The aim of this thesis is to develop a methodology for detection of naturally occurring offshore oil slicks originating from hydrocarbon seeps using satellite remote sensing techniques. In this scope, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery has been utilized. Case study area was Andrusov High in the Central Black Sea. Hydrocarbon seepage from tectonic or stratigraphic origin at the sea floor causes oily gas plumes to rise up to the sea surface. They form thin oil films on the sea surface called oil slicks. Presence of seeps and surface oil slicks for the offshore basins is a trace of depleted oil traps. Spatial distribution of oil slicks is closely related to sea waves, dominant wind patterns and weathering factors. Even though, there are oil slick detection techniques available with optical remote sensing, laser fluorosensors, and hyperspectral remote sensing, the most efficient results can be obtained from active microwave sensors like synthetic aperture radar (SAR). SAR sensors simply measure the backscattered radiation from the surface and show the roughness of the terrain. Oil slicks dampen the sea waves creating dark patches in the SAR image. In this context an adapted methodology has been proposed, including three levels namely / visual inspection, image filtering and object based fuzzy classification. With visual inspection, targets have been identified and subset scenes have been created. Subset scenes have been categorized into 3 cases based on contrast difference of dark spots to the surroundings. Then object based classification has been utilized with the fuzzy membership functions defined by extracted features of layer values, shape and texture from segmented and filtered SAR subsets. As a result, oil slicks have been discriminated from look-alikes which are the phenomena resembling oil slicks. The overall classification accuracy obtained by averaging three different cases is 83 % for oil slicks and 77 % for look-alikes. The results of this study can considered to be a preliminary work and supplementary information for determining the best operational procedure of offshore hydrocarbon exploration.

This thesis analyzes the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation and Turkey&#039 / s role in this international organization. This thesis argues that contrary to scholars who view institutional weaknesses of BSEC as the main reason of its failure in achieving sufficient level of cooperation among its members, political problems emanating from member states constitute the main reason of BSEC&#039 / s ineffectiveness as an international organization. There are six chapters of this thesis. Following the introductory first chapter, the second chapter of this thesis examines the factors behind establishment of BSEC and its formation process. In the following three chapters BSEC&#039 / s institutional structure, its issue areas and problems are discussed in detail. The last chapter is conclusion.

Demand for energy is constantly growing both in the world and in Turkey. Sustainable development being an important concept, development of small hydro power projects has been popular in recent years. Eastern Black Sea Basin in Turkey has a lot of small hydro power potential because of high amount of precipitation and existence of steep slopes. Since the amount of river runoff is the only parameter that is variable in order to determine the power potential, it is vital to estimate the project discharge in ungauged basins accurately that have hydro power potential. Projects discharges of hydro-power plants in ungauged basins have been calculated using conventional methods up to now. This study aims to introduce a statistical model in linear and multi-variate form using the topographical and morphological parameters derived from GIS and hydro-meteorological variables to estimate the specific flow duration curves of potential small hydro-power locations for the selected study areas in Eastern Black Sea Region namely Solakli and Karadere basins. As well as developing an annual regression model using the annual values of hydro-meteorological parameters / seasonal regression model (spring season) has also been developed by including the mean seasonal (spring) air temperature variable instead of snow covered area (SCA) in addition to basin parameters. By studying the spring model, effect of different variables from the annual model were tested and discussed with some recommendations for the future studies.

New and renewable energy resources are important in view of reduction of greenhouse gasses causing climate change and in eliminating of dependence on foreign sources in energy respects. Within this context, hydraulic energy is evaluated as one of the prior energy resources that should be utilized. Turkey has 26 basins and Eastern Black Sea Basin is one of the most feasible basins with a lot of small hydroelectric power plants. In the other hand, there is not enough number of discharge gauging stations in the basin. For that reason, up to now generally area ratio method has been used to estimate the project discharges of small hydroelectric power plants. Objective of this study is to estimate &ldquo / the project discharge&rdquo / which is corresponding to 5 flow percentiles (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%) depending on topographical, meteorological, hydrologic and soil-land cover parameters through developing a multilinear statistical model for Iyidere Basin as a part of Eastern Black Sea Basin. Perimeter of the basin, the ratio of the basin perimeter to the main stream length of the same basin, the drainage frequency, the mean slope of basin, v the mean annual precipitation and the curve number are the parameters that have been analysed for the multilinear statistical model. Principal Component Analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis and Stepwise Regression Analysis have been run for the data sets. For the computed discharges validation has been done. As a result of validation, it has been seen that the stepwise regression gives much closer discharge values to the observed values than the multiple regression results.

Po Šaltojo karo pabaigos ir SSRS dezintegracijos Europoje atsirado naujos nepriklausomos valstybės, kurios nepriklausė euro – atlantinėms bendradarbiavimo struktūroms. Tiek Vidurio ir Rytų Europa, tiek Vakarų Europa nebuvo suinteresuota leisti formuotis naujoms skirtims žemyne. Todėl subregionalizmas tapo išeitimi, kuri suteikė galimybę posovietinėms valstybėms bendromis jėgomis siekti reformų, o Vakarų Europai suteikti finansinę bei techninę paramą ir tokiu būdu perkelti vertybes bei normas. Juodosios jūros subregionas sulaukia daug diskusijų, kadangi jo egzistavimo faktas dažnai yra kvestionuojamas. Vis dėlto, šios srities vystymąsis yra ypač svarbus ilgalaikiam Lietuvos ir visos Europos Sąjungos energetiniam ir „minkštajam“ saugumui. Darbe yra siekiama išnagrinėti subregioninio bendradarbiavimo procesus Juodosios jūros subregione ir iškeliami šie uždaviniai: 1. Atlikti subregionalizmo teorinį aiškinimą; 2. Išanalizuoti subregionalizmo procesus Juodosios jūros regione; 3. Pristatyti keturias subregioninio bendradarbiavimo struktūras – JJEBO, GUAM, Demokratinio pasirinkimo bendriją bei Juodosios jūros forumą dialogui ir partnerystei plėtoti. Aptariant subregionalizmo teorinį aiškinimą pasitelkiamas aprašymas bei mokslinės literatūros analizės metodas. Istoriniu aprašomuoju metodu naudotąsi siekiant apžvelgti istorinę subregioninių grupių raidą. Kitiems uždaviniams pasiekti pasitelkiami antrinių duomenų bei turinio analizės metodai. Darbe padaromos kelios išvados. Visų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Black Sea subregionalism After the end of Cold war and the disintegration of USSR in Europe appeared newly independent countries, which remained outside euro – atlantic cooperation systems. Both the Middle East Europe and the West Europe did not want to allow the formation of new divisions in the continent. Therefore the subregionalism became a solution, that allowed a post – Soviet states to seek reforms collectively and the Western Europe to provide financial and technical support and thus to transfer its values and norms. Black sea sub-region receives a lot of discussion, because its existence is often questioned. However, the development of this area is particularly important for long – term energetic and „soft“ security of both Lithuania and the EU. This paper aims to examine the sub-regional cooperation processes in the Black Sea sub-region and out the following tasks: 1. Present theoretical interpretation of subregionalism, 2. Analyze subregional processes in the Black Sea region, 3. Introduce four sub-regional cooperation structures - BSEC, GUAM, Community of Democratic Choice and the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership. The description and literature analysis are used then discussing the theoretical interpretation of subregionalism. Historical descriptive method is used to review the hostorical developments of subregional groups. Secondary data and content analysis methods are used for other objects. Work is done through a number of coclusions. In... [to full text]

The main topic of the thesis is the city of Cherson, which has been under excavation mainly by Russian or Ukrainian researchers for more than 180 years. Due to a difficult political situation, the area was not accessible to other scholars till 1993. Therefore, most of the books or articles were published in Russian and have not been widely spread among western researchers. The first two chapters of the dissertation deal with the sources and the history of research. The main body of the dissertation is divided into three parts: (chapter 3) From the end of the Roman times till the early Middle Ages (5th - mid-7th centuries), (chapter 4) The Dark Ages (mid-7th - mid-9th centuries), (chapter 5) The new era of prosperity (mid-9th - end of the 10th century). The third chapter is devoted to the time when the era of Antiquity was slowly coming to its end and the development proceeded to the Middle Ages, in this case to the early Byzantine period. The fish industry and fish processing will be discussed because these activities which had begun here in the Roman times continued in the Byzantine period, too. Afterwards, the beginnings and spread of Christianity are debated. Furthermore, the beginnings of Christianity in Cherson are described, likewise the building activities, which resulted in transformation...

Memnon a écrit une histoire locale, celle de sa cité d’origine, Héraclée du Pont, colonie mégarienne située en mer Noire. Sa chronique est conservée en partie grâce aux fragments, plus ou moins consistants, résumés dans la Bibliothèque de Photius. Ce dernier nous a transmis seulement une partie de l’œuvre de Memnon, puisqu’il ne rapporte que les faits contenus dans les livres IX à XVI qui couvrent une période allant des années 60 du IIIème siècle aux années 40 du Ier siècle av. J.-C. avec, cependant, une grosse lacune entre le milieu du IIIème siècle et l’arrivée des Romains. Le texte a fait l’objet d’un commentaire historique détaillé qui met en lumière les incohérences du récit et les événements pour lesquels Memnon constitue notre seule source. Cette recherche se propose également de dégager la méthode historique de Memnon à travers l’étude des thématiques récurrentes dans le texte et l’analyse de l’ordre chronologique des événements. Il est évident que l’intervention de Photius a des incidences sur l’organisation chronologique initiée par Memnon mais il semble néanmoins que la méthode de l’historien d’Héraclée a, dès l’origine, dénaturé la chronologie des faits qu’il rapporte. De surcroît, l’analyse du texte a permis de dégager les objectifs de Memnon, lequel tente de raviver le passé glorieux d’Héraclée et de dénoncer les excès de la domination romaine, en particulier envers sa cité d’origine. L’auteur de l’Histoire d’Héraclée reste méconnu mais il me semble qu’il faut situer son activité littéraire dans la seconde moitié du IIème siècle de notre ère. / Memnon wrote a local history, the one of his native city, Heraclea Pontica, megarian colony located in the Black Sea. His chronicle is partially preserved thanks to fragments, more or less substantial, summarized in Photius’ Library. The latter passed on to us only a part of Memnon’s work, since he related only the facts contained in books IX to XVI, which cover a period from the 60’s of the third century to the 40’s of the first century BC., but with a big gap between the mid-third century to the arrival of the Romans. The text was the object of a detailed historical commentary which highlights the inconsistencies of the story and the events for which Memnon is our only source. My research also aims to identify the historical method of Memnon through the study of the recurring themes in the text and the analysis of the chronological order of events. It is obvious that Photius’ intervention has incidences on the chronological organization initiated by Memnon, nevertheless it seems that the method of the historian of Heraclea has distorted from the start the chronology of events he related. Furthermore, analysis of the text allowed to identify the objectives of Memnon who tries to revive the glorious past of Heraclea and to denounce the excesses of the Roman rule, especially to his city of origin. The author of the History of Heraclea remains unknown but it seems to me that his literary activity should be placed in the second half of the second century AD.

This study examines the influence of local and dominant Network Systems on the socio- economic development of the southern Black Sea colonies: Heraclea Pontica, Sinope, and Tios during the Archaic and Classical Period. I argue that archeological and literary evidence indicate that local (populations such as the Mariandynoi, Syrians, Caucones, Paphlagonians, and Tibarenians) and dominant external (including: Miletus, Megara/Boeotia, Athens, and Persia) socio-economic Network systems developed and shaped these three colonies, and helped explain their role in the overarching Black Sea Network. This study is divided into three chapters. Chapter one starts with the history and historiography of Greek colonization. This leads into an explanation of early Black Sea colonization and a brief history of Heraclea, Sinope, and Tios from their foundation in the Archaic period until their transition into the Roman provincial system. It then explains Network Theory and Middle Ground and how they will be utilized in chapters two and three. The second chapter uses a middle ground approach to analyze local networks and their influence on the socio-economic development of the three colonies. The second chapter primarily utilizes material evidence and literary sources such as Strabo and Xenophon to draw these conclusions. The third chapter examines the effect that the dominant network systems during these periods have on the colonies' socio-economic development. This chapter primarily focuses on the Black Sea, Athens, and Persia's networks and their interactions with the colonies. Ultimately, this project furthers the current understanding of Heraclea, Sinope, Tios and the Black Sea's economic development as a whole.

Ukraine’s foreign policy has puzzled observers since the dissolution of the Soviet Union due to its unusual inconsistency. This inconsistency exhibited itself in contradictory decisions by the Ukrainian executive carried out within a short period of time, which signalled either greater cooperation with Russia and relative cooling of relations with the West, or integration into Western institutions and worsening of the relations with Moscow. This study aims to explain the inconsistency by examining the sources of Ukraine’s foreign policy through process-tracing in four policy cases: Ukraine’s renouncement of nuclear weapons (1991-1994), the status of the Black Sea Fleet (1991-1997), the Odesa-Brody pipeline (2002-2004), and the 2006-2009 gas disputes. Contrary to dominant interpretations of Ukraine’s foreign policy vacillation that emphasise the role of external influences, especially that of Russia and the West, this study concludes that Ukraine’s inconsistent foreign policy decisions are best explained by domestic factors – intra-executive divisions and the influence of vested interests on policy-making. The work relies on the use of primary sources including archival research, elite interviews, and Ukrainian and Russian newspaper reports.

Un nouvel contexte de sécurité en Europe a fait place à l’ère bipolaire au cours des années 1990. La chute du communisme découvre une Europe scindée entre les pays occidentaux et les pays de l’Europe orientale, une région positionnée au carrefour des civilisations, tributaire encore aux défis, dangers et risques qui accompagnent la chute de l’empire soviétique. Au début des années 1990, un nouveau paradigme de sécurité, surnommé le « paradigme de sécurité gelé » remplace l’ancien paradigme de la bipolarité, spécifique à la guerre froide. Le manque de coopération entre les pays de la région devient la principale caractéristique de l’époque, au début et lors du moment unipolaire. Le tableau de la sécurité régionale nous montre deux camps avec des conceptions apparemment irrémédiables : d’un part, les pays appartenant à l’ancien système communiste, chacun avec les propres craintes vis-à-vis d’un possible revirement de la Russie et chacun avec une forte orientation pro-occidentale. D’autre part il existe une Russie désireuse de rétablir la sphère d’influence perdue et de regagner la gloire impériale, en utilisant de plus en plus une nouvelle méthode de coercition, l’arme énergétique. Dans cette équation de pouvoir, il est intéressant de poursuivre l’évolution et le rôle de la Roumanie, un pays de faille, appartenant par la langue et par la culture à la civilisation occidentale et par religion à la civilisation orthodoxe. En définitive, par son positionnement stratégique, et par sa volonté de retrouver son identité européenne perdue lors du communisme, la Roumanie deviendra l’une des importants piliers de la défense otaniene dans cette part du continent. / A new security environment in Europe replaced the bipolarity era since the ‘90th. The fall of communism reveals a Europe divided between Western countries and the Eastern Europe, region located at the crossroads of civilizations, tributary to the challenge, risks and hazards accompanying the Soviet collapse. Early ’90th, a new security paradigm, the “paradigm of freeze security” replaces the old one of bipolarity during the Cold War. The lack of cooperation among the countries in the region is the main characteristic of the period, from the beginning and during unipolar moment. The picture of regional security show us two camps having apparently irremediable ideology: on the one hand, countries belonging to the former Soviet empire, each of them having their own concern about a possible sudden change of Russia, but with a strong Western orientation, and on the other hand, the existing Russian empire willing to reestablish a sphere of influence and to regain lost imperial glory, using increasingly a more and new coercion weapon – the energy weapon. In this equation of power, is interesting to observe the evolution and Romania role, a buffer security zone, by the language and culture belonging of Western civilization and by religion of Orthodox civilization. Ultimately, by its strategic position and desire to find again, its European identity, lost during Communism era, Romania will become one of the important pillars of NATO defense, in this part of the continent.