How much do we know about the microplastic distribution in the Mediterranean Sea: A comprehensive review.

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most heavily polluted regions. Here we comprehensively review the current state of microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. A total of 284 studies published between 2012 and 2023 were analyzed, revealing a continuous increase in research efforts. Our review encompassed microplastic monitoring studies across five environmental matrices: the sea surface, water column, intertidal sediment, bottom sediment, and biota, with a predominant focus observed in biota-related studies with fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms being the primary focus. The study found that species such as Mullus barbatus, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Nephrops norvegicus, and Holothuria tubulosa are frequently studied species. The review also emphasizes the lack of standardized methodologies across studies, which hampers the comparability of results and the synthesis of data. The findings of this study provide a critical evaluation of the current research landscape and identify significant knowledge gaps, particularly in the underrepresented southern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, calling for more balanced research efforts and methodological consistency in future studies.

Nomophobia and its effects on seafarers.

BACKGROUND: New technologies for ships affect many aspects of seafarers' lives at work. Nowadays, many shipowners provide their ships with internet access for the personal use of the crew. After all these developments, nomophobia is no longer a phenomenon far from seafarers. Nomophobia affects mental health and motivation in seafarers, like all people who can use smartphones. Until now, there has been no study investigating nomophobia in seafarers and its effects on life at sea. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of nomophobia among seafarers and examine the causes and consequences of differences between groups. METHODS: A previously designed and tested questionnaire was used to determine nomophobia and its effects on seafarers. Three hundred fifty one seafarers participated in the study. ANOVA and T-tests were performed with SPSS 22 package program to find significant differences. RESULTS: Nomophobia differed significantly according to age groups, gender, and education level. Headache and fatigue increased in direct proportion to the level of nomophobia. CONCLUSION: It was found that 65.2% of the seafarers had moderate to severe nomophobia.

Investigation of the effect of vessel type on seafarers' safety culture.

Maritime transportation is indispensable for world trade. Marine casualties have serious consequences. The majority of the accidents in the maritime industry are caused by human error. If necessary precautions are taken, human error can be prevented to a great extent. Safety culture is of tremendous importance in taking precautions and preventing accidents. The concept of safety culture emerged after the Chernobyl accident. Today, the importance of safety culture in preventing accidents is accepted by all international organizations. There are many elements affecting safety culture. In this study, the situation of the safety culture of 221 deck officers against many variables was examined. According to the analysis of variance test, it has been observed that the vessel type has a significant effect on safety culture even among the officers who graduated from the same college.

Comparison of the safety cultures of Turkish aviation and maritime transportation workers.

Given the needs of the growing world population, the importance of the transportation sector has steadily increased. Maritime and aviation fields are considered two crucial parts of this sector. Transportation accidents must be minimized in order to ensure timely delivery of natural resources, sustainable production and safety of life and property. Human error plays an important role in transportation accidents and is the cause of 70-90% of all aviation and maritime accidents. These errors can be minimized by enhancing the perception of safety culture for individuals, corporations and nations. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 318 Turkish people who work in different positions in the aviation and maritime industries. The perceptions of safety culture within different occupations and occupational groups were compared. Statistically significant differences were found between the aviation and maritime sectors.