An aerobiological study on pollen grains in the atmosphere of North-West Turkey

A continuous aerobiological survey of the atmosphere of Bursa was carried out from 1st January 2003 to 31st December 2004 by means of the volumetric method using a Lanzoni trap. During 2 years, a total of 57,124 pollen grains/m(3), which belonged to 66 taxa and 869 unidentified pollen grains, were recorded. In the region investigated, Pinus sp., Olea sp., Platanus sp., Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Quercus sp., Poaceae, Moraceae, Urticaceae, and Castanea sp. were responsible for the greatest amounts of pollen. During the study period, the pollen concentration reached the highest level in May. A correlation analyses was made between the daily fluctuations of the main pollen types and meteorological parameters.     

A very sensitive flow-injection spectrophotometric determination method for iron (II) and total iron using 2′, 3, 4′, 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone

In this study, an ultra-sensitive and highly selective, rapid flow-injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of iron (II) and total iron has been proposed. The method was based on the reaction between iron (II) and 2′, 3, 4′, 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone in slightly acidic solution with a strong absorption at 415 nm. The carrier solution used was 1?×?10^?5 M 2′, 3, 4′, 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone in 0.1 M HAc/Ac^? buffer solution at pH 4.5. Parameters that affect simultaneously the determination of iron (II) and interfering ions were tested. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 50 μg L^?1 iron (II) was 0.85 % (n?=?10), and the limit of detection (blank signal plus three times the standard deviation of the blank) was 3 μg L^?1, both based on injection volumes of 20 μL. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of iron (II) and total iron in water samples and ore samples. The method was verified by analysing a certified reference material Zn/Al/Cu 43XZ3F.     

Magnetic nanoparticles coated with aminated polymer brush as a novel material for effective removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous environments

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, a poly (vinylbenzyl chloride) grafted Fe3O4 nanoparticle (Fe3O4@PVBC) was prepared by surface-initiated reversible addition...     

Sex ratio estimations of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings by histological examination and nest temperatures at Fethiye beach, Turkey

Hatchling sex ratios in the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) were estimated by placing electronic temperature recorders in 21 nests at Fethiye beach during 2000–2002. Over the seasons, the mean temperature in the middle third of the incubation period ranged from 26.7 to 32.1°C, and incubation periods ranged from 49 to 67 days. Based on the mean temperatures during the middle third of the incubation period, and on histologically sexed dead hatchlings, the sex ratios of hatchlings at Fethiye beach were roughly equal, i.e. 60–65% of the hatchlings were females. This contrasts with the highly female-skewed sex ratios in loggerhead turtles elsewhere; Fethiye has a relatively high proportion of male hatchlings. For endangered sea turtles, the knowledge of hatchling sex ratios at different beaches, coupled with appropriate conservation measures, can make an important contribution to their survival.     

Influences of urban wastewaters on the stream water quality: a case study from Gumushane Province, Turkey

Urban wastewater in Turkey is primarily discharged without treatment to marine environments, streams and rivers, and natural and artificial lakes. Since it has been well established that untreated effluent in multi-use waters can have acute and chronic impacts to both the environment and human health, it is important to evaluate the consequences of organic enrichment relative to the structure and function of aquatic environment. We investigated the impacts of untreated municipal wastewater discharge from the city of Gumushane in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey on the surface water quality of the stream Harsit. Several key water-quality indicators were measured: chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen (NH ₄ ⁺ –N), nitrite nitrogen (NO ₂ ^? –N), nitrate nitrogen (NO ₃ ^? –N), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total nitrogen (TN), orthophosphate phosphorus (PO ₄ ^3? –P), methylene blue active substances (MBAS), water temperature (t), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and electrical conductivity (EC). The monitoring and sampling studies were conducted every 15 days from March 2009 to February 2010 at three longitudinally distributed stations. While t, pH, DO, and EC demonstrated relatively little variability over the course of the study, other parameters showed substantial temporal and spatial variations. The most dramatic differences were noted in COD, NH ₄ ⁺ –N, NO ₂ ^? –N, TKN, TN, PO ₄ ^3— P, and MBAS immediately downstream of the wastewater discharge. Concentration increases of 309 and 418 % for COD, 5,635 and 2,162 % for NH ₄ ⁺ –N, 2,225 and 674 % for NO ₂ ^? –N, 283 and 478 % for TKN, 208 and 213 % for PO ₄ ^3? –P, and 535 and 1,260 % for MBAS were observed in the summer and autumn, respectively. These changes were associated with greatly diminished seasonal stream flows. Based on NO ₂ ^? –N, TKN, PO ₄ ^3— P, and MBAS concentrations, it was concluded that Harsit stream water was correctly classified as polluted. The most telling parameter, however, was NH ₄ ⁺ –N, which indicated highly polluted waters in both the summer and autumn. The elevated concentrations of both P and N in the downstream segment of the stream triggered aggressive growth of submerged algae. This eutrophication of river systems is highly representative of many urban corridors and is symptomatic of ongoing organic enrichment that must be addressed through improved water treatment facilities.     

Estimation of suspended sediment concentration from turbidity measurements using artificial neural networks

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is generally determined from the direct measurement of sediment concentration of river or from sediment transport equations. Direct measurement is very costly and cannot be conducted for all river gauge stations. Therefore, correct estimation of suspended sediment amount carried by a river is very important in terms of water pollution, channel navigability, reservoir filling, fish habitat, river aesthetics and scientific interests. This study investigates the feasibility of using turbidity as a surrogate for SSC as in situ turbidity meters are being increasingly used to generate continuous records of SSC in rivers. For this reason, regression analysis (RA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were employed to estimate SSC based on in situ turbidity measurements. The SSC was firstly experimentally determined for the surface water samples collected from the six monitoring stations along the main branch of the stream Harsit, Eastern Black Sea Basin, Turkey. There were 144 data for each variable obtained on a fortnightly basis during March 2009 and February 2010. In the ANN method, the used data for training, testing and validation sets are 108, 24 and 12 of total 144 data, respectively. As the results of analyses, the smallest mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values for validation set were obtained from the ANN method with 11.40 and 17.87, respectively. However these were 19.12 and 25.09 for RA. It was concluded that turbidity could be a surrogate for SSC in the streams, and the ANNs method used for the estimation of SSC provided acceptable results.     

The reuse of reclaimed water for irrigation around the Mediterranean Rim: a step towards a more virtuous cycle?

Regional Environmental Change - Climate change and a growing population around the Mediterranean Rim are increasing the need for water and, consequently, the pressure on resources in terms of both...     

Achondrogenesis type II with normally developed extremities: a case report

We present a case of achondrogenesis type II with normally developed extremities that was confirmed with postmortem ultrasonographic and radiographic examination. The length of the long bones may vary and the diagnosis of achondrogenesis should not be ruled out with normally developed extremities. Intrauterine sonographic examination of the vertebrae is very important and the absence of vertebral body ossification may be the unique finding of achondrogenesis type II. Axial ultrasonographic images and postmortem plain radiographs are useful to clarify the pathology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variation of total organic carbon content along the stream Harsit, Eastern Black Sea Basin, Turkey

The TOC in surface waters and wastewater is an important analytical parameter describing the total content of all organic substances containing carbon. In practice, the TOC originated from natural and anthropogenic sources, and even if it is not directly responsible for dangers on human health, its determination is important for any kind of water that is used by public. The aim of this study was to determine variation of total organic carbon (TOC) and total carbon (TC) content in the stream Harsit, which courses in Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey. Sampling was fortnightly conducted in each of the four seasons between March 2009 and February 2010. A total of 230 water samples were collected from ten sampling stations along the main branch of the stream Harsit with 143 km of length. Obtained TOC values were evaluated and used to classify the water quality of stream Harsit, according to the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation (TWPCR). The annual average TOC content values for the stations were found between 2.33 and 6.97 mg/L. It was seen that the TOC content have increased along the streamcourse of Harsit until the fourth station, where reaches its maximum value. The TOC content, then, has decreased and the minimum value was observed in the eighth station. The results showed that, except in winter season, maximum TOC content observed in many of the water samples were above Class I water standard indicated in TWPCR, which classifies the water resources according to the different area of uses. It was also found that TOC has a small contribution to TC and the highest TOC content in stream waters were measured in Gumushane station where direct discharge of city wastewaters and solid waste dumping to the stream were observed.     

Municipal solid waste characteristics and management in Gümüşhane, Turkey

This paper presents a general overview of the current municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Gümüşhane Province, Turkey. In order to characterize the solid waste stream in the Municipality of Gümüşhane, a long-term study was conducted over a 52-week period between the spring of 2004 and the winter of 2005. In this study, percentage of components and specific weight of the MSW, the composting parameters (moisture content, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and pH), organic matter content, calorific value and the heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn, Co) of the compostable wastes sorted from the mixed MSW were determined and evaluated. In Gümüşhane, a mean of 70 tons of MSW are generated each day or 1 kg/day/capita. Approximately 4500 kg of the MSW were collected and sorted in a year, and the mean specific weight of these is 308 kg/m³. Approximately 30% of the MSW generated is compostable wastes and the yearly mean moisture content, organic matter content, C/N ratio and pH of these are 78%, 92.1%, 21.6/1 and 4.73, respectively, and approximately 24% of the MSW consists of recyclable materials. The recommended system deals with maximizing recycling and minimizing landfilling of the MSW, and consists of separation at source, collection, sorting, recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling. Heavy metal concentrations of the compostable wastes from the open dump were determined to decrease in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd > Co.