Newsletter Spring 2020 The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences
GREETINGS FROM HEAD us around the world to either homes and families living in some OF SCHOOL quarantine or curfews limiting of the most affected areas; while our abilities to do science or our newly registered students even to roam freely and enjoy have to “learn the ropes” via an the season. As I write (6 April on-line remote system. 2020), the country and the Although, we do not see the end university have already spent of this crisis yet, I can only hope over two weeks in a state of that the outbreak and spread semi-hibernation and quarantine affecting almost allareas of with businesses, and schools life will slow-down and decline closing and children and parents quickly. In the meantime, to our at home. faculty, staff, and students please The spring semester at the do not hesitate to let us know if Charney School of Marine you need any help at this time of e are in a midst of a Sciences began by switching to trouble. strange spring season. A W on-line teaching and minimum I am hoping that with the extra wet winter that has replenished physical contact between time spent at home and online, water sources in our dry land. faculty, staff, and students. you will enjoy our current The hills are green and patches of Many planned conferences CSMS newsletter highlighting purple, yellow, pinks, reds, and and research cruises have the activities of the past fall whites carpet the ground with been cancelled or indefinitely semester. the flowers and treesblossoming postponed and daily research in a fiesta of colors. Yet, this drastically reduced to only Wishing everyone health and a spring is also one in which we essential work. Our international rapid return to our daily rhythms least experience the nature students that have stayed in and routines and to the beauty of around us as the expanding Israel are dealing with being the spring unfolding outside. impacts of the Corona virus in a new country at a time of pandemic have sent many of crisis while worrying about their
1 Photo- Inbal Frank
A taste of Galilee spring to lighten up these days … Wishing all a speedy and healthy return to normal life and a Happy Passover, Easter, and spring holidays. Ilana on behalf of the Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences.
2 Pinsky to the laboratory of Dr. E. Nantet and Carmel Danino Gozlan to the laboratory of Prof. The Charney School of Marine Sciences extends its D. Angel. condolences to the Hatter family for the loss of Lastly, we congratulate two Sir Maurice Hatter of our faculty members. Dr. G. Gambash won the A longtime friend and supporter of the prestigious Leverhulme School and its activities Visiting Professorship for the year 2020 at the University of MAY HE REST IN PEACE London. Dr. H. Khalilieh for the prestigious Cambridge NEWS FROM 2019, led by D. Cvikel), the University Press publication DEPARTMENT HEADS underwater Neolithic settlement of his book entitled "Islamic at Habonim North (January Law of the Sea: Freedom of The Department of Maritime 2020, led by PhD student R. Navigation and Passage Rights Civilizations Nickelsberg), and the Roman in Islamic Thought". The book harbor of Tiberias (February was also recently honored at Prof. Ruth Shahack- Gross 2020, led by Dr. E. Nantet). a special evening conference at the Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv The Department of Maritime The department welcomes two University (see book cover Civilizations continues its broad new laboratory managers: Sonia below). research and teaching activities. The fall semester ended a. b. successfully with over 20 new students at the various levels, Islamic Law of the Sea Freedom of Navigation and as well as the pioneer teaching Passage Rights in Islamic Thought by Prof. A. Yasur-Landau at the Hassan S. Khalilieh newly formed inter-departmental BA program on Mediterranean Archaeology together with the Archaeology Department. The semester break was busy as well with the teaching of the course Advanced Field Methods for underwater and coastal survey (see image). On the a. Students learn how to draw underwater during the course Advanced Field Methods. research arena, the department's The course was taught by Prof. A. Yasur-Landau and Dr. E. Nantet, supported by the researchers completed three Maritime Workshop of Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, and conducted in collaboration with the Maritime Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority headed by exciting underwater and coastal Kobi Sharvit. Photo: I. Ogloblin. b. Cover of H. Khalilieh's book- "Islamic Law of the Sea: excavations: The Ma'agan Freedom of Navigation and Passage Rights in Islamic Thought". Michael B shipwreck (September
3 Dr. Moses Strauss Department pollution along the coast of The seminar series this semester of Marine Geosciences Israel. Recognizing these included two international Dr. Beverly Goodman-Tchernov pollution trends is critical for visitors. Prof. Michel Mahiques the management of coastal of University of São Paulo, Brazil, wetlands, highly sensitive guest and collaborator of Dr. Uri The first semester of 2019- and endangered ecosystems Schattner, presented a seminar 2020 has been very busy in worldwide. The project is on recently recognized features the Department of Marine a collaboration with the offshore Brazil that redefine the Geosciences. It has been an Department of Science Teaching, understanding of that area’s especially productive time for Weizmann Institute of Science geological history. Dr. Stephen new publications (~15) spanning and the students will present Pekar of Queens College, USA topics from the deep sea to the their results as part of their shared findings from IODP atmosphere, and across recent matriculation examination. We Expedition #371 investigation into and deep geological time. Our hope to see some of these bright the ‘8th’ continent Zealandia. most recent cohort of students young scholars as graduate is perhaps one of our most students in the future! international groups to date with representatives from Israel, a. Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria, United States, India, and China.
This year’s educational cruise (coordinator Dr. Gideon Tibor) took advantage of the deep sea capabilities of the R/V Bat Galim b. and focused on increasing the mapping resolution on the lower continental rise with research questions concentrating on better understanding underlying tectonic processes as well as overlying sedimentological c. concerns such as sediment transport and microplastic pollution. Dr. Revital Bookman led high school students in an environmental project to explore the impacts of anthropogenic On Board the R/V Bat Galim during Educational Cruise 2019-2020. a. Students looking pollution on Israel’s coastal over the freshly collected maps and cross sections determining where to collect wetlands. The research project sediment cores. b. MingJian Wang and Adellina Cina end the nightshift with a sunrise. aims to identify heavy metal c. High school students and Dr. Bookman sampling coastal wetland sediments to measure and study environmental pollution as part of their science project (Geotop).
4 The Department of Marine Biology Dr. Tamar Lotan
We began the academic year with a newly recruited faculty member, Dr. Tal Luzzatto Knaan, an expert in marine metabolomics, who studies microbial chemical communication in the sea. This year also marked the launching of our international MSc program Members of the Deptartment of Marine Biology at the 6th Academic and currently our department meeting in Sdot Yam. has grown to about 60 MSc and in its early years. The meeting educational solutions to national- PhD students. included excellent lectures by level problems. These will be In January, the 6th academic students from different research implemented in collaboration meeting of the Department took groups and two poster sessions, with 7th grade students. The place at Caesarea Sea Center. during which 45 interesting course has just begun, and we It was attended by more than posters were presented by the hope that it will provide a unique 80 PhD and MSc students, students. Irit Shaim, won our experience to our students as postdoctoral fellows, principal Department logo competition well as the teenagers (see p.16 investigators, research fellows and her beautiful logo decorated for more details). and scientists. Ziv Zemach Shamir the mugs for the meeting. We provided an eloquent memorial plan to hold logo competitions The Hatter Department of of Prof. Abraham (Avremale) for our future meetings. Marine Technologies Haim who helped establish CSMS We are now getting ready for Prof. Morel Groper the second semester offering a variety of new courses. A These past months have been new outreach course named busy at the Department of “Sea, Society, Education and Marine Technologies with many Leadership”, which is supported ongoing and new research by the Rector’s Office and projects. Our team of students “Flagship Programs” and and engineers have upgraded also by the Council for Higher our SPARUS II AUV to perform Education and the Charney visual surveys of the seabed - a School of Marine Sciences, challenging mission that requires focuses on challenges in our the robot to fly or hover at Marine biology get together logo marine environment. The a low altitude, very close to designed by Irit Shaim students will search for social- the seabed. For this end, we
5 developed a high resolution, a. goal is to present a novel concept pressure resistant, stereo camera in autonomous navigation of system, underwater strobes, and unmanned surface vehicles. an enhanced propulsion system Our Underwater Acoustics and to permit delicate maneuvering Navigation lab (ANL) has been close to the seabed. In our busy with servicing of the deep sea trials, together with the THEMO mooring for a very Morris Kahn Marine Research unique operation of replacing Station (MKMRS) monitoring surface buoys in deep water; team, we mapped sections of in-situ experiments for detection mesophotic reefs along the of sea turtles using active Israeli Mediterranean coastline b. acoustics; demonstration of using the SPARUS which underwater acoustic networks photographed unexpected in rough sea environments; objects such as the turtle Parallel localization of acoustically developments of AI technologies tagged sharks, and applying for automatic classification submerged drifters to evaluate of the substrate will also help water current velocity fields. us study processes in benthic ANL has succeeded in securing ecology. Our collaborations new funding (Ministries of within the Department (SubSea Science, Defense, Infrastructures, Engineering and Marine Imaging and the British Council), for labs) resulted in a prototype developing algorithms in of a navigation system for the fields of environmental autonomous surface high monitoring, oceanographic data speed planing crafts capable in analysis, sonar signal processing, automatically modulating the and underwater acoustic craft speed as a function of the communications. sea-state faced by the craft. To c. test this, we have converted Stay tuned for our new a JetSki into an autonomous Departmental Website coming surface vehicle adding an in- your way soon. house forward-looking stabilized stereo vision system and a unique algorithm capable of estimating in real time the wave-height a. The upgraded SPARUS II AUV. b. A diver 3D mapping mesophotic areas in facing the craft and subsequently the Mediterranean. c. Turtle encountered modulating the craft-speed. Our and photographed by the SPARUS II AUV.
6 WELCOME NEW FACULTY WELCOMING OUR NEW environments buried kilometers ZUCKERMAN POST- under water and mud far from Dr. Itzik Klein DOCTORAL SCHOLARS any influencefrom the sun. This unusual question prompted my We are happy to welcome to interest in proteorhodopsins, CSMS our new Post-doctoral membrane-bound proton pumps, scholars from the Zuckerman abundant in the microbes that STEM leadership program that live in the sunlit surface ocean. “supports future generations of Through a series of serendipitous leaders in science, technology, events, an American colleague engineering, and math in the put me in contact with Laura United States and Israel”. We Steindler who leads a group at wish them a productive and the forefront of proteorhodopsin happy time in our School and ecology at the University of hope that their experience will be The Hatter deprartment of Haifa. Subsequently, Dr. Steindler a positive and enriching one. marine technologies encouraged me to apply to, and ultimately be granted, a Navigation aims to determine Dr. Gustavo A. Ramírez Zuckerman Fellowship. I am the position, velocity and Host- Dr. Laura Steindler now a Zuckerman Fellow in attitude of platforms, humans Marine Microbiology Lab, the Steindler group leading and animals. Commonly, fusion Department of Marine Biology the bioinformatic analysis of a between several sensors is year-long survey of light-related required to complete the task. microbial activities in two Joining the Department of oligotrophic gyres in the Eastern Marine Technologies at the Leon Pacific Ocean and theEastern H. Charney School for Marine Mediterranean. My research Sciences, I’m establishing my lab aims to understand environment- -The Autonomous Navigation specific advantages of and Sensor Fusion Lab (ANSFL). proteorhodopsin-based energy Our goal is to derive unorthodox generation in microbes living in inertial navigation systems and these two ocean habitats. sensor fusion algorithms for My journey to becoming a marine applications. Currently, Zuckerman fellow began with we are hunting for the next an unexpected project for a inertial navigation system subseafloor microbial ecologist architecture and pioneering who largely focused on dark deep learning based navigation ocean habitats. I became approaches. interested in exploring the
possibility of light production and light sensing in subseafloor ocean
7 Dr. Jeana Drake University Institute for Marine published in Global Change Science from which I can collect Biology and will soon submit a Host- Dr. Tali Mass Coral live coral adult and larval manuscript on expanding the Biomineralization and specimens. Since joining the lab, sequenced coral skeletal protein Physiology Laboratory, Tali and I have co-authored a complex to BMC Materials. Department of Marine Biology review on coral biomineralization
I study coral biomineralization proteins as a Zuckerman postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Tali Mass’s laboratory at the University of Haifa. I came to Tali’s lab after conducting similar research for my PhD in Oceanography at Rutgers University and later at UCLA. Tali’s lab and the department Stony corals make rocks that can lead to the formation of massive reefs in shallow tropical and subtropical seas and that persist in the fossil record. The basic mechanism host a variety of tools for me to of formation of calcium carbonate skeleton in stony corals has been studied for probe the localization and decades and it has become increasingly clear that biological processes play key roles function of coral skeletal in the biomineralization mechanism. We review historical hypotheses, discuss the proteins. This includes coral present understanding of how corals evolved, and explain how biological processes, aquaria for the productionof particularly those occurring at the sub-cellular level, critically control the formation of calcium carbonate structures. coral cell cultures to study vesicular export of skeletal A special appreciation to all our generous proteins from the cells, light and scanning electron microscopy to supporters who believe in our work and recognize visualize calcium carbonate the growing needs of our school. Thank you precipitation by these proteins, for providing us with scholarships for and affiliation with the Inter- our students and funds for research.
8
CONGRATULATIONS Special Honors It is our great honor in Congratulations to our faculty congratulating Prof. Zvi Ben- for newly funded grants Avraham (The Founding Director Our faculty and research of the Leon H. Charney School associates have been busy of Marine Sciences) upon being obtaining research funding selected as a foreign member of the that is essential to run many Russian Academy of Sciences. new and on-going projects. The Russian Academy of Sciences is the highest scientific entity Below is a table with some in Russia, which acknowledges the top scientists in Russia. Each of the most recent funded year the Academy grants membership to a few exceptional foreign projects from many public and scientists from the international community. Professor Ben- private foundations including Avraham joins a select group of four Israelis previously elected as the Ministry of Science and foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences including Technology, German- Israeli- Nobel Prize laureates, a former President of the Israeli Academy of Foundation, the Water Authority, Sciences, and a Turing Prize recipient. Ministry of Infrastructures, Principal investigators Project name new collaboration with Hong R. Diamant, Y. Makovski QUALTOS: Quality assurance in long term Kong University of Science and observation systems Technology, and others. M. Shpigel, A.Neori, D. Tchernov SaltyCrops: Exploring perennial Additionally, congratulations Sarcocornia as a halophyte biofilter for to Dr. Gil Gambash, Dept. of mariculture effluents and a source for Maritime Civilizations for being lucrative foods and biochemicals awarded the Leverhulme Visiting T. Mass Strong black coral? What makes the Professorship hosted by the antipatharians so well adapted to life in Institute of Classical Studies at the deep sea? the University of London for the D. Tchernov The Eastern Mediterranean Sea Basin: A year 2020. The project entitled Sea of Opportunities Facing Global Change 'Where the Desert Meets the Sea Y. Makovski Geochemical database of source rocks - - Connecting Ecological Histories potential for natural gas in the Levantine in the Roman Near East' is a basin collaborative project with Prof. R. Diamant Using acoustic and seismic surveys to Greg Woolf (London) and Prof. identify marine animals Guy Bar-Oz (Haifa). U. Schattner Pristine Micropaleontology
L. Steindler, D. Meron, D. Morick, A monitoring program for Evtach Hof D. Tchernov, A. Scheinin, MD. Hasharon and Rosh Hanikra nature Krom, Y. Lehan, Y. Lampert reserves D.Morick, D.Tchernov Specific pathogens and microbial abundance within liver and kidney tissues of wild marine fish in South China Sea and Mosaic from a Byzantine church near Kissufim, 6th century. Israel Museum, Eastern Mediterranean Sea Jerusalem.
9 THE TONGA CRUISE volcanoes, physical structures the aquatic food-webs and and stability, assessing the driving phytoplankton bloom Prof. Ilana Berman- Frank chemistry of the plumes and crashes and organic matter hydrothermal emissions and their degradation). Searching for hydrothermal impacts on the surface waters My most important take-home impacts on biological and the atmosphere above, message from the cruise is the productivity in the Pacific to examining the biological absolute requirement of team- ocean populations and their responses work for a successful cruise and – including the abundance and for excellent data to be collected orking as a scientist of diversity of viruses (also now and analyzed. the marine environment recognized as important players W Everyone is needed: from the is truly an exciting and dynamic in causing infections throughout vocation. This past November, I was fortunate to feel the thrill a. b. and adventure of being an ocean scientist when I joined the TONGA research cruise on the French research ship L’Atalante to explore the impacts of hydrothermal sources on the planktonic ecosystems of c. d. the South Pacific ocean in areas of active volcanic activity both below the sea as well as above. Thirty seven days at sea (no docks in sight), 7000 km traversed, going down to 5700 m at deepest station, and spending this time with e. f. ~ 70 people (30 scientists) on board an 85 m long ship. Work was intense and around the clock. Yet, scientific work is inspiring and a true porthole into how hard and challenging it is to work at sea. Studying a complex oceanic environment Images from the TONGA cruise: a. Cruise track – 7000 km from New Caledonia into the south requires true multidisciplinary Pacific gyre,b. the research vessel L’Atalante; c. sampling procedure for trace metal clean and interdisciplinary research water; d. first land in 25 days- an uninhabited volcanic island south of onga;T e. at work measuring photosynthesis; f. the dominant phytoplankton of the region – dinitrogen fixing covering diverse perspectives cyanobacteria – bringing nitrogen to a nutrient limited ocean. Photos: b and c- H. Cousin, d from mapping the underwater and f- I.B-F, e- K.Desboeufs.
10 cooks making sure we were CORAL MCEs may thus serve as an well fed, to the electricians and BIOMINERALIZATION AND important refuge for coral plumbers ensuring our machines PHYSIOLOGY LAB species, thereby increasing and tubes were well connected overall reef resilience. and running (not trivial at all), to Dr. Tali Mass Resilience of ecosystems under the hard-working crews on deck rapid environmental change deploying equipment safely all Shallow and Mesophotic reefs: relies, in part, on the capacity hours of day or night, once-again phenotypic plasticity and of organisms to adapt and/or sweet-talking the winch to make physiological adaptation to acclimatize to new conditions. sure it worked and the water- depth Understanding the relative collecting apparati (Rosettes & importance of these mechanisms Niskins) went down thousands s oceans continue to warm, is vital to understanding the of meters – and returned with Athe recent devastating potential for corals to persist full bottles and working sensors, decline of shallow-water coral through climate change. the doctor helping all minor and reef communities are expected Dr. Tali Mass and her lab major complaints, the engineers to increase, leading to more group focus on the stony coral on the engines, the professional frequent and severe bleaching- Stylophora pistillata from the photographer, and the captain induced mortality events. Gulf of Eilat to investigate how and officers safely navigating us Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems functional morphology and through some challenging seas. (MCEs), occupying deeper physiology differ with changing Only then can we – the scientific waters, have not experienced depth. Findings demonstrate team of students, researchers, the same trend and their deep structural and molecular and chief scientists – perform our habitats may buffer themfrom adaptation to life in extreme work and try to get answers to all some of the local and global environment that repeatedly those open questions we set out impacts affecting shallow-water allowed this coral group to to explore. coral reefs. thrive. The results of this study
a. b.
a. Graphic abstract from Malik et al on the Molecular and skeletal fingerprints ofscleractinian coral biomineralization: From the sea surface to mesophotic depths in Acta Biomaterilia. Most of the reef corals operate near to their upper limit of heat tolerance. A possible rescue for some coral species is migration to deeper, cooler mesophotic depths. b. Tali Mass and Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences during the field expedition in Eilat in April 2019.
11 were recently published (Malik investigate whether the known deep reefs in the Gulf of Eilat et al, Acta Biomaterilia 2020). In differences in adult reef building during the spawning season (our other research, in collaboration corals as a function of water results are published in Frontier with Dr. Gretchen Goodbody- depth are passed onto the of Marine Science - Scucchia et al Gringley from the Bermuda larvae produced at each depth. 2020). Institute of Ocean Sciences, we As a first step we examined the try to understand the influence physiological characteristics of of parental physiology and origin larval stages of the stony coral, upon offspring phenotype. We collected from the shallow and
THE SEDIMENTOLOGY historical and pre-historical peak strength. Next year, Hadar AND ENVIRONMENTAL earthquakes. She is also will use her theoretical results to LABORATORY analyzing benthic foraminifera study sub-marine landslides along assemblages picked from the the north west Atlantic Ocean Dr. Revital Bookman turbidites, which indicate the margins. The group results put intensity of the transport during our laboratory at the forefront Understanding sub-marine the seismic event. Another of scientific studies of mass landslides and turbidites project by Hadar Elyashiv (PhD) transport processes that benefit models numerical simulations our ability to predict future sub- Our laboratory focuses on for understanding slope failure marine catastrophic events that the study of mass transport initiation influenced by sediment can harm coastal populations. processes that have important implications for marine a. infrastructure planning and geo- hazard assessment. Example projects from our graduate students include: Yael Hermon a. Mediterranean continental shelf. In the (MSc) dating the most recent picture Yael and Hadar landslides events that occurred and our colleagues Dr. along the Israeli Mediterranean Yizhaq Makovsky and Dr. off-shoreusing the long piston Mor Kanari. cores and Radiocarbon Dating; b. Anat Mor-Ash (PhD) studies the paleoseismic record of the b. A figure from Anat's southern segment of the Dead paper showing the degree of O. ammonoides Sea Transform from the Gulf of and A. papillosa breakage Aqaba turbidites. Anat dates the represented by area of turbidites, which are sediment broken shell (light blue) units that represent shaking vs. estimated area of the of the sea floor triggered by original shell (pink). Scale bars =500 µm.
12 THE 2019 EXCAVATION the Science of Human History) with storage jars that connected SEASON AT TEL KABRI who initiated a new study of to the wine cellars of the palace. a DNA and ancient proteins at The five storage rooms contained Prof. Assaf Yasur-Landau the site, and by Dr. Alexandra hundreds of jars, intended to Ratzlaff (Brandeis University) contain wine and perhaps other he excavations at the who implemented experimental liquids to be used in palatial TMiddle Bronze Age palace 3 d modelling of the site. Large feasts. A second surprise was a of Tel Kabri, 3 km southwest scale archaeobotanic study floor painted with at leastthree of Nahariya aim to explore exploring the palatial impact on colors, belonging to a hall in the ancient Mediterranean the environment was led by Prof. which banquets took place. The economy 3700 years ago, as Simome Riehl, Eberhard-Karls- excavation was supported by well as the human impact on the Universität Tübingen. a National Geographic Society environment. The 2019 season The team of 60 team members grant, as well as by an ISF grant took place in June and July and were trained in an on-site "understanding collapse" (co- was co-directed by Prof. Assaf fieldschool which provided credit PI's Yasur-Landau and Shahack- Yasur-Landau (University of through the university of Haifa. Gross). Please see our full report Haifa), Prof. Eric H. Cline (The Staff included area supervisors in ttps://digkabri2019.wordpress. George Washington University). and graduate students Brigid com/2019-season/ This year was marked by several Clark and Reoy Nickelsberg new scientific collaborations: (Haifa) and Steffi Eisenmann SOUTH TIBERIAS We were joined by associate (LMU) The Several remarkable HARBOUR PROJECT FIRST directors Prof. Philipp discoveries were made during EXCAVATION SEASON Stockhammer (LMU, Munich this season: One such discovery and the Max Planck Institute for was another storeroom filled Dr. Emmanuel Nantet (Laboratory for Nautical History and Archaeology, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa)
r. Emmanuel Nantet, directs Dthis excavation as part of a four-year project funded by the Israel Science Foundation. The project team, of ~ twenty people, mainly students from the University of Perpignan-France, worked at the newly excavated site on the shore of the Sea of An aerial of the Kabri palace showing the find places of the new store room Galilee (Lake Kinneret), in the and the painted floor. Photo: The Tel Kabri excavation project. southern part of the modern
13 municipality of Tiberias during The four smaller probes, or anthropogenic affects, but February 2020. The northern carried out along the long wall, could also reflect larger basin- part of the site includes the demonstrated the complexity of wide changes in the Eastern southern end of the city wall the structure, rebuilt many times. Mediterranean region where that surrounded the ancient city The rank vegetation cleared knowledge is lacking. of Tiberias. The rampart was from the site, allowed drone To better assess the variation in built on a cement jetty built with photography (by Hagai Nativ) of distribution, a study modelling wooden caissons. Perpendicular the site. environmental variables to the rampart, a long wall, lying that shape dolphin habitat southwards, has been identified INCREASING OUR preferences is underway by either with a quay wall or another KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL Marine Biology graduate student, rampart. This site was excavated DOLPHIN POPULATIONS Ori Galili. for the first time. As the lake level was particularly Dr. Aviad Scheinin high in February, we conducted probes in the upper parts of the 20 Years of Coastal Dolphin site. The main probe was located Population Surveys along the at the step of the two sections of Israeli Coast the rampart to provide a better understanding of their function. n the Levantine Basin of the IEastern Mediterranean Sea, few long-terms studies exist on cetacean populations, in the Israeli coastal region (196 km in length). In 1998, IMMRAC (Israeli Marine Mammal Rescue and Assistance Center) began monitoring dolphin populations’ Tursiops truncatus (Common bottlenose near-shore. dolphin) and Delphinus delphis (Short beaked common dolphin) sightings Surveys from 1998 to 2019 (952 during IMMRAC and the University of ship-board surveys were carried Haifa surveys in Israel between the years out and 329 dolphin sightings) 1999 -2019. Size of circles is indicative of show changes in species, the number of dolphins in the sighting and color represent species, with presence and distribution Tursiops truncatus displayed in two of the differentspecies. The different shades of pink for different changes observed in dolphin time periods, in order to visualize their The rampart while being excavated. Note distribution may reflect small- disappearance from Achziv Canyon in the the two sections (above and below) of north of Israel. the city wall. Photo: Emmanuel Nantet. scale environmental changes
14 Studying the Israeli resident MEDITERRANEAN SEA OIL population of dolphins POLLUTION through their dorsal fins emion Polinov, Ph.D. A long the Israeli coast of Marine Mammal Rescue and Sstudent at the Laboratory Athe Mediterranean, two Assistance Center) collected of Sedimentology and the dolphin species are prevalent: dolphins photographs from the Environment, supervised by Dr. the common bottlenose dolphin last 15 years, which are now used Revital Bookman and Professor Tursiops truncates and the for estimating size and trends Noam Levin, is working on short beaked common dolphin of the population as well as estimating the spatial and Delphinus delphis. Keeping track assessing their social structure. temporal trends of oil spills from on the population status is Since 2015, frequent observations ships in the Mediterranean by possible using photo IDs of the of the same individuals have geostatistical analyses of trends dorsal fins. Over their lifetime, familiarized them to the research in accidental oil spills (5% of total dolphins acquire multiple marks team. The most familiar and pollution) and illegal discharges and notches on their dorsal fin, repeatedly observed is Hooks, (20% of total pollution). His from interactions, games, etc. a healthy female first observed findings show that despite a Those marks are permanent in 2009. Hooks is very social steady increase in shipping in enable individual dolphin and interacts with the research the Mediterranean, the number identification.IMMRAC (Israeli vessel. Throughout these years, and volume of accidental a. Hooks has been observed with 3 pollution has been significantly different calves andin different reduced since 1970, while illegal locations along the coast. discharges remain at a high level throughout this period.
b.
a. The dorsal-fin identifying Hooks the female dolphin. b. Over their lifetime, Location of 2066 EMSA spills (illegal discharges) for the period of 2015-2017 in the dolphins acquire multiple marks and Mediterranean Sea. notches on their dorsal fin. Photo: Aviad Scheinin.
15 SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS involved and well educated The course “Sea, Society, in marine issues. To promote Education and Leadership” is Courses within the University a stronger affinity in marine supported by the “Flagship of Haifa's Flagship Project topics between academia and Program” of the University of - Promoting Solidarity the general society we have Haifa, the Council for Higher Combating Social Exclusion established a special course Education and the Leon H. entitled “Sea, Society, Education Charney School of Marine Flagship Project and Leadership”. Sciences. The course is designed to Student feedback: The course: Sea, Society, impart the students with the "My main goal is that the project Education and Leadership (SSEL) appropriate toolbox needed for will promote the awareness of In view of the current crisis – the promoting solutions for marine the kids to protecting the marine course was quickly modified to environmental issues using environment". an on-line version so that the educational tools. Lectures, "I'm very glad for the school kids at home are able to full-day workshops, and field opportunity to address young experience and enjoy its content. trips given by experts in various audience outside the University, marine fields, aim to provide to enrich their knowledge and Window to the Sea the course students with an in- to promote the affinity to the depth understanding of major marine environment, thanks to Faculty: Dr. Daniel Sher, Dr. Tsvia challenges facing the marine our effort". Gildor, Ziv Zemah Shamir and environment, to teach them the "The last meeting was great. Amir Bar (coordinator) basics of community education I was never part of a group and outreach, and to develop planning a complicated act The sea is a critical resource at teaching skills. Throughout the together, and I'm glad to learn the national and international course the students will develop ways how to do that". levels. Its conservation for an educational program and will the next generations requires present it to middle-class children The course: Archeology of major changes, which can only from a school catering primarily Materials: From the Field to the happen when the public is deeply to low income families in Haifa. Laboratory and the Workshop - A Course Combines Studying with the Local Community.
Faculty: Prof. Sariel Shalev and Dr. Tal Kan- Cipor-Meron
The main goal of this course is to provide students with the basics of researching ancient technologies such as past food-producing technologies and different tools production
16 methods. These methods are studied. Here students practice materials lab using scientific studied in the Archeology researching and documenting methods and can shed light on Materials Research Laboratory traditional crafts with the help the more ancient archaeological led by Prof. Sariel Shalev and Dr. of the local community, by technologies. All this information Tal Kan- Cipor – Meron at Leon instructing pupils in schools to and study is returned to the H. Charney School of Marine collect information, materials, community through the pupils Sciences. The course introduces and tools from their families and students research projects traditional technologies of concerning ancient crafts. The for future use to preserve that Israel, from which ancient information, materials, and local heritage like creation of a technologies and what is left of tools gathered are studied with local museum and other. the archaeological finds can be the students at the university's
RECENT CONFERENCES other chemicals used during government regulators from the process, back to the marine the Ministries of Infrastructure, Notification regarding environment. The effects of Environment, Water Authority, upcoming events these discharges on the coastal and Finance, and the general Unfortunately, many events and marine habitats are not public. The take-home messages planned for the spring of 2020 well known. The workshop emphasized the importance of have been cancelled due to the summarized 4 years of new continuous and local monitoring corona pandemic. We hope that scientific data from two of physical, chemical, and we will successfully overcome collaborating groups from the biological parameters near the this obstacle and that we will U.of Haifa, Israeli Oceanographic desalination sites to ensure water be able to reschedule some of and Limnological Research quality and ecological viability. the exciting scientific and public (IOLR), Ben-Gurion University, events planned. Bar-Ilan University, and the Geological Survey of Israel (led Workshop on The Impacts by Eli Biton – IOLR and Ilana of Seawater Desalination Berman-Frank – Charney School Discharges on the Marine of Marine Sciences respectively) Environment (7 January 2020) investigating the impacts of these discharges on the marine urrently, five large-scale environment and its inhabitants. Cseawater desalination The topic, relevant for Israel facilities supply over 60 % of and many other countries Israel’s drinking water. The where seawater desalination is desalination process produces becoming essential, attracted representatives from the brine that is double the The Impacts of Seawater Desalination concentration of seawater desalination industries, Discharges Workshop- Haifa University. and discharges this brine, and academics, NGOs, and Photo: Daniela Zak.
17 Additional recommendations markets will originate from Professors M. Shpigel and included reduction of chemical aquaculture, and most likely, will A. Diamant from the Morris use in the process and dilution of be based on seawater production Kahn Marine Station of the the discharges within the marine systems, whether from land- Leon H. Charney School of environment. based facilities or from oceanic Marine Sciences focused on the production farms. different perspectives of food The 7th Haifa Conference For Israel, food security for the from the sea. Six international on the Mediterranean Sea future is a cardinal issue. With keynote speakers and ten Israeli Research- "Food from the Sea- limited freshwater resources aquaculture specialists presented Towards 2050 and beyond" and a scarcity of arable land a wide range of themes within (14-15 January 2020) reserves, seafood production applied marine biology and will clearly shift to sophisticated, biotechnology, as well as ooking ahead onto the year advanced technologies. Marine economic and social aspects L2050 - fish, seafood and aquaculture in the eastern of global aquaculture, current- seaweed are likely to be a major Mediterranean must provide day global capture fisheries and source of nutrition for the sustainable production of cost world aquaculture sustainability. anticipated 9-10 billion people effective, nutritious, healthy food Appetizing products from local that will inhabit our planet. There products. entrepreneurs awaited the is little doubt that by middle of The two-day meeting "Food audience in between sessions. the 21st century, most of the fish from the Sea- Towards 2050 and shellfish that reach world and beyond", organized by
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