Using the port of Evdilos in Ikaria as a base, Archipelagos’ boats “Aegean Explorer” and “Pinelopi”, conduct research in waters north of Ikaria island. This is exciting new territory for “Aegean Explorer”; though, “Pinelopi” has been operating in this area since 2000.
This special marine area contains a deep-water canyon that exceeds 1100 meters in depth. This is one of the factors that make it an important migratory route for large marine mammals in the NE Mediterranean, like sperm whales, which have just been recorded again on our this recent expedition.
We also further our research on the abundance of marine plastic pollution and research on the coastal marine habitats, which includes monitoring the spread of invasive marine species, the assessment of mass mortality events of the Noble Pen Shell (Pinna nobilis) and mapping the extent of seagrass meadows.
