Metal concentration and health risk assessment of eight Russula mushrooms collected from Kizilcahamam-Ankara,Turkey

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this study was to determine the essential element (Zn, Ca, K, Fe, Na, and Mg), essential trace element (Co, Mn, Cr, and Cu), and...     

Evaluation of ecological risk,source, and spatial distribution of some heavy metals in marine sediments in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea region,Turkey

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, the concentration levels of heavy metals such as Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, and Pb in sediment samples collected from 16 sampling...     

Application of analytical hierarchy process and geographic information systems in land-use suitability evaluation: a case study of Dümrek village (Çanakkale,Turkey)

This study used both analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information systems (GIS) to make a land-use suitability analysis for the village of Dümrek, NW Turkey. Primarily, alternative land uses for agriculture, meadow–pasture and forest were determined along with criteria for these alternatives and a hierarchical structure was produced and used to determine the weights of the criteria. Spatial data were identified by means of GIS and calculations were made using the suitability values specified and weights obtained from AHP. Suitability maps were then produced for the above land use alternatives. Subsequently, a synthesized suitability map was formed from these maps. According to the weights specified by AHP, the order of land use preferences among the alternatives for rural development of Dümrek was agriculture, forest and meadow. The synthesized suitability map showed that the areas allocated for forest and agriculture were close to the present ratios of use; however, meadow land, which does not exist at present, should be allocated as a land use to constitute 12.5% of the study area. Achieving sustainability in land use is possible by planners and administrators considering results obtained from land suitability mapping studies at the stage of allocating land uses. The method applied in this research is considered useful when taking policy decisions covering the evaluation of rural land use, particularly for subunits of the state administration.     

A revised stratigraphic framework for Later Cenozoic sequences in the northeastern Mediterranean region

This study describes the lithostratigraphic character of mid-Cenozoic (Oligocene–Pliocene) sequences in different parts of the northeastern Mediterranean area and offers a detailed stratigraphic correlation for this region. The sequences concerned are drawn from the Camardi area (south–central Anatolia), the Adana Basin, the Misis Mountains and the Kyrenia Range (northern Cyprus) and the submerged Florence Rise (west of Cyprus). The stratigraphic relationships identified here indicate the following: (a) Following the middle Eocene (Lutetian) regression there was uplift throughout the entire region; (b) Episodes of fluvial and lacustrine deposition in intramontane settings ensued in most of this region during the late Eocene/early Miocene interval; (c) Following a regionally extensive phase of tectonic compression, major marine transgression commenced in the late Oligocene in northern Cyprus and in the early Miocene in adjacent southern Turkey, with the exception of the Ecemis Fault Zone where continental deposition continued; (d) These Oligo-Miocene transgressive sequences comprise a broadly diachronous complex of both shallow and deeper marine facies, including reefal carbonates, littoral clastics, basinal shales and fan-turbidites; (e) Deeper marine Miocene facies persisted longer in the Misis area and in northern Cyprus; (f) A regional regression occurred throughout most of the area during the late Serravallian to Tortonian interval and is marked by the abrupt, locally discordant appearance of extensive shallow marine, deltaic and fluvial deposits; (g) Continued regression in the Messinian led to the formation of significant evaporite deposits in the western and southern parts of the region, but localized uplift of the Misis area is attested by the initial deformation of the Neogene rocks there and the absence of Messinian sediments from this area; (h) In the Pliocene there was extensive emergence of the northern parts of the region interrupted by brief marine incursions. The present-day drainage pattern was established at this time; (i) Marine conditions persisted longer in northern Cyprus, where emergence occurred only in the latest Pliocene.     

Treatment of E. coli HB101 and the tetM gene by Fenton’s reagent and ozone in cow manure

The destruction of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms at the source of contamination is necessary due to their adverse effects and to their increasingly widespread occurrence in the environment. To address this problem, Fenton and ozone oxidation processes were applied to synthetically contaminated cow manure to remove the tetM gene and its host, Escherichia coli HB101. The efficiency of the processes was evaluated by enumeration of E. coli HB101 and by PCR amplification of the tetM gene. The results of this study show that 56.60% bacterial inactivation (corresponding to a 0.36 log reduction) was achieved by a Fenton reagent dose of 50 mM H₂O₂ and 5 mM Fe²⁺ without acidifying the manure. Despite the high organic content of cow manure, 98.50% bacterial inactivation (corresponding to a 1.83 log reduction) was obtained by the ozonation process with an applied dose of 3.125 mg ozone/g manure slurry. The PCR study revealed that the band intensity of the tetM gene gradually decreased by increasing the Fenton reagent and the applied ozone dose. However, significantly high doses of oxidants would be required to completely eliminate bacterial pollution in manure.     

Prediction of environmental impacts of quarry blasting operation using fuzzy logic

Blast-induced ground vibration is one of the most important environmental impacts of blasting operations because it may cause severe damage to structures and plants in nearby environment. Estimation of ground vibration levels induced by blasting has vital importance for restricting the environmental effects of blasting operations. Several predictor equations have been proposed by various researchers to predict ground vibration prior to blasting, but these are site specific and not generally applicable beyond the specific conditions. In this study, an attempt has been made to predict the peak particle velocity (PPV) with the help of fuzzy logic approach using parameters of distance from blast face to vibration monitoring point and charge weight per delay. The PPV and charge weight per delay were recorded for 33 blast events at various distances and used for the validation of the proposed fuzzy model. The results of the fuzzy model were also compared with the values obtained from classical regression analysis. The root mean square error estimated for fuzzy-based model was 5.31, whereas it was 11.32 for classical regression-based model. Finally, the relationship between the measured and predicted values of PPV showed that the correlation coefficient for fuzzy model (0.96) is higher than that for regression model (0.82).     

Public preferences for visual quality and management in the Kackar Mountains National Park (Turkey)

There are 37 national parks in Turkey, encompassing the most important mountain ecosystems, with high biological, natural, cultural and historical diversity. These parks also have aesthetic and recreational potential, and are valuable components within the country's nature protection programmes. Globally, a landscape can be regarded as the face of an ecosystem and constitutes a relationship between natural structure and visual features. There have been several studies on whether visual quality can provide indicators for landscape planning. Visual quality can also be assessed as a manifesto for community participation. This paper attempts to extend the understanding of visual quality assessment for national parks, using the Kackar Mountains National Park (KMNP) in north-eastern Turkey as an example. A detailed survey of visual quality preferences, landscape factors (10 main and 40 sub-factors) and semantic factors (naturalness, variety, fascination, vividness, unity, interesting and exciting) affecting these preferences was made using 30 represenative slides selected from the park. The highest preference was found to be 6.54, while the lowest was 2.30. Regression analysis enabled us to determine the relationship between visual quality and visual landscape attributes. The R2 value for naturalness was 0.482, while naturalness together with lake and fog percentage was 0.641. The assessment of preferences for the studied views in various landscape units can be evaluated and used for land-use decisions and future planning in KMNP.     

Estimation of shipping emissions in Candarli Gulf, Turkey

Ships are significant air pollution sources as their high powered main engines often use heavy fuels. The major atmospheric components emitted are nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxide gases, carbon oxides, and toxic air pollutants. Shipping emissions cause severe impacts on health and environment. These effects of emissions are emerged especially in territorial waters, inland seas, canals, straits, bays, and port regions. Candarli Gulf is one of the major industrial regions on the Aegean side of Turkey. The marine environment of the region is affected by emissions from ships calling to ten different ports. In this study, NO _x , SO₂, CO₂, hydrocarbons (HC), and PM emissions from 7,520 ships are estimated during the year of 2007. These emissions are classified regarding operation modes and types of ships. Annual shipping emissions are estimated as 631.2 t year^???1 for NO _x , 573.6 t year^???1 for SO₂, 33,848.9 t year^???1 for CO₂, 32.3 t year^???1 for HC, and 57.4 t year^???1 for PM.     

Composition of wet deposition in Kaynarca,Turkey

In this work, composition of wet deposition in Kaynarca, Turkey is studied by collecting precipitation samples during more than a 2-year period. August 1993-November 1995. Concentrations of the main cations Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, NH4+ and the main anions Cl-, NO3- and SO4(2-) together with pH were studied. The average pH value at Kaynarca was near neutral, 5.59. Results indicated that SO4(2-) concentration in precipitation was very high, as was Ca2+, neutralizing the acidity. Acidic wet deposition samples were generally obtained in winter. Enrichment factors for sea and soil indicate the strong effects of sea and soil, specifically limestone on the composition of precipitation. Non-sea salt fractions of SO4(2-) were found to range from 0.955 to 0.980, showing the effect of non-sea sources, especially emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, on the pH of samples. Trajectory analysis showed that cyclones originating from northwestern, central and eastern parts of Europe have generally high sulfate and nitrate concentrations and low pH.     

An investigation on the use of shredded waste PET bottles as aggregate in lightweight concrete

In this work, the utilization of shredded waste Poly-ethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle granules as a lightweight aggregate in mortar was investigated. Investigation was carried out on two groups of mortar samples, one made with only PET aggregates and, second made with PET and sand aggregates together. Additionally, blast-furnace slag was also used as the replacement of cement on mass basis at the replacement ratio of 50% to reduce the amount of cement used and provide savings. The water–binder (w/b) ratio and PET–binder (PET/b) ratio used in the mixtures were 0.45 and 0.50, respectively. The size of shredded PET granules used in the preparation of mortar mixtures were between 0 and 4 mm. The results of the laboratory study and testing carried out showed that mortar containing only PET aggregate, mortar containing PET and sand aggregate, and mortars modified with slag as cement replacement can be drop into structural lightweight concrete category in terms of unit weight and strength properties. Therefore, it was concluded that there is a potential for the use of shredded waste PET granules as aggregate in the production of structural lightweight concrete. The use of shredded waste PET granules due to its low unit weight reduces the unit weight of concrete which results in a reduction in the death weight of a structural concrete member of a building. Reduction in the death weight of a building will help to reduce the seismic risk of the building since the earthquake forces linearly dependant on the dead-weight. Furthermore, it was also concluded that the use of industrial wastes such as PET granules and blast-furnace slag in concrete provides some advantages, i.e., reduction in the use of natural resources, disposal of wastes, prevention of environmental pollution, and energy saving.