Invasive Fish Species Distribution: Research and Citizen Science Projects

Since the opening of the Suez Canal between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea there has been a steady flow of invasive species entering the Aegean Sea out of which there are over 32 established fish species. At Archipelagos Institute we are monitoring the spread of these species in the region of the NE

Evaluation of Macroplastic Debris on two Beaches of Samos Island

The macro-plastic project primarily focuses on measuring the influx of waste items into the Aegean Sea onto specified beaches at the main Archipelagos Base. It is a renowned fact that human activity has had, an is continuing to have, a significant impact on the health of the environment and functioning of both marine and terrestrial

Scouts Visit at Archipelagos Institute

Among the numerous awareness-raising activities we carry out year-round, Archipelagos was happy to host a group of 33 scouts ages 7-11 from Samos, Chios and Leros islands on Tuesday, June 20th. In the morning, they all attended a lesson on the wildlife of the Aegean and watched animations on the Aegean wildlife, all produced by

Firefighting With Seawater: Effects on Soil Properties in Samos Island

The island of Samos is prone to wildfires during the summer months due to its hot, arid climate and dry landscape. A crew of workers inadvertently ignited a small fire on July 7th 2016, which quickly spread across the island, claiming nearly 780 hectares of pine forest as it moved southeast from Kamara to Mesokampos.

Creating Printed Media to Raise Awareness

Coupling our research and conservation actions, Archipelagos Institute aims to also raise awareness about the unique nature and biodiversity of the Aegean Sea and islands. In regards to this, Archipelagos’ Media Team has been hard at work creating three large posters which were installed this week in Samos International Airport. The purpose is to provide

Behaviour of Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus around Samos Island

Ship traffic has been increasing in the oceans in recent decades, especially in the northern hemisphere, and very likely will increase exponentially in the future. Anthropic activities  produce diffuse and almost continuous noise that may affect very wide areas. Low-frequency (below 1,000Hz) ambient noise levels generated by ship traffic have increased in the northern hemisphere

Assessment of Fish Biodiversity in P. oceanica Seagrass Meadows in Lipsi island

Posidonia oceanica is an endemic seagrass species of the Mediterranean Sea. Research in other areas of the Mediterranean Sea has shown that P. oceanica meadows provide habitats for a diverse fish community and they have an especially important role as breeding and nursing areas. Variety of fish species, including numerous species of conservational or commercial

Population Assessment of the Mediterranean Chameleon

The Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) is one of only two existent species of Chamaleonidae in Europe. It can be found in the southern part of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. Until a few decades ago, only a few parts of Greece supported populations of this species; namely the islands of Samos, Chios and Crete. Today

Eco-Navigation: A Citizen Science Project

Archipelagos’ Eco-navigation project focuses on creating a citizen-science platform about observations of marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals), sea turtles, invasive species and jellyfish blooms, as well as pollution incidents (plastic debris, oil slicks, etc.) or other unusual sightings. In this way we are in the process of forming a network of sailors, divers, fishermen and

Assessing the Grazing Activity of Sea Urchins

Sea urchins are herbivorous animals that live on rocky substrate and graze on macroalgae. Pollution and overfishing of their predators, led to massive increase of the sea urchin population across the Mediterranean. As a consequence, macroalgae forests has tended to disappear, causing cascades effects on other organisms that rely on this source of food and