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Archipelagos Intern Experience

An insight into conservation at Archipelagos

Using GIS and Remote Sensing for Conservation

We (Emma, Casey, and Luciana) have now been working on the GIS Team at Archipelagos for the past eight weeks, allowing for the opportunity to work on many interesting projects. We all arrived around the same time at Archipelagos and it has been very beneficial to collaborate and exchange ideas and knowledge when tackling new

Assessing Microplastic Content in Marine Megafauna

I come from Denmark where I study Aquatic Science and Technology at Technical University of Denmark. I came to Archipelagos for 4 months to be a part of the Marine Mammal Team, in the subteam Microplastics. In the Microplastics team I am working on a project assessing the microplastic content in gastrointestinal tracts of marine

Working on Dolphins’ Behaviour in Archipelagos

I study Biological Sciences at University of Birmingham. I came to Archipelagos to join the Marine Mammal Team and I am working on the dolphin behaviour project, looking at the behaviours of Delphinus delphis (short-beaked common dolphin). Behavioural data taken during a sighting includes behavioural states (swimming or diving) and behavioural events (bow, breach, leap,

Research on Island Habitats Aiming to Contribute to their Conservation

As a member of Arhcipelagos’ terrestrial research team, my aim is to learn about the fauna living on the Samos island in order to preserve it better. We have multiple projects (most of them seasonal) on the different species that we monitor around the island, such as the jackal bioacoustics surveys, jackal scats analysis, jackal

Using Macroinvertebrates as a Bio-indicator for Seagrass Health

Soon after arriving in Samos, Greece in June 2019, Vivienne and Amy transferred to the island of Lipsi. Here, they spent the majority of their internship working with Archipelagos on the marine conservation team; Amy, being a recent graduate who studied wildlife conservation and ecology at the University of Chester, UK and Vivienne, who is

Surveying The Large and Extraordinary Mammals Over The Deep-Water Canyons of North Ikaria Island

Archipelagos Marine Mammal Team has been monitoring the populations of whales and dolphins in the Aegean Sea and other parts of the NE Mediterranean for over 20 years. This research aims to fill in important knowledge gaps about the populations of these charismatic marine species. In late August-early September Archipelagos marine mammal team undertook a

Applying Varied Skills – creative and scientific – to an Internship with Archipelagos

Julia Sweatman joined both the media and terrestrial teams at Archipelagos in May 2019, soon after she achieved her BSc in biology and global health from the University of Toronto, in Canada. Julia was dually interested in working on the ongoing golden jackals (Canis aureus) projects as part of the terrestrial team, and in creating

Combining Botany with Terrestrial Wildlife Research

Boglárka (Bogi), a Natural Sciences student from Eötvös Lóránd Science University in Hungary, joined the terrestrial team at Archipelagos in June 2019, when she decided to expand her view of wildlife conservation on the Mediterranean island of Samos. As she says It turned out to be her best decision so far – spending an incredible

Using Imagery Analysis to Assess the Status of Vroulia Bay, Lipsi

Shortly after Saulé, an intern from Lithuania, finished her undergraduate studies in ecology and environmental management at Klaipeda University, she came here to Archipelagos seeking to gain more knowledge of coastal biodiversity, artificial reef research and implementation, and imagery analysis. Due to self-motivation, and because of wonderful colleagues and supervisors from different research fields, her

GIS Mapping as a Key Tool in Marine Conservation

Inge joined the Archipelagos GIS team in April 2019 for a research internship to complete her Master’s degree in Geographical Information Management and Application at the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. She uses spatial data and geo-information as a key tool in providing answers to complex issues concerning the conservation of our environment, since

The Synergy of Scientific Knowledge and Media Tools is Essential for Conservation

Before starting her studies in Biology at Radboud University in the Netherlands, our diving enthusiast Jente, is spending her gap year at Archipelagos. Through her internship, she has experienced how the synergy of scientific knowledge and media tools is an essential combination,l in order to effectively communicate the important message of marine conservation. Having always

Identifying Stranding Hotspots and Gathering Valuable Field Work Experience

Studying Environmental Sciences and Sustainability at the University of Glasgow, Rowan was enticed by an internship with Archipelagos for a multitude of reasons; the research areas relevant to her university studies back in the UK, the lab facilities available to her during her internship and Archipelagos’ own research vessels. During her internship, Rowan participated on

Terrestrial and Marine Conservation Internship

Tom, a wildlife conservation student at the University of Salford, came to Archipelagos in the winter of 2018 as part of his placement year. As part of the Marine Mammal team, Tom actively contributed to research and surveys as well as participating in terrestrial monitoring surveys, giving him a rounded and varied experience of Samos’

Admiration for Cetacean Communication

Since working with Archipelagos, specifically on a project monitoring the bioacoustics of cetaceans, Bethan Jones has developed an admiration for how cetaceans communicate. As a member of the marine mammal team, she is specialising in burst pulses (a series of rapid clicks) looking specifically at the  Delphinus delphis (Common Dolphin) and Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenose Dolphin).

Fighting for a Protected Species

Jack, a 21-year-old Biological Sciences student at Cardiff University, introduces himself hiding a little smirk. He knows that I am going to ask him about Monk Seals and the bad luck he’s known for having when it comes to spotting them… He is one of our long-term interns who arrived in August 2018 for his

From the Baltic to the Mediterranean, Microplastic Conservationist at Archipelagos

Looking under the microscope at the Archipelagos experience of one of our Swedish interns, Elida, and her desire to apply her new transferable skills back home in the Baltic Sea. The microplastic team is currently uncovering the shocking extent of microplastic contamination found in fish species. Recently graduating with a degree in Environmental Sciences from

Through The Lens: A Conservation Film Maker and the Craft of Storytelling

Andres, originally from Colombia, and is currently a student of BA (hons) media production   of Bournemouth University. He has been working at Archipelagos for 3 months and will stay in the organisation for 4 months. During his internship, he has been working on an emotion-led film, presenting the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary that is

An in-depth Interview with an Archipelagos Terrestrial Researcher

What I enjoy the most about my project is having the chance to explore the island in all its beauty, walking under the sun and merging into the wildlife while – hopefully – finding some jackals’ tracks!” Juliette is a lively 20-year-old girl from Italy and France who joined our terrestrial team in October 2018

Microplastics Research at Archipelagos

Microplastics found under microscope analysis in the facilities of Archipelago Institute. Microplastics are anthropogenic pollutants that enter the water column in two different ways: either as primary sources, known as nurdles or pellets, or as secondary sources from larger plastics fragmented by sun, wind and water forces. These particles measure up to 5mm and are

Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals

Bioacoustics is the study of sound produced by living organisms and how sound affects them. It’s an important area of research especially in the marine world as sound is amplified underwater and acoustic interactions are thought to be just as important as visual interaction. Cetaceans produce 3 distinct types of noise: Whistles – This type

Comparing Debris Found on Beach Cleans During Different Seasonal Activity

Background Public awareness is rising for the danger plastics are causing to the marine environment, but it can still improve further. Tourists are a major part of a beaches population during the summer months of a year, their presence can have both positive and negative effects. They bring many items to the beach and can

Study of Cetacean Population Dynamics Through Photo Identification Methodology

Recognising an individual within a study population is a key issue in many behavioural and ecological studies of animals. A good method for this is photo-identification (photo-ID), a technique that is based on the repeated identification of individuals through pictures. It is an important, non-invasive tool since marine mammals do not have to be physically

Restart of Bird Monitoring: Return of the Flamingos!

As winter arrives, it brings along various species of birds that are travelling from different parts of the world, migrating from their origin to seek better food resources, nesting areas, and climate conditions that correspond to changes in their environment. Due to the collective anthropogenic impacts worldwide, which have accumulated overtime since the industrialisation period

The Importance of Visualisation in Environmental Awareness

An important part of science is the way it is presented. The media team plays a large role in this at Archipelagos. Infographics, scientific posters, business cards; our interns are always designing things to communicate what we do at the institute. A primary part of our work  is data visualisation. Data visualisation is the presentation

Turtle Stranding Events in the Mediterranean

Here at Archipelagos we have a stranding response program put in place in order to deal with both live and dead strandings. When a live stranding is reported, the team administer first aid to the animal if required. The turtle is then either returned straight back to the water or brought back to the base

Assessing the Seagrass Health in the Aegean Islands

Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass species that grows in dense meadows or along channels in the sandy parts of the Mediterranean Sea and is usually found at depths between 1–35 m, depending on the water clarity. This species is exclusively found in the Mediterranean Sea, occupying an area of about 3% of the basin. This

“Blue Carbon”: Studying the Seagrass Capacity to Store Carbon

Seagrass meadows are considered to be a crucial coastal ecosystem at global scale which contribute, alongside mangroves and tidal marshes, to ‘Blue Carbon’ storage. These coastal ecosystems through the process of photosynthesis sequester (capture) and store large quantities of carbon within the plants themselves and the underlying sediment layer. In fact, seagrass in some cases can
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