Press Release (96)125 11 September 1996

Workshop on the Black Sea regional projects Two projects: Ecosystem Modelling as a Management Tool for the Black Sea (TU-BLACK SEA) and Wave Climatology of the Turkish Coast: Measurements-Analysis-Modelling (TU-WAVES) are the first significant endeavours in the framework of NATO s Science for Stability Programme to establish scientific collaboration with the Central and Eastern European countries within the Black Sea Region. Developments and results of these two projects will be presented during a workshop Monday, 16 September 1996 in Istanbul, Turkey. In this workshop the unique data base concerning the ecosystem dynamics of the Black Sea, developed under the TU-BLACK SEA project, will be presented in detail. This database now contains extensive information on the ecology of the Black Sea accumulated by institutes in each of the countries which border the Black Sea. Under the TU-WAVES project a short-term wave model of the Turkish coast was developed as a first milestone to derive the wind-wave climate of the entire Black Sea. The model will be presented and its implementation into a wind-wave forecasting system will be discussed. Scientists and decision makers of riparian Black Sea Countries as well as of NATO and EU memberstates and representatives of international organisations involved in the protection of the Black Sea will participate at this workshop. Participants will consider future research and monitoring activities to be undertaken for the refinement of the basic scientific knowledge needed to recover a sustainable water quality and biodiversity in this degraded regional water resource. More information about this workshop and the projects can be obtained from Dr. C. De Wispelaere, Science for Stability Programme, NATO-HQ, Brussels, tel. Int.: +32-2- 707.46.20 or Prof. N.K. Pak, Tubitak, Ankara, Turkey, tel. Int.: +90-312-427.74.82