna of Lebanon since the 19th century

We hereby review and update the current state of knowledge on the Lebanese gastropod biota based on published literature and the study of new samples. Review of 1543 published records yielded 237 gastropod taxa. New samples from the Lebanese coast yielded 2414 living specimens and 4003 empty shells, belonging to 188 taxa. Forty-six of the taxa are new records for the Lebanese fauna, bringing the gastropods known from Lebanon to 283 species. Literature records also included 71 nominal gastropod taxa based on type material from Lebanon, including 3 genera, 8 species, and 60 subspecific units. Of these, only 13 are retained as available. Of the 283 gastropod taxa known from Lebanon, 41 are aliens and 7 are cryptogenic. The majority of nonnative taxa were recorded only during the last decades, particularly from 1980 to 2019. Results from the present study question the common assumption that this region has extremely low native diversity. The flora and fauna of the Lebanese coast remain relatively unexplored and our data support the perception that several formerly abundant species have recently collapsed. Despite these advances, the lack of scientific data on biodiversity and community structure of Lebanese habitats and geographic zones is likely to hamper conservation actions and legal protection of critical species. We therefore recommend additional field and laboratory research to increase knowledge of both taxonomic composition and species' distributions in Lebanon and elsewhere in the easternmost Mediterranean Sea.

The Language

Phoenician is the conventional name (from Greek) of a language belonging to the Canaanite group of the Semitic languages, spoken in a group of cities of the Lebanese coast and by inhabitants of their settlements abroad, established in the western Mediterranean since about the early eighth century bce. The western language, from about the sixth century bce, is usually called Punic, with a Late Punic phase. The Phoenician language is written from right to left, in a consonantal alphabetic script, and is attested from the beginning of the Iron Age until the second century bce; several dialects were probably used, but only some of them can be identified, particularly the Byblian dialect. In the West, in the Roman period, a group of inscriptions in the Latin alphabet, called Latino-Punic, attest the latest phase of the language (from the second until the fourth–fifth centuries ce). The grammar of the Phoenician language is based almost only on inscriptions; consequently it is still incomplete in several respects. The chapter summarizes the main features of the language, mainly in regard to phonology and morphology; some specific features of syntax are described, too.