“We had an amazing and productive trip to the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat.”
Dr. Gretchen Goodbody Gringley & Dr. Alex Chequer, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, Bermuda

The Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea is a unique and fascinating ecosystem. Its waters are the most saline of the world’s oceans and its temperature is never lower than 21°C, at all depths. The northern tip of the Gulf harbours the northern-most coral reefs in the world, with many endemic species. Bordered by a hyperarid desert, the waters of the Gulf are exceedingly oligotrophic with excellent visibility. Situated along the Great Rift Valley, the bathymetry of the Gulf of Aqaba is very steep, reaching a maximum depth of 1800 m. This feature enables research vessels to reach areas where the seafloor is hundreds of meters deep within minutes of embarking, thereby saving valuable time. The northern tip of the Gulf is characterized by a calm sea and clear sky for most of the year, thus research excursions can be planned well in advance with a low likelihood of cancellation.

• Research includes Chemical, Physical and Biological Oceanography, Microbiology, Marine Biogeochemistry, Invertebrate and Vertebrate Biology, Ecology, and Physiology.
• Laboratories are fully equipped with standard dry/wet labs including pools/tanks fed by seawater. Facilities for DNA, RNA, protein work, fluorometery devices, flow camera, and EPI fluorescence microscopes.
• The dive center is equipped to carry out routine diving to complex dive missions at a range of depths.
• A 16 m research vessel and two 8 m long skiffs.

To find out more, visit the transnational access pages or contact assembleplus_ta@embrc.eu