I recently had the opportunity to participate in a Department-sponsored research cruise aboard Israel's R/V Mediterranean Explorer or MedEx. The research cruise featured a week of inter-disciplinary projects onboard the vessel and along the coast of Israel. This was a real treat since I was not only going to be able to see what other faculty, staff and students were up to, but I was also allowed to conduct some of my own work and have the help of others along the way. What really impressed me was the effort that was made to organize everybody's research needs and the teamwork and cooperation that everyone showed along the way. Imagine an underwater archaeologist, a marine biologist, and a scholar in classics literature all working together hoisting ropes on deck and drinking coffee in the galley.
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| Rummaging around the sea floor for ancient artifacts -- no Coke bottles here. |
Some of the research activities included surveys of underwater shipwrecks and ancient ports in Akko and Achziv, bottom sampling of deep-sea sediment cores in Achziv Canyon at more than 400 meters deep and conducting sampling tows for tiny creatures called plankton along with marine debris -- mostly plastics that find their way into our oceans and, unfortunately, are consumed by marine animals that should not be eating them.
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| Measuring some unknown underwater relics. |
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| See the stingray? (Look for the tail) |
Although I did not participate in all the activities, I was able to SCUBA dive for a day to help conduct a survey of an ancient Byzantine boat launch. Aside from the lobsters I was searching for and the giant octopus and moray eel I found, I really had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for. Yet, I learned quite a lot about the ancient seafaring cultures that came to colonize and live in the Levant Basin and among all the 'rocks' I found, was able to share in a few interesting finds of pottery shards and ancient anchors, give or take 2,000-3,000 years old!
Ehud and I were able to conduct a series of plankton tows (are part of our ongoing grant-sponsored project) and had the opportunity to collect environmental data using a CTD (conductivity-temperature-density) unit. This is a standard oceanographic instrument that is used to assess the 'vital signs' of the ocean in a particular area. With today's technology, you can stream real-time data to a monitor and see what's going on -- very cool stuff!!
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Drs. Spanier & Goldstein working
on the deck -- a job well done!
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| The CTD unit being hoisted back on board |
Although the MedEx was not as large or quite as equipped as other research vessels I've worked on, it had a great crew, and all the tools and equipment that was needed. Turns out, the MedEx also sponsors a variety of educationally-based cruises for students and under-privaledged kids. What a great idea.
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