Research on the Sperm Whale Populations in the Eastern Aegean Sea, Winter 2018

Archipelagos Marine Mammal Team has been monitoring the population of  Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the north Aegean Sea for over 17 years. Physeter macrocephalus is the biggest species of Odontoceti – toothed whales. A female can reach approximately 12 m and the male 18 m in length. The large head occupies one-third of the

Researching fauna on Ikaria Island, Winter 2018

Archipelago’s Terrestrial Conservation Team is carrying out extensive field research on Ikaria Island on the highly biodiversity flora and fauna of the island. Monitoring aims to link past data of the research carried out on the island in previous years, and currently a series of monitoring surveys are ongoing since beginning of the summer. The

Underwater acoustics – an invaluable tool for cetacean conservation, Winter 2018

The sea gives out the illusion of a serene place to either relax or work in. The tranquility of the sea depth is what most of us expect to hear and see. However, the open seas are realistically noisy and contaminated. Archipelagos Marine Mammal team is working to prove how noisy the Aegean Sea and

The importance of scientific illustrations, Fall 2017

Our generation is accustomed to having easy access to high quality images of everything, at nearly no expense and in no time at all. Despite of this, scientific illustrations are still needed because of only a very small detail can help differentiate one species from another. Hence scientific illustrations are useful as they can be

Extensive Monitoring of Whale and Dolphin Populations, Fall 2017

The ideal weather conditions allowed the Archipelagos Marine Mammal Team to carry out an extensive survey in the waters north of Samos and Ikaria Islands during the past week. The Team spent several days in the sea with the aim to have an updated census of the cetacean species present in the study area. At the

The spatial distribution of microplastics in coastal shallow sediments in Samos Island, Greece, Fall 2017

The Mediterranean Sea has one of the highest concentrations of marine plastic debris. As it is a semi-closed sea, dispersion of plastics is limited due to water circulation and tidal flow. Through mechanical degradation of wave action and abrasion by sand, this plastic debris is broken down in to microplastics (<5mm). Additional processes that enhance

Chameleon distribution monitoring in Samos Island, Fall 2017

The Terrestrial Team from the Archipelagos Institute has focused on a project about the distribution and habitat preferences of Mediterranean chameleons on Samos Island. The aim is to collect as much data as possible about the habitat use of the Mediterranean chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon). In order to conserve the species, it is necessary to understand their

Observation and monitoring of the Mediterranean monk seal around Samos Island, Fall 2017

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is the rarest species of marine mammal in Europe with only around 500 individuals surviving in the world. They are currently listed as “endangered” on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. With such a small remaining population, the actions for their monitoring and conservation are

The Joint Research Course in Applied Oceanography and Conservation by the University of Essex, UK and Archipelagos Institute

The Joint Educational Oceanographic Research Course of the University of Essex UK with the Archipelagos Institute, took place in the marine area between Samos and Ikaria islands. For one week, with parallel recordings by Archipelagos’ 3 research vessels, with the aid of contemporary research equipment, the final year students of Marine Sciences from Essex university,

The identification of bioindicator species in the NE Aegean and creation of a photo-guide, Summer 2017

The Marine Conservation Team of Archipelagos Institute has started to use marine bioindicator species to monitor ecosystems of the littoral zone. Bioindicator species are species which only can sustain within high quality environmental conditions. The use of Bioindicator Species is becoming of increasing importance as they can tell us more about the cumulative effects of