Southern Black Sea (B), Sinop Peninsula, 6 Stations

Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies; Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column; Nitrate concentration parameters in the water column; Nitrite concentration parameters in the water column; Concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the water column; Phosphate concentration parameters in the water column; Salinity of the water column; Temperature variation in the water column; Density of the water column; Silicate concentration parameters in the water column; Concentration of suspended particulate material in the water column; Zooplankton taxonomy-related abundance per unit volume of the water column; Phytoplankton generic abundance in water bodies; Alkalinity, acidity and pH of the water column; Transmittance and attenuance of the water column

CTD; discrete water samplers; pH sensors; elemental analysers

Our Faculty has funded activities on the following items in the Black Sea.

  general and process oriented surveys,
  time series studies

The changes in the quality and quantity of nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton and macrozooplankton are being monitored at two stations (one inshore station and one offshore station) at one month intervals for four years. The time-series data is used to study the biogeochemical processes of the Black Sea. At the end of this study some important biological characteristics (e.g. rates and period of growth, death and reproduction) of a few key species (the copepod Calanus euxinus, the ctenophore Mnemiopsis, Beroe etc.) are also expected to be disclosed. This study is an extension of the same project started last year. However, a few changes have been made to the sampling program based on the results obtained so far. Previously (during 1998) 4 stations off Sinop in the central southern Black Sea were being monitored for a few oceanographic parameters over monthly intervals. Since January 1999, two stations (one shallow 75m and one deep 400m) are being sampled for their basic pelagic biological (chlorophyll, phytoplankton and zooplankton) and physical-chemical characteristics (temperature, salinity, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, Secchi disk depth etc.) at monthly intervals. At these two stations, chlorophyll, phytoplankton and nutrients (nitrate, phosphate and silicate) are being sampled from 7 different water depths (surface, 10m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m and 60 m). Phytoplankton and nutrient samples will be analyzed at Sinop Fisheries Faculty. Zooplankton samples are being obtained by one vertical tow from the bottom to the surface at the shallow station and from the lower border of the oxic zone (approx. 150 m) to the surface at the deep station. Following net towing, gelatinous organisms (which are retained on a sieve) are counted and weighed individually for determination of their biomass. This is necessary for understanding the population dynamics of gelatinous organisms (mainly Aurelia aurita, Mnemiopsis leidyi, Pleurobrachia pileus and the new alien ctenophore Beroe sp), this information is not known yet but is very important for the understanding and modeling of the pelagic ecosystem of the Black Sea.

Sinop University, Fisheries Faculty

Sinop

57000
Turkey