SCUBA APRIL 2025 issue 154 | Page 50

News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Ceramics wreck discovery off Turkey
ENVIRONMENT

Protect Our Seas

News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation

Help the Cornish Seagrass revival

Corals that can cope

New science from the Wildlife Conservation Society( WCS) has mapped coral reefs across the Western Indian Ocean, uncovering pockets of climate-resilience. By combining AI models with data from 1,000 field studies, researchers have identified reefs that may withstand
climate change better than once feared, opening new doors for protecting the most biodiversity-rich ecosystems in the ocean. In WCS’ s new model, about 5 % of coral reefs have been identified to potentially benefit from changing conditions, suggesting potential refuges where corals could continue to thrive despite warming.
PHOTO: OCEAN IMAGE BANK- RENATA ROMEO
Cornwall Wildlife Trust is appealing for local knowledge to help restore the county’ s intertidal seagrass meadows. Having established methods for replanting seagrass on the Fal-Ruan and Helford estuaries, the next step is identifying areas to rewild. Cornwall Wildlife Trust’ s Seagrass Project Officer, Chloe James said:“ Maybe you have a fond memory of seagrass growing on your local shores, but now you notice it’ s gone. Cornwall Wildlife Trust wants to help bring it back.” Anyone with information that could help the project is invited to contact Cornwall Wildlife Trust, tel: 07966581046 email: beth. ford @ cornwallwildlife. org. uk
PHOTO: MAT SLATER / CORNWALL WILDLIFE TRUST

Ceramics wreck discovery off Turkey

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SUDEMER divers recording the ceramic wreck
A 1,500-year-old shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Ayvalık in Turkey’ s Balıkesir province. Dating to the late Fifth Century, the wreck holds approximately 10,000 ceramic plates and is described as the largest‘ plate shipwreck’ found in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. Harun Özda, director of Dokuz Eylul University’ s Centre for Underwater Cultural Heritage and Maritime History( SUDEMER), said the ship most likely sailed from North Africa or Cyprus toward Istanbul, but sank in a storm off Ayvalık. Özda said that until today, it was known that ceramics produced in North Africa, Egypt and Syria were taken to Anatolia, Greece or Italy, but until now there has been precious little marine archaeology representing the trade.