Deniz Kaşifi Continues Underwater Exploration

Marine Explorer Glider Continues Underwater Exploration The Marine Explorer, a glider device provided by Türkiye İş Bankası for use by the Institute of Marine Sciences at the Middle East Technical University (METU), continues its underwater exploration activities. According to a statement from the bank, the Marine Explorer, which completed its first survey in the Marmara Sea, will conduct measurements in the Mediterranean and collect data that will shed light on science. The Marine Explorer will participate in expeditions conducted four times annually on a seasonal basis by the Marine Ecosystem and Climate Research Center (DEKOSIM) affiliated with METU in the region. It will simultaneously conduct more comprehensive measurements in deep seas and collect data that will contribute to scientific knowledge. The Marine Explorer will carry out Turkey's first detailed and high-resolution measurement study, spending approximately 20 days in the Mediterranean. The objective of this marine survey is to achieve a better understanding of two natural phenomena that occur regularly in the Eastern Mediterranean in late spring and early summer. As heat increases in Eastern Mediterranean waters, the temperature difference between the lower and upper water layers initiates stratification that affects production and circulation in the seas. Thanks to winter mixing, which occurs as water temperatures and densities in the lower and upper layers converge, nutrient salts are normally transported from deep waters to the surface. However, this stratification prevents the transport of nutrient salts to the surface necessary for the proliferation of phytoplankton, microscopic plant organisms, which are a source of oxygen. The Levantine intermediate water layer, important for the entire Mediterranean, also forms during this period. Short-term sea expeditions have proven insufficient for explaining these two phenomena. Due to the Marine Explorer's capacity to operate continuously for extended periods when equipped with the latest technologies, more detailed information is expected to be obtained.

Marine Explorer collects data to enable necessary measures

The Marine Explorer collects data to identify, monitor, and develop solutions for problems requiring high data volumes, particularly the adverse effects of climate change on seas, and to enable necessary measures to be taken. This data is of great importance in preventing catastrophes such as mucilage occurring in the Marmara and pollution, as well as in contributing to scientific studies on the sustainability of ecosystems in our seas. The work conducted by Türkiye İş Bankası and METU regarding the Marine Explorer represents a concrete example of university-private sector cooperation toward the goal of a clean world and clean environment that requires everyone's sensitivity and contribution. Within the scope of the ongoing cooperation, the aim is to enable Turkey, surrounded by seas on three sides, to conduct scientific and academic studies on marine pollution in both a more efficient and larger-scale manner. Additionally, the work being conducted is expected to be expanded in the medium and long term toward raising public awareness regarding the protection of seas, which are an important source of life, biological diversity on the planet, and ecosystems, preventing pollution, and increasing marine and climate literacy. The device, which can perform continuous measurements for up to 100 days along a predetermined route independent of the ship underwater, moves forward by descending and ascending from the surface to depths of one thousand meters. When surfacing at the end of each glide, this device can transmit the data it collects to scientists through satellite systems. The device is equipped with a variety of sensors capable of measuring water column properties such as temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll, and turbidity in seas. The glider device, which can be used for oceanographic measurements in all weather and sea conditions, distinguishes itself from comparable devices worldwide through its real-time nitrogen measurement sensor. The sensor in question contains the latest technology currently capable of measuring nutrient salts in seas. The device conducted its first exploratory survey between 12-16 January 2023 in the Marmara Sea, during which it examined changes in the water column, including changes caused by the current entering the Marmara from the Istanbul Strait and oxygen distribution in the east-west direction. During the survey, it was observed that the Strait current mixed upper and lower waters according to its strength within 24 hours, causing changes in temperature and salinity in the upper water. This condition, previously predicted through models and visible via satellite signal, was detailed through real-time and in-situ measurements for the first time. These changes can lead to many problems over time, such as decreased species diversity, difficulty in finding food, and migration of marine organisms. In the cross-section extending along the east-west axis, despite measurements being conducted in winter months and oxygen solubility being high, oxygen in the lower layer was observed to decrease rapidly from west to east. Particularly in the western portion of the cross-section, it was understood that cyclonic currents (eddies) added significant fresh water to the southern basin's bottom waters. This situation increases the resistance of Marmara bottom waters against external pressures such as pollution and climate change. However, it is known that this situation disappears with the start of summer. Source