Unraveling Aquatic Quality Controls of a Nearly Undisturbed Mediterranean Island (Samothraki, Greece)

Skoulikidis, Nikolaos Th.; Lampou, Anastasia; Laschou, Sofia

doi:10.3390/w12020473

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Annual nutrient and DO concentrations were calculated as averages of the monthly measurements. In-situ and laboratory methods applied in the frame of the NMPs are described in detail by the authors of [39]. To assess any historical changes in river water quality, two periods have been distinguished; 1980-2011 and 2012-2020.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of EU Environmental Policy Implementation on the Quality and Status of Greek Rivers

Skoulikidis

Karaouzas

Amaxidis

et al. 2021

Water

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Based on historical and WFD-compliant data, the recent inter-annual ecological status and the long-term chemical-physicochemical quality trends of eighteen characteristic Greek rivers have been assessed and interpreted in view of implementing EU environmental policies and the evolution of human pressures. Considering predominating poor ecological status in most of the river outflows, the strengths and weaknesses of the WFD implementation have been highlighted. The long-term decrease of ammonium and nitrite concentrations along with relatively low recent BOD5 levels, indicate a general improvement of WWTP infrastructure in Greece and the other riparian countries, whereas the improvement of nitrate quality is attributed to the reduction of fertilizers use, and possibly, to the successful application of the Nitrates Directive in certain basins. Despite capacity building in governance and administrative infrastructure the recent years, River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) are being implemented centrally, largely mechanistically, with minor public participation. Regarding WFD implementation weaknesses and gaps, concrete proposals have been formulated considering both policy/administrative and technical issues. To efficiently conserve and restore aquatic ecosystems, the forthcoming RBMPs should be consistent with ecosystem services principles focusing on nature-based solutions, along with changing attitudes of the state authorities and the public.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Nestos), ref [48]. (Kompsatos), refs [39][40][41][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] (Fonias), and[51] (Evrotas).…”

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Impact of EU Environmental Policy Implementation on the Quality and Status of Greek Rivers

Skoulikidis

Karaouzas

Amaxidis

et al. 2021

Water

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“…Samothraki Island is well known as being exceptionally rich in natural and cultural heritage, which is widely agreed as requiring conservation management and preservation [54][55][56]. Most of the island is covered by two Natura 2000 sites and it has been proposed as a UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve [57].…”

Section: Study Area and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area

et al. 2020

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Industrial wind farms are being developed within many protected areas, such as in EU Natura 2000 sites; this includes proposals on small Mediterranean islands, such as Samothraki in Greece. Scarce wild land areas on islands may be particularly vulnerable to landscape-scale degradation; this may have serious negative societal impacts. Samothraki’s resident perceptions were surveyed in the wake of such a proposal, in June 2018. Of 98 respondents, 48% reported they were against the wind farm plan, while 22% did not take sides. We compare for-and-against sub-group perceptions of the proposed wind farm with potential impacts on the landscape and explore residents’ opinions on ecosystem services and environmental pressures and threats. Conflict over the wind farm was prevalent; residents most frequently reported that the proposal threatens aesthetic and landscape qualities. Aesthetic qualities were also the second highest ranked ecosystem services, after freshwater provision. However, other threats, such as livestock overgrazing, top residents’ opinion of major environmental problems on the island. The questionnaire survey used provides a scoping assessment, which may assist in identifying "conflict hotspots" for wind farm development. A critical review of wind farm planning in protected areas is presented in light of insights gained from this survey and other relevant studies.

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Toponyms: a neglected asset within the water framework and flood directives implementation process; the case study of Greece

Skoulikaris

2022

Acta Geophys.

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Proxy data and qualitative information are important assets in water resources and floods management. In the research, the river water bodies with characteristic toponyms (hydronyms) in Greece that potentially reflect the water’s quality or the occurrence of floods are evaluated in comparison to the European Union’s (EU) Water Framework and Flood Directives implementation process outputs. For doing so, after identifying the river water bodies with characteristic toponyms which form the 10.2% of the Greek water bodies, the toponyms are cross correlated with the water bodies quality status as retrieved by the Directives’ databases to validate the existence of linkages between the names and the quality. Similarly, the significant floods, as derived from the Flood Directive, are spatially allied with the water bodies with characteristic toponyms to ground truth the connection between significant floods and water bodies whose toponyms imply flood prone areas. The research outputs indicate a high degree of correlation both in terms of water quality and floods, meaning that in almost all cases the water body toponym depicts the good or bad quality of the water body or the occurrence of flood events. Moreover, it is established that almost 90% of the water bodies with characteristic names are intermittent and ephemeral ones. The water bodies’ toponyms, hence, are proposed as an auxiliary criterion during the Directives implementation process that could foster increased water quality and flood-related knowledge, especially in intermittent and ephemeral water bodies which are generally lacking observations, and can be applied not only in all EU-Member States’ waters, but also in global scale.

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Unraveling Aquatic Quality Controls of a Nearly Undisturbed Mediterranean Island (Samothraki, Greece)

Cited by 6 publications

References 57 publications

Impact of EU Environmental Policy Implementation on the Quality and Status of Greek Rivers

Impact of EU Environmental Policy Implementation on the Quality and Status of Greek Rivers

Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area

Toponyms: a neglected asset within the water framework and flood directives implementation process; the case study of Greece

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