Simboura Nomiki

by / Monday, 17 November 2014 / Published in people
simboura

Position: Associate Researcher

Contact Info

Institute: Institute of Oceanography
Address: HCMR 46,7 km, Athinon-Souniou Ave P.O.Box 712, 190 13 Anavyssos – Greece
Email:msim@hcmr.gr
Tel: +30 2291076373
Telex: +30 2291076347
Website: http://topics.scirus.com/Ecological_Quality_in_Marine_Ecosystems.html

 

Dr. Nomiki Simboura is an Associate Researcher in the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) since 2006 assuming her duties as assistant Researcher in 1991. Dr. Simboura completed her doctoral thesis in Marine Biology at the University of Athens (UOA) in 1996. Her thesis work focused on the taxonomy, biogeography and ecology of the benthic Polychaeta or sea worms of Greece. Dr. Simboura also earned her MSc degree in Marine Biology-Oceanography at the UOA in 1987.

The group of benthic Polychaetes on which she is specialized is the largest benthic group numbering over 760 species only in the Hellenic seas. She has published a monograph on this marine benthic group recording all species of Polychaetes from Greece with information on their distribution and ecology.She has co-authored the publication of 3 new species to science, namely the polychaetes: Pseudofabriciola longipyga, Pseudifabriciola analis Fitzhugh, Giangrande, Simboura, 1994 (Polychaeta: Sabellidae, Fabriciinae) and Flabelliderma cinari, (Polychaeta: Flabelligeridae) Karhan, Simboura & S. Salazar-Vallejo, in press. She has also reporded 20 new records of polychaete species in Greek waters, 16 new records of polychaete species in the Mediterranean and reported the presence of 17 alien species in Greek waters.

Dr. Simboura having this expertise on benthic biodiversity, developed a new index, the BENTIX index (calculation software available at: http://bentix.ath.hcmr.gr/) based on the ecological properties of all benthic species to assess the ecological status of coastal waters. This index has successfully undergone the Intercalibration process at European level and has been finalized as a suitable classification metric adopted by Greece and Cyprus.

She has been actively involved in the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60 (WFD) in coastal waters being a nominated expert in European working groups and coordinating the Greek delegation for the Intercalibration activities of WFD in coastal waters. She has assumed responsibility into the Directive’s implementation and monitoring network design in the surface coastal waters of Greece.

Other research objectives include monitoring of the effects of metallurgical waste discharge in the marine environment, coordinating the monitoring project for over 15 years. She has also a long experience into the effects of various sources of pollution (organic, industrial, eutrophication, aquaculture, dredging etc.) on the benthic communities and generally the marine environment. She has participated in 82 national and international projects undertaking the task of benthos analysis, coordinating actions or as project coordinator in 38 of them.

She has published 40 articles in international journals with over 400 citations, one monograph, 6 book chapters, 58 communications in national and international Symposia with proceedings and over 90 Technical Reports. Her educational work includes Theses supervision at undergraduate and postgraduate level, summer school teaching at national and international level, and invited lectures or seminars in postgraduate University courses.

Education Profile

• Ph.D., Marine Biology, University of Athens, Greece, 1996.
• M.Sc., Oceanography, University of Athens, Greece, 1988.
• Degree in Biology, University of Athens, Greece, 1984.

Professional Profile

• 2006-2011: Associate Researcher, Institute of Oceanography, HCMR.
• 1991-2006: Research Assistant, HCMR, Greece.
• 1987-1991: Under external research contracts with the University of Athens and HCMR.

Scientific and Professional Memberships

• Member of the Polychaete Research Society
• Member of the ELNAIS (Ellenic Network on Aquatic Invasive species)
• Member of the Hellenic Lagoonal Network ElNet
• Member of the CIS Working Group 2.4. COAST: Coastal and Transitional expert network. Contact person for Greece (2000-2005)
• Member of the CIS Working Group 2.5. Intercalibration MED-GIG. A Phase (2005-2008) contact person for Coastal waters.
• Member of the CIS Working Group 2.5. Intercalibration MED-GIG. A Phase (2009-2012) Coastal waters- macroinvertebrates expert.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Simboura has been invited to review over 36 articles in peer reviewed scientific journals. Her publications have over 400 citations in SCI system (Science Citation Index). She has a membership in International networks and working groups related to the implementation of the WFD, nominated as national expert and participating in over 20 workshops and meetings. Within this framework she has organized the 4th Mediterranean Intercalibration Group meeting in HCMR on February 2007. Dr. Simboura has supervised over 10 undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral students guiding them through their theses, supervised one doctoral internship in HCMR, has been invited to give 9 lectures and seminars in University courses or other Institutions, teaching in 4 summer school cycles.

Research Interests

Dr. Simboura’s scientific expertise is on the benthic macroinvertebrate communities of coastal and marine waters, a biological element which is crucial for recent European water policy such as the European Water Framework Directive and the Marine strategy Framework Directive. For the needs of the response of the country to European Directives she developed a new index (the BENTIX index) and a related software for the ecological status classification of coastal water bodies based on benthic communities. She has also a long experience in the assessment of the impacts of various sources of anthropogenic pressure onto the marine environment undertaking the responsibility of the benthic element study in numerous projects dealing with the environmental impact of: sewage effluents, metalliferous waste, mining residues, dredge spoils discharge, oil spill accidents, biopollution, desalination plants, cement industry, construction works, thermal pollution, fisheries, aquaculture etc.

Monographs

Simboura, N. & A. Nicolaidou, 2001. The Polychaetes (Αnnelida, Polychaeta) of Greece: checklist, distribution and ecological characteristics. Monographs on Marine Sciences, Series no 4. NCMR, 115pp.

Chapters in Books

Simboura, N., S. Orfanidis & A. Zenetos. 2005. Ecological status and trends, pp.343-351, VIII.8. In: State of the Hellenic Marine Environment. E. Papathanassiou & A. Zenetos (eds), Inst. Oceanoraphy, HCMR, 2005, 358 p.

Zenetos, A., Ch. Arvanitidis, M. Thessalou-Legaki & N. Simboura. 2005. Zoobenthos. Soft bottom fauna, pp 236-246, VI.4. In: State of the Hellenic Marine Environment. E. Papathanassiou & A. Zenetos (eds), Inst. Oceanoraphy, HCMR, 2005, 358 p.

Pancucci-Papadopoulou, MA, K. Kevrekidis, M. Corsini-Foka & N. Simboura. 2005. Changes in species. Invasion of exotic species, pp.346-342, VIII.7. In: State of the Hellenic Marine Environment. E. Papathanassiou & A. Zenetos (eds), Inst. Oceanoraphy, HCMR, 2005, 358 p.

Simboura, N. & V.A. Catsiki. 2009. The environmental impact of discharging metalliferous waste in a Mediterranean coastal area (Aegean Sea, N. Evvoikos gulf, Greece). In: Chemical Mineralogy, Smelting and Metallization. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. NY. McLaughlin & L.A. Breaux Eds. pp.215-223.

Research Articles

 

    1. Subida, M.D., P. Drake, E. Jordana, B. MavriÄŤ, S. Pinedo, N. Simboura, J. Torres, F. Salas. 2012. Response of different biotic indices to gradients of organic enrichment in Mediterranean coastal waters: implications of non-monotonic responses of diversity measures. Ecological Indicators (in press).

 

    1. Basset, A., Barbone, E., Borja, A., Brucet, S., Pinna, M., Quintana, X.D., Reizopoulou, S., Rosati, I., Simboura, N. 2012. A benthic macroinvertebrate size spectra index for the Water Framework Directive implementation in coastal lagoons, within Mediterranean and Black Sea ecoregions. Ecological Indicators, 12: 72-83.

 

    1. Simboura, N., 2011. An overlooked alien species present on the coasts of Greece (eastern Mediterranean): the polychaete Polycirrus twisti Potts (Polychaeta: Terebellidae),12/1, 239-246.

 

    1. Simboura, N., G. Kurt Sahin, A. Panagoulia & N. Katsiaras. Four new alien species on the coasts of Greece (Eastern Mediterranean). Mediterranean Marine Science, 11/2, 341-352.

 

    1. Simboura, N. & Argyrou, M. 2010. An insight into the function of benthic classification indices tested in Eastern Mediterranean coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(5): 701-709.

 

    1. Occhipinti Ambrogi A., Forni G., Silvestri C., Argyrou, M., , Jordana E., Mavric B.,Pinedo, S., Simboura N., Gorazd Urbanic, G., 2009. The Mediterranean intercalibration exercise on soft-bottom benthic invertebrates with special emphasis on the Italian situation. Marine Ecology, 30(4), 495–504.

 

    1. Webb, T., I.F. Aleffi, J-M Amouroux, G. Bachelet, S. Degraer, C. Dounas, D. Fleischer, A.Grémare, H. Hummel, I. Karakassis, M. Kędra, M.A. Kendall, L. Kotwichi, C. Labrune, E.L. Nevrova, A. Occhipinti, A. Petrov, N.K. Revkov, R. Sardá, N. Simboura, J. Speybroeck, G. Van Hoey, M. Vincx, P. Whomersley, W. Willems, and M. Włodarska-Kowalczuket, 2009. Macroecology of the European soft sediment benthos: insights from the Macroben database. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 382: 287–296 in Theme Section: MarBEF database: large-scale patterns of European benthos.

 

    1. Simboura, N. K. Sigala, E. Voutsinas & E. Kalkan, 2008. First occurrence of the invasive alien species Polydora cornuta Bosc, 1802 (Polychaeta: Spionidae) on the coast of Greece (Elefsis Bay; Aegean Sea). Mediterranean Marine Science ,Volume 9/2, 2008.

 

    1. Simboura, N. 2008. First occurrence of the Indo-Pacific polychaete species Glycinde bonhourei Gravier, 1904 in the Hellenic seas (Northern Evvoikos Gulf) Mediterranean Marine Science ,Volume 9/1, 2008, 173-176.

 

    1. Karhan, S.Ü. Kalkan E., Simboura, N., Mutlu, E. & Bekbölet, M., 2008. On the Occurrence and Established Populations of the Alien Polychaete Polydora cornuta Bosc, 1802 (Polychaeta: Spionidae) in the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Strait (Turkey). Mediterranean Marine Science.9/1: 5-19.

 

    1. Faulwetter, S. Gotsis, P. Reizopoulou, S., Orfanidis, S., Kevrekidis, Th., Nicolaidou, A. Simboura, N., Malea, P., Dounas, C., Mogias, A., Valavanis, V., Arvanitidis, Ch. 2008. ElNet: The Greek biodiversity transitional waters information system. An exemplar for the development of distributed information networks in Europe. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems:18: S135-S142.

 

    1. Simboura, N. & S. Reizopoulou, 2008. An intercalibration of classification metrics of benthic macroinvertebrates in coastal and transitional ecosystems of the Eastern Mediterranean ecoregion (Greece). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56:116-126.

 

    1. Kalkan E., Karhan, S.Ü. Mutlu, E., Simboura, N., & Bekbölet, M., 2007. Application of the Bentix index in assessing ecological quality of hard substrata: a case study from the Bosphorus Strait (Turkey). Mediterranean Marine Science, 8/1: 15-29.

 

    1. Vasileiadou, K., Sarropoulou, E., Tsigenopoulos, K., Reizopoulou, S., Nikolaidou, A., Orfanidis, S., Simboura, M., Kotoulas, G., Arvanitidis, C. 2007. Polychaete community Genetics From The North-Western Greek Lagoons Sampling: Preliminary Results. MARBEF Newsletter No 6: 26-27.

 

    1. Simboura N., Reizopoulou S., Arvanitidis C., Basset A. 2007. New information on the biogeographical and ecological distribution of Pionosyllis anophthalma Capaccioni & San MartĂ­n, 1989 (Polychaeta, Syllidae). Transitional Water Bulletin, 4: 53-58.

 

    1. Simboura, N. & S. Reizopoulou 2007. A comparative approach of assessing ecological status in two coastal areas of Eastern Mediterranean. Ecological Indicators,7: 455-468.

 

    1. Simboura, N., E. Papathanassiou & D. Sakellariou, 2007. The use of a biotic index (Bentix) in assessing long term effects of dumping coarse metalliferous waste on soft bottom benthic communities. Ecological Indicators, 7(1): 164-180.

 

    1. Simboura, N. & A. Zenetos, 2005. Increasing polychaete biodiversity in Greek waters over a 70 years span with addition of new records and exotic species. Mediterranean Marine Science, 6/1: 75-88.

 

    1. Simboura N, Panayotidis P, Papathanassiou E., 2005. A synthesis of the Biological Quality Elements for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive in the Mediterranean Ecoregion: the case of Saronikos Gulf. Ecological Indicators, 5: 253-266.

 

    1. Simboura, N.,2004.Bentix Index vs Biotic Index in monitoring: an answer to Borja et al., 2003. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48/3-4: 403-404.

 

    1. Zenetos A., Chadjianestis I, Lantzouni M., Simboura M., Sklivagou E., Arvanitakis G., 2004. The Eurobulker oil spill: mid-term changes of some ecosystem indicators. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48 (1-2), 12-131.

 

    1. Simboura, N. & A. Zenetos, 2002. Benthic indicators to use in ecological quality classification of Mediterranean soft bottom marine ecosystems, including a new Biotic index. Mediterranean Marine Science, 3/2:77-111.

 

    1. Bogdanos, C., N. Simboura & A. Zenetos, 2002. The benthic fauna of Geras Gulf (Lesvos isl., Greece). Hellenic Zoological Archives, 6: 22p.

 

    1. Simboura, N., A. Nicolaidou & M. Thessalou-Legaki, 2000. Polychaete communities of Greece: an ecological overview. P.S.Z.N.I.: Marine Ecology, 21(2):129-144.

 

    1. Zenetos, A., N. K. Revkov, Ts. Konsulova, N. Sergeeva, N.Simboura, V. R. Todorova & V. E. Zaika. 2000. Coastal Benthic Diversity In The Black And Aegean Seas. Mediterranean Marine Science 1-2:105-117.

 

    1. Pancucci-Papadopoulou, M.A. N. Simboura, A. Zenetos, M. Thessalou-Legaki & A. Nicolaidou, 1999. Benthic invertebrate communities of NW Rodos island (SE Aegean Sea) as related to hydrological and geographical location. Israel Journal of Zoology. 45:371-393.

 

    1. Simboura, N., A. Zenetos, M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou, M. Thessalou-Legaki & S. Papaspyrou, 1998. A baseline study on benthic species distribution in two neighbouring gulfs, with and without access to bottom trawling. P.S.Z.N.I., Marine Ecology, 19(4):293-309.

 

    1. Zenetos, A., S. Christianidis, M.A. Pancucci, N. Simboura & Ch. Tziavos, 1997. Oceanologic study of an open coastal area in the Ionian Sea with emphasis on its benthic fauna and some zoogeographical remarks. Oceanologica Acta, 20(2): 437-451.

 

    1. Fitzhugh, K. & N. Simboura, 1995. An update on the systematics and occurrence of the fanworm genus Pseudofabriciola Fitzhugh, 1990 (1990 (Polychaeta, Sabellidae: Fabriciinae), in the Mediterranean. Contributions in Science, 457: 1-10.

 

    1. Simboura, N., A. Zenetos, M. Thessalou-Legaki, M.A. Pancucci & A. Nicolaidou, 1995. Benthic communities of the infralittoral in the N. Sporades (Aegean sea): a variety of biotopes encountered and analysed. P.S.Z.N.I., Marine Ecology, 16(4):283-306.

 

    1. Simboura, N. A. Zenetos, P. Panayotidis & A. Makra, 1995. Changes of benthic community structure along an environmental pollution gradient. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 30(7): 470-474.

 

    1. Fitzhugh, K., A. Giangrande & N. Simboura, 1994. New species of Pseudofabriciola Fitzhugh, 1990 (Polychaeta, Sabellidae: Fabriciinae), with a descussion on the occurrence of the genus in the Mediterranean Sea. Zool. Journal of the Linnean Society, 110:23p.

 

    1. Zenetos, A., N. Simboura, & P. Panayotidis 1994. Effects of sewage on the distribution of benthic fauna in Saronikos Gulf, UNEP-MAP Technical Reports Series no 80:39-72.

 

    1. Nicolaidou, A., A. Zenetos, M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou & N. Simboura, 1993. Comparing ecological effects on two different types of pollution using multivariate techniques. Marine Ecology P.S.Z.N.I., 14(2): 113-128.

 

    1. Simboura, N., 1992. Fabricia fiilamentosa Day, 1963 (Polychaeta, Sabellidae, Fabriciinae) new record in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Acta Adriat. 33(1/2): 173-175.

 

    1. Nicolaidou, A., N. Simboura, & S. Vamvakopoulou, 1991. Environmental factors controling spatial and temporal variations in the benthos of coastal lagoons, in: P.M.J. Herman & C.H.R. Heip (Eds), Report of the Workshop on modelling the benthos. COST 647, (Coastal Benthic Ecology) Yerseke, The Netherlands, 20-22 March 1991: 115-124.

 

    1. Zenetos, A., P. Panayotidis & N. Simboura, 1990. Etude des peuplements benthiques de sustrat meuble au large du debouche en mer du Grand Collecteur d’Athenes. Rev.Int.Oceanogr.Med., 97-98:55-71.

 

    1. Simboura, N., 1989-90. Fabricia filamentosa (Polychaeta, Sabellidae, Fabriciinae). A Lessepsian migrant in Mediterranean Sea. Oebalia, 16: 129-133.

 

    1. Siokou-Fragou, I., K. Anagnostaki, S. Barbetseas, P. Panayotidis, R. Psyllidou, G. Pappas & N. Simboura, 1990. Etude de l’impact de la pollution sur la zooplancton de la Golfe Saronikos (Mer Egee, Grece). UNEP-MAP Technical Reports Series no 40: 13-40.

 

  1. Panayotidis, P. & N. Simboura, 1989. Distribution and phenology of Posidonia oceanica in Saronikos Gulf. In: C.F. Boudouresque, A. Meisnez, E. Fresi & V. Gravez (eds). International Workshop on Posidonia oceanica beds. GIS Posidonie publ., Fr., 2: 43-48.
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