Climate Change Effects and Marine Renewable Energy Important Topics Targeted by the Journal of Marine Science

The higher dynamics in the climate change became quite visible in the last decades.Although there are still theories assuming these changes to the cyclic character of the climate,it is obvious that this dynamics is also driven to a large extent by the human activities.According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC),which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change,various climate scenarios have been designed.

Harvesting Offshore Renewable Energy an Important Challenge for the European Coastal Environment

In the last decades significant changes in the climate are noticed and it becomes obvious that these dynamics are strongly influenced by recent human development.From this perspective,there is an increasing concern regarding the possible evolution of the climate and various possible scenarios have been designed and analysed.Thus,in 2014 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)adopted the Fifth Assessment Report,where the concept of Representative Concentration Pathway(RCP)was introduced for climate modelling.This is a greenhouse gas concentration trajectory labelled after the expected values of the radiative forcing by the end of 2100.

Evaluation of the Circulation Patterns in the Black Sea Using Remotely Sensed and <i>in Situ</i>Measurements

The objective of the present work is to provide an overview of the general circulation features in the Black Sea basin. In order to achieve this, 18 years (1993-2010) of satellite data coming from the Aviso website were analyzed. A description of the general circulation patterns in the Black Sea is first presented. This is followed by statistical analyses of the satellite data in 20 points covering the entire area of the sea. The reference points were chosen as follows: 12 points along the Rim cyclonic current, 3 points inside the Rim cyclonic current, 4 points on the edge of two of the biggest anticyclonic gyres outside the Rim current and one point in the northwestern shelf area of the basin. Rose graphics were drawn for the reference points for winter and summer time. Finally, 9 years of in situ data obtained from the Gloria drilling platform were analyzed and compared with the satellite data. The present study shows that most of the reference points are sensitive to seasonal changes. The current velocities depend mostly on the points location: the points located on the Rim current and on the nearshore anticyclonic eddies present higher values than the ones located in or outside the general circulation features.

An Evaluation of the Main Physical Features and Circulation Patterns in the Black Sea Basin

Having as target the semi-enclosed basin of the Black Sea,the primary purpose of the existing paper is to present an overview of its extensive physical features and circulation patterns.To achieve this goal,more than five decades of data analysis-from 1960 to 2015-were taken into consideration and the results were validated against acknowledged data,both from satellite data over the last two decades and in-situ measurements from first decades.The circulation of the Black Sea basin has been studied for almost 400 years since the Italian Count Luigi Marsigli first described the“two-layer”circulation through the Bosphorus Strait in the year 1681.Since climate change projections for the Black Sea region foresee a significant impact on the environment in the coming decades,a set of adaptation and mitigation measures is required.Therefore more research is needed.Nowadays,the warming trend adds a sense of immediate urgency because according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centre for Environmental Information,July 2020 was the second-hottest month ever recorded for the planet.Its averaged land and ocean surface temperature tied with July 2016 as the secondhighest for the month in the 141-year NOAA’s global temperature dataset history,which dates back to 1880.It was 0.92°C above the 20th-century average of 15.8°C,with only 0.01°C less than the record extreme value measured in July of 2019.

COVID-19 impact on the liver

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic imposed arestructuring of global health systems by rethinking spaces used for the care of these patients and the additions of intensive care,infectious diseases and pneumology departments.This paper provides evidence on the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in hepatocytes and its direct cytopathic activity,as well as the degree of liver damage due to drug toxicity,inflammation and hypoxia in COVID-19.A review of clinical trials has quantified liver damage through both pathology and biochemistry studies.Additionally,we briefly present the results of a study conducted in our clinic on 849 patients admitted for COVID-19 treatment,of which 31 patients had pre-existing chronic liver disease and 388 patients had values above the normal limit for alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,and total bilirubin.It was observed that patients with abnormal liver tests were significantly statistically older,had more comorbidities and had a higher percentage of unfavourable evolution(death or transfer to intensive care).The conclusion of this paper is that the main causes of liver damage are direct viral aggression,coagulation dysfunction and endothelial damage,and patients with impaired liver function develop more severe forms of COVID-19 which requires special care by a multidisciplinary team that includes a hepatologist.

Comparative Analysis of the Methods Used for Active Power Filtering in a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System

This paper presents a comparison of the results obtained from the integration of the photovoltaic system to the electrical grid through the Active Power Filter.The innovative aspect of this article consists of the elaboration of 4 models in Matlab/Simulink for 4 methods of control of the Active Power Filter introduced between the photovoltaic system and the alternating current grid and the highlighting of the performances obtained regarding the quality and quantity of electricity transferred for each control method in part.Following the analysis of the results,it was found that by using the Indirect Control(CI)method of the Active Power Filter,the best results are obtained THDu=3.24%,THDi=2.46%if the photovoltaic system produces a larger amount of energy than the nonlinear load,and by using the methods of control of the Active Power Filter Synchronous Reference Frame(DQ)and Instantaneous Power(PQ)the best results are obtained:THDu=3.22%,THDi=5.26%for the method(DQ)and THDu=3.41%,THDi=5.17%for the method(PQ)if the photovoltaic system produces a smaller amount of energy than the nonlinear load.

Can Air Quality be Influenced in Coastal Areas by Shipping?

The problem of pollution is a topical issue at global,regional but also at the local level.Starting from this idea,the question arises whether the coastal region in the North-East of the Black Sea is affected by the emissions resulting from the combustion of marine fuels in large ship engines,which manage to set in motion floating buildings intended for the transport of goods and passengers.This paper wants to evaluate the variation of the air quality indicators in the coastal area of Romania,taking into account the contribution that the ships by their number,size and destination can have on these qualitative factors.Such an approach is needed from the perspective of the more than 500,000 inhabitants possibly affected by the effects with which this industry is accompanied.As the Black Sea active fleet is already old,as its ages year by year,the premises for the need for this study can be set up.As in other regions,drastic measures are taken in order to reduce the effects of pollution due to such economic activity,the assessment of the effects that this industry produces in inhabited areas becomes necessary.In order to carry out this study,air quality data from the database provided by the National Air Quality Monitoring Network of the Workshop on the calitateaer.ro site were evaluated.

Power Quality Comparative Analysis between UPF and SAPF

This paper makes a technical analysis of the converter’s topologies that are conventionally employed in three-phase three-wire in increasing the power factor and harmonics eliminating,namely unit power factor(UPF)and shunt active power filter(SAPF)and highlights the improvement of energy quality in the supply network.The paper highlights that the mathematical model of the three-phase PWM rectifier in the dq coordinate system is similar for both configurations.The structure of the control schemes of the two topologies for increasing the energy quality is similar by transformation of three-phase stationary coordinate system(a,b,c),to synchronous rotating(d,q)coordinate system that synchronously rotates with the fundamental voltage of the grid.Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the control in synchronous rotating coordinate system has high power factor and low THDi for the both topologies.

Energy Efficiency of Washing Machines

This paper makes a technical analysis of the methods to increase the energy efficiency of washing machines for student education.Starting from the definition given by the Energy Efficiency Index,the present analysis proposes two methods for increasing the energy efficiency of the washing machines by modifying the standard annual energy consumption(SAEc)and by modifying the annual energy consumption(AEc).These two methods are made per kilogram of clothes for washing machines from the same brand in different energy classes and for washing machines of two different brands.The models analyzed were chosen according to their energy rating A++and A+++.The results of this analysis propose the energy savings as an energy indicator to inform buyers in choosing a brand and energy class of the washing machine.

A review of the technologies for wave energy extraction

The main objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive picture of existing wave technologies being used for wave energy extraction.The overview will explain their potential and also the challenges wave technologies face.The article will also briefly discuss the benefits of combined offshore wind-wave projects,also known as hybrids.Key factors and impacts on relevant existing wave technologies will be outlined,including capacity factor and capture width.Finally the levelized cost of energy(LCOE)targets for the most promising technologies will be discussed.