Mediterranean Sea Research – the new frontier Mediterranean sea Zvi Ben-Avraham Head, MERCI - Mediterranean Sea Research Center of Israel
Opportunity and need The southeastern Mediterranean is a unique oceanographic system - a natural laboratory providing opportunities for new, globally important and exciting science. Rising pressure from its heavily populated coasts and offshore exploit raise urgent environmental worries, and the need for scientifically driven sustainable resource management. Yet, due to poor local resources and political cooperation it is one of the poorly studied regions in the world!
The Eastern Mediterranean DTM – John K. Hall, 2006
Crustal Transition Zone b a Ben-Avraham et al., 2002
Ben-Avraham et al., 2002
Cyprus Eratosthenes Galilee-Lebanon Judea-Samaria Negev Hall, 2003 0 50 100 km
Crustal Provinces Ben-Avraham and Ginzburg, 1990 Ben-Avraham et al., 2002
One of the most active and variable regions globally, the Mediterranean is an ocean at the last seconds (geologically) of its existence. Messinian salt Nile delta
Messinian Salinity crisis (5.96 -5.33 Ma) 1 TWT (sec) 2 M 3 N 10 km
IODP Leg-160 Located at a climatic junction and isolated from the global ocean circulation, the ultra oligotrophic (a marine desert) Southeastern Mediterranean is a sensitive gauge of natural and anthropogenic changes. “ Sapropel ” layers Total Sea Surface Temperature change 1982-2003 Biomass & N:P ratio
Mediterranean Sea One-way invasion: Red Sea to Eastern Mediterranean Suez Canal ~10% of all living species in 1869 eastern Mediterranean are of an Erythrean origin (Por, 1970) • Among Fish 90% are invaders Ferdinand de Lesseps Gulf of Suez
Research of invading species System Level- Evolution and ecology; Biological oceanography Organism Level- Biology of marine organisms; Behavior and sensory systems of marine animals Cellular and Molecular Level- Physiology of marine life; Developmental biology and immunology of marine life
Fish caught by trawling The biological system of the southeastern Mediterranean is changing drastically: Invading species are taking the place of locals. The coastal ecosystem is diminishing. 1990-4 2008-11 The major beach platform building Vermatid ( Dendrapoma Petraeum )
The center of human culture evolved around the eastern Mediterranean, now bearing priceless remains of our history and heritage as affected by environmental events and changes.
Ecosystem stress in the eastern Mediterranean Our challenge Pollution Fishing Water desalinization Climate change effects Migration of organisms Tourism and recreation Exploitation – gas (oil?) Earthquake and tsunami Expansion – artificial islands Sand shortage – Aswan Dam
The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences School Head Zvi Ben Avraham Israel Israel Oceanograp Charney School of Center of hic & Marine Sciences Mediterrane Limnological an Marine Research Research Ltd. Marine Faculty of GeoSciences Natural Dr M Strauss Faculty of Sciences Humanities Recanati Maritime Marine Institute Civilizations Biology of Marine Studies Man, Sea & Society Faculties of Law & Social Sciences
Unprecedented offshore development: Global technical challenges Environmental concerns Hadera desalination plant Mari-B בתנ" ג2020 Tamar Treatment Facility Confirmed reservoirs Planned 3D seismic surveys Wells to be drilled in the coming year
The BP Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico serves as a global warning sign A similar spill in the southeastern Mediterranean may have catastrophic consequences
New discoveries and development projects emphasize the critical need and potential of modern deep sea research of the Mediterranean offshore of Israel. Mari-B Pinnacles Submarine slide scars Noa-2 Noa-2
The current situation Institutional acknowledgement of the needs for high quality modern marine research is poor. Limited and outdated marine research infrastructure (e.g. the national research vessel of Israel is the 50-year old R/V Shiqmona). A poorly funded marine monitoring program. Meager national research grants are insufficiently funded for modern and seagoing research. Lack of specific marine engineering curriculums. Large scale offshore development is managed primarily by foreign consultants, for lack of a strong Israeli alternative. Several academic initiatives focusing on Mediterranean research and teaching are presently active in Israel, led primarily by our consortium members.
Aims and vision To provide an interdisciplinary scientific framework and common resource base at the national level for Mediterranean marine research in Israel. To pool the broad marine sciences knowledge base and capabilities, currently distributed in six universities and two governmental research institutes, towards excellent collaborative science. Only together we can match a serious marine research facility abroad. To address the challenges facing Israel in sustainable development of its Mediterranean offshore, and promote a global scientific leadership in marine sciences. The current proposal aims to setup the basic framework and provide seed money for realizing the full scope of our vision.
A wide scope of interdisciplinary and a broad base of expertise (90% of the leading marine scientists in Israel) Environmental Resources Remote sensing Management Political Sciences Archaeology & History Economics Engineering & Technology Maritime Law Biology Physical & chemical Oceanography Geology & Geophysics
Primary scientific research objectives 1. Marine energy resources of the Israeli EEZ: potential, technology, environmental impacts and a balanced management policy. 2. The basic oceanographic workings of the southeastern Mediterranean water mass. 3. Biology of the Levantine basin and potential anthropogenic impacts. 4. Regional to global environmental impacts of climatic and anthropogenic changes. 5. Marine natural hazards – controls, risks, alerts and mitigation. 6. Coastal preservation and development. 7. Marine bio-resources in the Israeli Mediterranean. 8. Innovative development of research technologies.
Infrastructure 1. Research vessels to address both coastal and deep water needs. ` 2. Seagoing instrumentation including onboard facilities, robotic underwater vehicles (AUV & ROV), broad sampling equipment. 3. Coastal facilities and national marine services including running sea water based systems, diving facilities and coastal measurement devices. 4. Monitoring stations and underwater observation network (e.g. following the ESOMIN model). 5. Analytical laboratories (within the founder university and associated institutes) .
SLOCUM glider Photos taken from Rutgers COOL room website
AUV (Blufin 12S) Photo is taken from Blufin web site
Interuniversity Graduate Program in Marine Sciences
Objective • Pool the resources of all partners to create a shared graduate program for advanced studies in marine sciences. • Admission of 10-12 excellent students per year • Direct PhD with solid background in physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanography, and with some field experience. • This program will supplement existing programs at the various universities.
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