to the Commission of Oceanography (International Union of History and Philosophy of Science).
Research activities in Romania have always been plagued by financial difficulties, not the least of which occurred during the postrevolutionary free market
economy. Governmental support has declined constantly, and the NIMRD constantly has to prove its efficiency in agreement with economic and social development of today’s society and its ever-expanding demands on financial resources.
Despite all of the weaknesses of the present democracy in Romania, being not easy
in many ways and far from perfection, Alexandru graciously witnesses the longexpected collapse of a harsh communist regime. Casualties of the socialist regime
ranged from simple farmers to Romania’s intellectual elite. Victims of this regime
included many outstanding scientists of Romania, including remarkable biologists.
Alexandru’s election as full member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists,
Section Biological Sciences, was followed in 2009 by the prize “George Emil
Palade” for Romanian Contributions to Black Sea Related Marine Sciences. A
selection of 31 authored and coauthored professional articles was published by
Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken, Germany (2012). Unfortunately, and
for obvious reasons, the Black Sea was practically ignored by the Western world
during the dark era of communism. The region became visible, interesting, and
attractive to foreigners for various reasons, notwithstanding its geopolitical dimension, as well as scientific concerns, research, environmental protection, development,
innovation, new discoveries, and regional and international cooperation. The oceanographic realm known as the Black Sea, so adequately named as an “unicum
hydrobiologicum”, by the Russian physical oceanographer N. Knipovich in the
early twentieth century, is characterized by its large continental shelf, water stratification, lack of vertical mixing, highest H 2 S content of deep waters worldwide, strong
freshwater input, increased levels of nutrients and detritus, weak water mass
exchange with the Mediterranean Sea, large spatial and temporal variability of
physical and chemical properties, about half salinities of those noticed in the World
Ocean, and slightly different composition of ionic ratios. Poorer flora and fauna have
been previously compensated by the very high biological productivity. Relatively
few alien species have entered this very particular oceanic environment. By the end
of the fifth decade of the twentieth century, the Black Sea underwent major changes
that contributed to a severe ecological disequilibrium. Considerable efforts have been
devoted after 1990 for the rehabilitation of this still highly endangered sea. Within
these joint contemporary concerns, the continuous development of Romanian oceanography has enriched Black Sea research and expertise capacity. Some of
Alexandru’s preoccupations and results have positively influenced this domain.
As organizer of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop in Constant ¸a on
October 6–10, 1997, Alexandru was charged as a coeditor to ensure the high quality
of the proceedings Environmental Degradation of the Black Sea: Challenges and
Remedies, alongside with Professors U ¨ mit U ¨ nlu ¨ata and S ¸ ukru Bes ¸iktepe from
Turkey. The proceedings (Environmental Security – Volume 56, 1999) were
published by Kluwer Academic Publishers (Dordrecht, the Netherlands) in cooperation with the NATO Scientific Affairs Division.
Alexandru Bologa: Some Reminisces and Appreciation of His Devotion. . .
xxi
Research activities in Romania have always been plagued by financial difficulties, not the least of which occurred during the postrevolutionary free market
economy. Governmental support has declined constantly, and the NIMRD constantly has to prove its efficiency in agreement with economic and social development of today’s society and its ever-expanding demands on financial resources.
Despite all of the weaknesses of the present democracy in Romania, being not easy
in many ways and far from perfection, Alexandru graciously witnesses the longexpected collapse of a harsh communist regime. Casualties of the socialist regime
ranged from simple farmers to Romania’s intellectual elite. Victims of this regime
included many outstanding scientists of Romania, including remarkable biologists.
Alexandru’s election as full member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists,
Section Biological Sciences, was followed in 2009 by the prize “George Emil
Palade” for Romanian Contributions to Black Sea Related Marine Sciences. A
selection of 31 authored and coauthored professional articles was published by
Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken, Germany (2012). Unfortunately, and
for obvious reasons, the Black Sea was practically ignored by the Western world
during the dark era of communism. The region became visible, interesting, and
attractive to foreigners for various reasons, notwithstanding its geopolitical dimension, as well as scientific concerns, research, environmental protection, development,
innovation, new discoveries, and regional and international cooperation. The oceanographic realm known as the Black Sea, so adequately named as an “unicum
hydrobiologicum”, by the Russian physical oceanographer N. Knipovich in the
early twentieth century, is characterized by its large continental shelf, water stratification, lack of vertical mixing, highest H 2 S content of deep waters worldwide, strong
freshwater input, increased levels of nutrients and detritus, weak water mass
exchange with the Mediterranean Sea, large spatial and temporal variability of
physical and chemical properties, about half salinities of those noticed in the World
Ocean, and slightly different composition of ionic ratios. Poorer flora and fauna have
been previously compensated by the very high biological productivity. Relatively
few alien species have entered this very particular oceanic environment. By the end
of the fifth decade of the twentieth century, the Black Sea underwent major changes
that contributed to a severe ecological disequilibrium. Considerable efforts have been
devoted after 1990 for the rehabilitation of this still highly endangered sea. Within
these joint contemporary concerns, the continuous development of Romanian oceanography has enriched Black Sea research and expertise capacity. Some of
Alexandru’s preoccupations and results have positively influenced this domain.
As organizer of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop in Constant ¸a on
October 6–10, 1997, Alexandru was charged as a coeditor to ensure the high quality
of the proceedings Environmental Degradation of the Black Sea: Challenges and
Remedies, alongside with Professors U ¨ mit U ¨ nlu ¨ata and S ¸ ukru Bes ¸iktepe from
Turkey. The proceedings (Environmental Security – Volume 56, 1999) were
published by Kluwer Academic Publishers (Dordrecht, the Netherlands) in cooperation with the NATO Scientific Affairs Division.
Alexandru Bologa: Some Reminisces and Appreciation of His Devotion. . .
xxi