(Frithjof)
Ξανά ενα ταξιδάκι
Είναι Πέμπτη πρωί, 14 Μαρτίου 2013
Είμαστε στο λιμάνι της Κέρκυρας
Φυσάει αρκετά
Το σκάφος δεν μπορεί να σαλπάρει
Και έμαθα από τους ναύτες ότι οι καθηγητάρες είναι
τα λαμόγια της αρκούδας
Ισως είναι μια καλή στιγμή να γράψω το μπλογκ για
τους φίλους μας στο εξωτερικό κόσμο...
Today is our 4th
working day on board the R/V
Philia, the research vessel of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. We are in
the harbour of Kerkyra (Corfu) and waiting for better weather – deploying ROVs
at 7 or 8 Beaufort is not an option.
For me, the trip
started very early on Friday March 8, leaving Aberdeen Airport for Amsterdam
and Athens. I spent the evening with Kostas Tsiamis and family in his new home
in Palio Faliro, and the next day visiting my old friends in the same seaside
neighbourhood of Athens which is the home to many childhood memories for me.
Early on Sunday
morning, we met up with Panayotis (Panos) Panayotidis and the two ROV pilots,
Leonidas Manousakis and Manolis Kaleris, who had arrived in Athens by plane
from their base in Heraklion. We drove to Patras, visiting our dear friend
Christos Katsaros and his wife “Mama” Efi in their country house in Derveni (on
the southern shore of the Gulf of Korinth, at this time of the year with the
spectacular scenery of snow-covered Parnassos in the background) on the way. In
the port of Patras, the R/V Philia was waiting for us. We boarded and
immediately set sail for Argostoli, the capital of Kefalonia. The vessel did
not sail very fast, it took us around 5 hours to get there (compared to around
3 h for a typical ferry).
Kelp in Greek waters?
The purpose of our
research cruise is to explore the poorly-known deep water seaweed flora of the
Ionian Sea. In particular, we are in search of the kelp Laminaria rodriguezii. Kelps are large brown algae forming forest-like
communities on the seabed, mostly known from cold seas. In fact, their
distribution is limited by an upper lethal temperature, typically in the range
of 17-20°C. Having or not having kelp in an area of seabed is a major difference
for a lot of other life forms – like the difference between a forest or a
meadow on land. While winter temperatures in the Mediterranean are comparable
to the temperate North Atlantic (10-15°C), in the summer they can rise to
25-30°C – like a tropical sea. Only a limited number of species can withstand
such extreme fluctuations, which are a peculiar feature of the Mediterranean
marine ecosystem. Such conditions are
definitely not suitable for kelps!
However, this applies
mostly to surface waters – to the first couple of tens of metres, down to the
thermocline (de facto a horizontal boundary, beneath which the temperature
suddenly declines, typically to something less than 15 -17 °C). Much of the
Mediterranean has very transparent waters, enabling enough light penetration to
sustain algal growth at much greater depths than e.g. on North Atlantic coasts.
In such waters, seaweeds can grow at depths exceeding 100 m. Thus, there is
potential for cold-water communities to survive in deeper layers of the
Mediterranean. In fact, our California-based collaborator Mike Graham has
developed a computer model using hydrographic data (chiefly temperature and
water transparency) for predicting the likelihood of finding suitable kelp
habitat in the warmer parts of our Ocean Planet. Indeed, one species of
deep-water kelp is known from the Western Mediterranean – Laminaria rodriguezii. It grows for example in the Straits of
Messina or the central Adriatic at depths of around and beneath 70 m. Still,
much of its biology remains enigmatic – and, again, the existence or absence of
kelp makes a big difference to the wider seabed communities. Enough good
reasons to search for kelp in the Eastern Mediterranean!
Around much of Greece,
the thermocline is typically around 40-50 m. Accessing such depths by scuba
diving (and to do any scientific work there) is quite a challenge if not
impossible. In such cases, marine scientists rely on technology to do the job –
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), i.e. underwater robots, or even manned
submersibles. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research has both options
available, but using its manned submersible THETIS requires the largest (and
most expensive) research vessel, AEGAEO as platform. For this cruise, we went
for the next smaller option, the R/V Philia with 2 ROVs, Seaeye Falcon and LBV200e Seabotix.
Laminaria rodriguezii in the
Adriatic, courtesy of Vedran Nikolić and Ante Žuljević, Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries,
HR-21000 Split, Croatia
The vessel and its crew
I should take a moment
to introduce the boat and its crew accompanying our endeavours.
Crew:
1. Manolis KOKOS, CAPTAIN
2. Kostas LYGERAKIS, FIRST
OFFICER
3. Georgios GARGANOYRAKIS,
ENGINEER
4. Kykkos MATSOS, BOSUN
5. Dimitrios ANYFANTAKIS,
SAILOR
6. Kostas PARASKEYAS, ASST.
ENGINEER
7. Andreas KONSTANTAKIS,
COOK
Scientists:
Panayotis PANAYOTIDIS,
Research Director at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
Kostas TSIAMIS,
postdoc at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
Max OVERSTROM-COLEMAN,
PhD student at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA
Frithjof C. KUEPPER,
Professor / Chair in Marine Biodiversity, Aberdeen, Scotland
ROV operators:
Leonidas MANOUSAKIS (Co-author of this blog)
Manolis KALLERGIS
The F/R PHILIA, built at Piraeus (1985),
commissioned in 1986, operates from her home port of Irakleion, not only in
Cretan waters, but also throughout the Aegean and Ionian. The vessel is 26.1 m
long and has a gross tonnage of 143 tons.
The PHILIA's greatest asset is her
flexibility, she is large enough to operate offshore but because of her shallow
draft she can also operate close inshore.
She has covered many thousands of miles
carrying out research and in 1997 was refitted with a bulbous bow and a second
engine as part of the Greek Government's commitment to marine science research.
Kefalonia,
March 11
A beautiful morning greeted us in the
harbor of Argostoli, Kefalonia’s capital. The R/V Philia soon set sail for the
narrows between Kefalonia and Zakynthos for the first ROV dives of the cruise.
Kostas and I donned our dive suits and boarded a dinghy with outboard engine
for surveying 2 sites of the national marine environmental monitoring program
in southern Kefalonia. The first site yielded a new record for Greek waters, Dictyota cyanoloma.
Dictyota
cyanoloma, new record for Greece
Cruising
the waters off southern Kefalonia in search of suitable dive sites
Nudibranch
and coralline red algae, southern Kefalonia
Asparagopsis
and coralline red algae, southern Kefalonia
Seascape,
southern Kefalonia
The
two ROV pilots, Manolis (l) and Leonidas (r), and a crew member of the Philia
(center)
Leonidas
and the smaller of the 2 ROVs
We returned to the Philia, where ROV work
had started. Two ROV dives were conducted, running transects from around 120 to
50 m depths and yielding some excellent footage. No Laminaria though…
After a long day, we sailed into the port
of Sami on Kefalonia’s east side where we moored for the night.
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Δουλεύαμε με το μικρό μας(LBV200e Seabotix), αλλά μιά βλάβη
μας αναγκάζει να ετοιμάσουμε το μεγαλύτερό (Seaeye Falcon) και να συνεχίσουμε την έρευνα του βυθού. We started to work with our small ROV ( LBV200e Seabotix), but a
problem in one of the thrusters make us to continue the the sea bottom search
with our our medium one (Seaeye Falcon).
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Leonidas
fixing the ROV on the dining table of the Philia
Ενώ ο συνάδελφος συνεχίζει την βουτιά, εγώ ξεκινώ την επισκευή του μικρού
ρομποτικού οχήματος. Και τώρα ποιό παξιμάδι έβγαλα
πρώτο και ποιό τελευταίο? While my colleague continues the searching dive with
the Seaeye ROV, I started the repair of our little ROV. And know which washer I
took first and witch washer I took last?
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Μόλις δέσαμε στην περιοχή της Σαμις, όπου θα περάσουμε και το βράδυ. We have just get to the port of Sami, where we will spend the night.
Kefalonia
and Ithaca – Tuesday, March 12, 2013
(Frithjof)
Today, we set sail out
of Sami into the sea straits between Kefalonia and Ithaca, the mythical home
island of Odysseus. Same procedure as yesterday – Kostas and I were taken by
dinghy to an inshore sampling site, while the remainder of the crew started ROV
work. The crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea are legendary. What else in
the world could be better now, snorkelling in the turquoise waters of Kefalonia
with visibility of 50 m of higher, with olive groves on the shore… and winter
still at home in Aberdeenshire. Again a large number of seaweed taxa collected,
plus some great underwater photography. We visited a second sampling site, a
tiny islet with a bird colony in the middle of the straits. The high water
transparency is the result of ultra-oligotrophic conditions, i.e. extremely low
nutrient levels – de facto, the Ionian Sea (and the southern Aegean and
Levantine Seas) are low-productivity marine desert regions.
The crystal-clear, blue waters of the Ionian Sea...
We managed to conduct an
ROV dive, down to around 95 m – but still no Laminaria!
In the afternoon, we
had a rough crossing to the remote small islands of Paxi (Πάξοι), just south of
Kerkyra (Corfu) which took us around 5 h.
The capital of this small archipelago,
Gaios, is very scenically located in a sheltered inlet on the east side of the
main island, Paxos. We went ashore for a stroll around that picturesque little
town, to a kafeneion and then for dinner in a local tavern. We were met by
Babis (Charalambos), a former student of Panos and now owner of a dive centre,
and spent a very pleasant evening together.
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Το λιμάνι τις Σάμης στην Κεφαλονιά. The harbor of
Sami, on Kefalonia island.
Ο καιρός έχει χαλάσει, οπότε η ερευνα σταματάει και πηγαίνουμε στο λιμάνι
των Παξών. The weather became wind, so we have to stop
the searching and go to the Paxi's Harbor
Η έρευνα για τα φύκη γίνεται και κοντά στην ακτή, με δύτες, ενώ το ROV ερευνα στα βαθύτερα σημεία. The search is also done by divers, near the seashore, while the ROV
is searching the deeper spots.
Kostas and Frithjof being taken to a dive site
on the east coast of Kefalonia
The NW coast of Kefalonia
Dictyopteris and coralline red algae
The small island of Asteris, in the sea straits
between NW Kefalonia and Ithaca
On the way to today’s
first station in the narrows between Ithaca and Kefalonia
Στο πεδιο για
δουλειά. In situ, ready for Laminaria
search.
This
ROV has some amazing capabilities! Here, laser beams are used to measure the
size of objects on the seabed.
The
ROV crew on the bridge of the Philia. Manolis can control all movements of the
ROV with a joystick-like device.
Recovery
of the ROV. Note the hydrozoan collected by the robot arm.
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Μπαινουμε στο λιμάνι των Παξών μετα απο πολύ ασχημο
καιρό. Ο κόσμος είναι κουρασμένος απο το ταρακούνημα, και το ηρεμο λιμάνι είναι
ότι πρέπει για να περάσουμε την βραδιά. Αυριο θα ξεκινήσουμε νωρίς για το πεδίο
δειγματοληψίας, εάν το επιτρέψει ο καιρός. Getting into
the Paxi Islands' harbor. The weather outside is very windy. We will spend the
night here, and tomorrow in the morning we will go to the search site, and
after we will go to Corfu's port.
Paxoi – Wednesday, March 13, 2013
(Frithjof)
This morning, we
managed to conduct a total of 5 ROV dives, the most in a single day so far,
down to 80 m, in the sea area east of Paxoi / SE of Kerkyra. According to Mike
Graham’s computer-generated prediction map, this is a high-probability area for
the occurrence of Laminaria. Still… no luck! All the seabed (benthos) that we
encountered today was very soft sediment, not suitable for kelp.
We reached Kerkyra by mid-afternoon.
We reached Kerkyra by mid-afternoon.
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Φευγουμε απο τον λιμάνι στους Παξους, για την ανευρεση της Λαμινάριας. Ο
καιρός δεν είναι ο καλύτερος, και ίσως να μην μπορέσουμε να βουτίξουμε το
ρομποτικό μας όχημα. Θα προσπαθήσουμε να δούμε και τον βυθό στους Aντιπαξούς.
Επιστρέφουμε στο λιμάνι τον Παξών, για να παραλαβουμε το πλήρωμα της βάρκας
μας που έψαχνε για την Λαμινάρια κοντά στην ακτή. Πορεία
για το λιμάνι της Κέρκυρας. Returning to Paxoi Harbour to collect the boat's
crew that was searching for Laminaria
near the sea shore. Course to the Kerkyras Harbour.
Μπαίνουμε στο λιμάνι της Κέρκυρας, όπου θα περάσουμε την βραδιά. Ο καιρός
είναι αρκετά ασχημος με ανέμους και βροχή. Getting into the Kerkyras's harbor where we will spent the night. The weather is windy and
rainy.
Kerkyra – Thursday, March 14, 2013
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Η κατασταση της θάλλασας δεν
ήταν η καλύτερη, οπότε δεν μπορούσαμε να δουλέψουμε, και ας προσπαθήσαμε.
Ξεκινάμε την επιστροφή στο λιμάνι. Κατα την πορεία μας προς το σημείο εργασίας
συναντήσαμε ένα αρκετά μεγαλο δεντρο να επιπλέει, οπότε αποφασίσαμε στην
επιστροφή μας να το ρυμουλκίσουμε στο λιμάνι, για την αποφυγή κάποιας
συγκρουσης με άλλο σκάφος. Είμαστε ξανά στο λιμάνι, και προγραμματίζουμε αυριο
να πάμε βόρεια έως τους Οθωνούς. The sea conditions wasn't the best, we couldn't work
with the ROV, so we decide to return to Corfu's Harbor. In our course to the
working site we saw a big tree floating, so in our way back we decide to take
it to the corfu's harbor, in order to prevent a damage to another boat. We are
again into the Corfu's Harbor, planning to go to Othonoi Islands, tomorrow.
Vlacheraina Monastery, Kerkyra
Vlacheraina Monastery, Kerkyra
Vlacheraina Monastery, Kerkyra
One
of the most iconic images of Greece, and scenic even under a cloudy sky…
Dinner and
Cretan raki on the Philia
In the Ionian Sea north of Kerkyra –
Friday, March 15, 2013
(Leonidas
Manousakis)
Ο καιρός είναι λίγο καλύτερα. Θα προσπαθήσουμε να δουλέψουμε στον κόλπο της
Κερκυρας. Βγαίνουμε από το λιμάνι. The weather is a bit
better. We will try to work on Corfu's bay. Getting out of the harbour.
Othonoi
Islands – Friday, March 15, 2013
(Leonidas
Manousakis)
Το πλοίο ταξίδευε από το πρωί και στις 10.00 πμ είμαστε στα νησιά Οθωνοί.
Το βορειότερο ακρο της Ελάδας στην Αδριατικη. Θα δουλέψουμε όπως μπορούμε μιά
και τα κύμματα είναι ακόμη αρκετά μεγάλα για να είμαστε στα ανοικτά. Το πλοίο
έχει ποντίση μία αγκυρα από την πρύμη, ώστε να μπορεί να
κρατηθεί. The ship has been travelling since 7 am this
morning and at 10.00 am we are now at the Othonoi Island. These islands are the
northernmost part of Greece in the Adriatic Sea. We will try to work as well as
possible because the sea conditions are not the best.
Heading back into the harbor of
Kerkyra - March 15, 2013
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Κάναμε δύο βουτιές βόρεια της Κερκυρας, λίγο μετά την είσοδου του διαυλου. Ο βυθός εβρυθε από ζωή, αλλά τα ρευματα στην επιφάνεια του βυθού ήταν πολύ ισχυρά. Τώρα έχουμε πορεία για το λιμάνη της Κέρκυρας, όπου θα διανυκτερευσουμε. We have done two dives, north of Corfu Island, near the canal between Greece and Albania. The seabed was very interesting, full of life, but with strong water current. Now we are going to the Corfu's harbor, where we will spend the night.
Tο στενό πέρασμα μεταξύ Κέρκυρας και Αλβανίας έχει μεγάλη κίνηση πλοίων, όπως μπορείτε να δείτε στις φωτογραφίες. Στο βάθος διακρίνοντε οι ακτές τις Αλβανίας. The narrow channel between Corfu and Albania has a lot of maritime traffic. In the background you can see the Albanian mainland.
On the bridge of the Philia – Captain Manolis, Frithjof, Panos and Kostas (left to right)
Kerkyra, Benitsa and Igoumenitsa -
March 16, 2013
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Σήμερα θα κάνουμε ένα γενικό σκανάρισμα των παραλιών από την περιοχή της
Δασιας έως αρκετά νότια της Κερκυρας, με σκοπό την λεπτομερή παρακολούθηση του
βυθού, με τους δύτες, και την συλλογή δειγμάτων. Today
we will do a general seashore scanning, using the divers, for a detailed
seabotton watch, from the region of Dasias to south of Kerkiras city, to
collect samples for later study.
Ο κόλπος της Δασιας, στα βόρεια της πόλης, όπου ξεκινήσαμε την
δειγματοληψία. The Dasia's bay, north of kerkyra's
city, where we started our collection of samples.
Η επομενη περιοχή ήταν στο υψος της Μπενίτσας, όπου και θα χρησιμοποιούσαμε
το ρομποτικό όχημα. Ο καιρός ήταν πολύ κακός, και δεν μπορέσαμε να δουλέψουμε. Πήγαμε τελικά στην Ηγουμενίτσα. The next area was near Benitsa,
where we should dive with the ROV. The weather was windy and we couldn't work.
We went to Igoumenitsa.
Βόρεια του φρουρίου στην πόλη της Κερκυρας, η επόμενη περιοχή
δειγματοληψίας. North of the old fortress, at Corfu
city, our next sampling area.
Στην Ηγουμενίτσα παρακολουθήσαμε την Αποκριάτικη παρελαση. When we were in the city of Igoumenitsa, we watched the carnival
parade.
Arrived
in the port of Igoumenitsa
Heading back to Crete from Kerkyra -
March 17, 2013
(Leonidas Manousakis)
Το πρωί μας βρίσκει στο λιμάνι της Κερκυρας, όπου και κατεβαίνουμε από το πλοίο, για να πάρουμε το αεροπλάνο για Ηράκλειο. Το πλοίο θα συνεχίσει την δουλειά στην περιοχή με αλλη ομάδα, που ήρθε σήμερα. We are at the Corfu's harbor in the morning, in order to get into the flight to Herakleio. The Ship will continue to work in the area, with another scientific group, that came today.
The trip back from Igoumenitsa to Athens – March 17, 2013
(Frithjof)
This was the time to say goodbye. An HCMR staff member had come from Athens to pick us up from Igoumenitsa and for driving us back to Athens. A very scenic drive indeed, under a cloudless sky and beneath snow-covered mountains, often with spring blossom, lakes and dark-blue inlets of the sea in the foreground. Unforgettable. From Igoumenitsa to Ioannina, and on to Arta, Amfilochia, then to the bridge from Antirrio to Rio, and along the south shore of the Gulf of Korinth to the Greek capital, in around 7 h in total.
Even though we did not find what we had set out for (actually this has rarely happened during my expeditions), it was a great experience of what ROVs can accomplish in exploring circalittoral habitats which cannot easily be reached by scuba diving. We clearly needed more ROV dive time for having a decent chance of finding what we were looking for – which means working in more stable weather. Also, the computer-generated prediction model could do with some more, high-resolution refining.
We are now planning on a follow-up cruise in October, when weather conditions should be a lot more stable than around the spring equinoxes.
Snow-covered mountains south Ioannina, March 17
The road from Ioannina to Arta
The Rio-Antirrio Bridge, Patras and some spectacular mountain scenery
Mountains SW of Patras
