GLOBEC-Ukraine Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics

About GLOBEC

On GLOBEC Scientistic Steering Committee Meeting, Paris 17-20 March, the closeness of scientific programs of Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas to programs of GLOBEC was marked. Therefore it was offered to the management of IBSS to develop the Ukrainian regional program and to coordinate the activity with the schedules of GLOBEC.

IBSS studies small pelagic fish of the Black Sea and the South Ocean fish resources.and allocates by results of long-term researches in area. The activity of IBSS in this direction can be considered as the frame of GLOBEC Regional Programs - SPACC and SO-GLOBEC.

The materials of this page will display both results - current execution of programs and reaching the IBSS in this direction of the last years.

Within the framework of this programs IBSS have joint cooperation with such organizations of Ukraine as Marine Hydrophysical Institute (MHI) NAS Ukraine, Sevastopol, Southern Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fishery and Oceanography (YugNIRO, Kerch), Fishery Inspection (Sevastopol).

The staff of the working group of the Ukrainian Committee:

• Prof. Victor E. Zaika - Head of the Committee (IBSS)
• Dr. Alexander R. Boltachev - Deputy of the Head (IBSS)
• Prof.Georgy E.Shulman - Instructor of the SPACC program (IBSS)
• Prof. German Zuev - Instructor of the SPACC program (IBSS).
• Prof. Ernest Samyshev - Instructor of the SO-GLOBEC program (IBSS).
• Prof. Alexander Suvorov, Marine Hydrophysical Institute (MHI, Sevastopol).
• Dr. Ivan Serobaba, Southern Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fishery and Oceanography (YugNIRO, Kerch)
• Mr. Dmitriy Gutsal - Fishery Inspection (Sevastopol)

In 1997 to 2000, Ukrainian GLOBEC has acted along the lines of the following  paragraphs of the GLOBEC-International Implementation Plan:

• FOCUS 1: Retrospective Analyses and Time Series Studies
  • Activity 1.1. Preservation of Existing Long Time Series Studies and Data
  • Activity 1.2. Analyses of Existing Retrospective Data
• FOCUS 2: Process Studies
  • Activity 2.2. Identification and Understanding of Multiscale Physical-Biological Interactions

In the framework of these two foci, the following international programs have been carried out:

1. The INTAS (UA-95-80) funded  project: "Dissemination of data on environmental characteristics using
   innovative electronic (CD-ROM ) data management; Tools for protection of biodiversity in  the endangered areas of the World's  Tropical Ocean". Contact person: Dr. S.A. Piontkovski (spiontkovski@notes.cc.sunysb.edu)
2. "Plankton biodiversity and biovariability in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans" funded in the framework of the international "Darwin Initiative"  (DETR, UK). Contact person: Dr. S.A. Piontkovski (spiontkovski@notes.cc.sunysb.edu)
3. "The database on the bioluminescence field of the Worlds Ocean" funded by ONR (USA). Contact person: Dr. S.A. Piontkovski (spiontkovski@notes.cc.sunysb.edu) and Dr. Yu.N. Tokarev (ibss@ibss.iuf.net)

In terms of the GLOBEC-International  regional programs, the following ones were caried out:

1. SPACC

• Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas
  • Ichthyoplankton:
  • studies of spatial-temporal cdistribution of sprat and anchovy eggs in connection to the water structure and dynamics;
  •  sprat and anchovy larvae feeding and trophic interrelations
  • development, growth, and productivity at the earlier life stages;
  • the influence of pollution on the eggs and larvae development and abundance.
  • Biological structure of sprat and anchovy populations :
  • size, age and sex structures,  seasonal and interannual changes;
  • reproductive biology;
  • feeding and trophic interrelations;
  • life cycle, productive characteristics;
  • exposing biomarkers defining  population state;
  • antropogenic impact on sprat and anchovy stocks.
  • Functional bases  of life history of small pelagic fishes (look at  publications )
  • Physiological and biochemical annual cycles in feeding, maturation, spawning, migrations, wintering of  fish  (genus Engraulis and Sprattus) in the Black and Mediterranean Seas.
  • Physiological and biochemical indication of anchovy and sprat in the Black Sea and prediction of their behaviour, distribution and fishery.
  • Metabolism, somatic and generative growth,  and productivity  of anchovy and sprat  populations in the Black Sea.
  • Biochemical assesment  of food supply of larvae, fry and adult part of populations of anchovy and sprat in the Black Sea.
  • Marine Hydrophysical Institute:
    • seasonal and interannual changes of the mesoscale water mass structure and dynamics;
    • methods for  remote measurements of abiotic and biotic factors of the habitat.
  • Southern Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fishery and Oceanography:
    • peculiarity of the sprat and anchovy fishery structure;
    • seasonal migrations and distribution of small pelagic fish
  • Fishery Inspection:
    operative information on quantity and dynamics of fish catches.

2. SO-GLOBEC.

IBSS is involed in the interannual  mesoscale surveys  of the pelagic ecosystem  in the zones with krill enhanced density  (the Coronation, Elephant, and King George islands). Field surveys incorporate:

• spatial distribution of  krill, salps and the other plankton organism ( including krill larvae, meso-, microzooplankton, phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, and suspended organic matter);
• krill population  structure;
• studies of krill demographic parameters;
• primary production;
• sedimentation intensity;
• energy characteristics of bacterio-,  microzooplankton, and salps);
• functioning of the major components in plankton community;
• regional oceanography;
• modeling  of ecosystem functioning
• trends and possible mechanisms of ecosystem functioning

For additional information E-mail to A.Boltachev

Copyright © 1998. Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
2, Nakhimov av., Sevastopol, 335011, Crimea, Ukraine. Tel: 380-692-591725 Fax: 380-692-592813

For more information contact zalex@ibss.iuf.net