Investigation of environmental conditions for wetland Keri, at Zakynthos. Possible impacts from human activities.

Postgraduate Thesis uoadl:2673271 411 Read counter

Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Στρατηγικές Διαχείρισης Περιβάλλοντος
Library of the School of Science
Deposit date:
2018-03-01
Year:
2018
Author:
Chardalia Giannoula
Supervisors info:
Δρ. Χ. Κράνης,
Δρ. Γεωλόγος, Ε.Δ.Ι.Π. ΕΚΠΑ
Κ. Αντωνιάδης
Γεωλόγος - Περιβαλλοντολόγος M.Sc.,
P.G., C.P.G. - Ειδικός Επιστήμονας στο
Συνήγορο του Πολίτη
Δρ. Β. Αντωνίου,
Δρ. Γεωλόγος, Ε.Δ.Ι.Π. ΕΚΠΑ
Δρ. Μ. Αριανούτσου-Φαραγγιτάκη,
Καθηγ. ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Διερεύνηση περιβαλλοντικών συνθηκών του υγροτόπου Κερίου, Ζακύνθου. Ενδεχόμενες επιπτώσεις από ανθρωπογενείς δραστηριότητες.
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
Investigation of environmental conditions for wetland Keri, at Zakynthos. Possible impacts from human activities.
Summary:
This study explores the Keri wetland area, located at the west part of Laganas bay, in Zakynthos island. It is a small area of the region designated as the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The area of Keri is an important wetland for Zakynthos. Around the wetland, however, there has been a significant build-up in addition to agricultural activities. It does not seem that special care is taken to protect the environment; hence there is insufficient infrastructure (e.g. a sewage treatment plant) for growing residential activity.
An extra problem that seems to be unique for the ecosystem is the observed influx of “petroleum” products. According to relevant information, their origin may be due to the fact that more than 22 drillings have been carried out in the past to explore the existence or not of an utilizable oil field. When the drillings were not used any more, the operator and authorities did not seal them properly. Therefore, most drillings have so far leaked small quantities of petroleum products in the wetland. As a result the wetland has reached its current image: besides its possible pollution from natural spillage of oil products, there is additional pollution from the drillings operation and insufficient sealing. It is important to exploit the existence and extent of hydrocarbon contamination that may be caused from the drillings that began in 1927 and ceased in the 1970s, where the latest drillings were performed.
This study examines the historical record of how the wetland is impacted through the years and evaluates the existing environmental conditions. A description of the legislation framework for protected areas and activities is presented.
During this first phase of the study, the impact of anthropogenic activities within the wider region will be explored, considering the existence of settlements - buildings, economic and agricultural activities, that have as well limited the extent of the wetland and its surrounding area. Aerial photographs are utilized to describe the time-varying land use of the wetland & neighboring area. Finally, in order to observe [& estimate] the current situation in the area of Keri wetland, two on site visits took place. The first visit was at the end of July 2017 and the second the last week of January 2018. During the second visit water samples from the wetland were selected and analyzed to evaluate the quality of water at the sampling points for specific compounds during that time period.
To further study the wetland condition, a second phase investigation is proposed. During this phase new sampling activities will take place. The new samples will be selected during a time period that greater pressure is applied on the ecosystem. In addition the samples will be analyzed for petroleum hydrocarbons to evaluate the impact of exploratory oil drilling on Keri wetland.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
Keri wetland, anthropogenic impact, residential pressures, oil pollution, pollution, wetlands, drilling, environmental phase, municipal waste
Index:
No
Number of index pages:
0
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
17
Number of pages:
96
File:
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.

ΧΑΡΔΑΛΙΑ 2018 ΜΕΤΑΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΗ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ.pdf
12 MB
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.