Sorin Balan

• Phd student
• Researcher at GeoEcoMar

Mangalia area harbors in the western Black Sea a distinctive marine environment thriving under specific hydrochemical conditions, largely influenced by a significant number of sulphurous springs occurring in shallow marine waters. These springs led to the designation of the area as part of the Natura 2000 Marine Protected Area (MPA) network at Euro...

Underwater sea caves form a relatively under-examined habitat type within the marine regions of Europe, although they provide unique physical conditions such as reduced light and wave energy, in addition to reduced temperature amplitude. This study aimed at revealing the characteristics of submerged cavities on the southern Romanian continental she...

Understanding the dynamics and fate of methane (CH4) release from oceanic seepages on margins and shelves into the water column, and quantifying the budget of its total discharge at different spatial and temporal scales, currently represents a major scientific undertaking. Previous works on the fate of methane escaping from the seafloor underlined...

22 surface sediment samples were collected in August 2018 from the Romanian inner shelf (Nord-Western Black Sea). Concentrations of some metals (Al, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, As, Pb, and Hg), TOC content, and grain size of sediment samples were determined by specific techniques. The order of accumulation of heavy metals was Zn]Cr]Ni]Cu]Pb]As]Hg. Multivariate...

We present here the results of a 4-year environmental monitoring program at Ascunsă Cave (southwestern Romania) designed to help us understand how climate information is transferred through the karst system and archived by speleothems. The air temperature inside the cave is around 7 ∘C, with slight differences between the upper and lower parts of t...

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 “The Ocean of Tomorrow” Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concep...

We present here the results of a four year environmental monitoring program at Ascunsă Cave, Romania, intended to understand how climate information is transferred through the karst system and archived in speleothems. The air temperature inside the cave is around 7 °C, with slight differences between the upper and lower parts of the 20 main passage...

Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phaeopigments a (Phaeo a) spatial distribution in the Western Black Sea was studied in relation to environmental factors and mesozooplankton community. For that purpose, CTD parameters, nutrients, chlorophyll pigments, and mesozooplankton total density and biomass were measured at 33 stations, distributed along the Romania...

The Phyllophora field of NW Black Sea, known also as Zernov Phyllophora field, after its Ukrainian first explorer, has been spread over large areas on the NW Black Sea shelf at the beginning of the 20th Century. In the second half of the last century, the Phyllophora field drastically reduced on the Ukrainian Black Sea shelf and disappeared on the...

HERAS is the acronym of the project entitled "Submarine Archaeological Heritage of the Western Black Sea Shelf".The purpose of this project was to explore the western Black Sea continental shelf and identify underwater archaeological sites in order to promote them in the "Scuba Diving" adventure tourist circuit.This project brought together institu...

By analyzing data recorded in 38 sampling stations (bottom depths between 16 and 200 m) covering the entire Romanian shelf, from the Danube's mouths to the southern part of the coast, the authors study Subsurface Chlorophyll Maximum (SCM) from May 2009 to April 2011. Chlorophyll a (Chla), seawater temperature, salinity, sigma T, dissolved oxygen, p...

The transformation of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP), and the release of dissolved organic and particulate N and P, were analyzed in two lake complexes (Uzlina–Isac and Puiu–Rosu–Rosulet) of the Danube Delta wetland during flood conditions in May and at low water level in September 2006. The Uzlina–Isac co...

Production of methane and carbon dioxide as well as methane concentrations in surface waters and emissions to the atmosphere were investigated in two flow-through lake complexes (Uzlina-Isac and Puiu-Rosu-Rosulet) in the Danube Delta during post-flood conditions in May and low water level in September 2006. Retained nutrients fueled primary product...

The nutrient balance of N and P, the sedimentary production of CH4 and the diffusive emission rates of CH4 and CO2 were analyzed in two lake complexes (Uzlina-Isac and Puiu-Roşu-Roşulet) of the Danube Delta during post-flood conditions in May and at low water level in September 2006. The input of dissolved inorganic N and P to the lake complexes de...