Students following the MSc in Applied Oceanography recently took part in the programme鈥檚 annual bootcamp, aimed at collecting, processing, and visualising ocean data. Each year, a different coastal area is studied to assess human impacts on the marine environment.
This year鈥檚 bootcamp focused on Xemxija Bay, where students investigated the effects of tourism, fishing, and aquaculture. The fieldwork, which spanned three days, involved measuring physical oceanographic and marine biological parameters.
Hands-on activities gave students the chance to work with various scientific instruments from the Department of Geosciences. These included the Secchi disk, CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), satellite-tracked drifters, water samplers, and BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video). Through these tools, students gathered data on water temperature, salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll levels, and overall water quality. The health of Posidonia oceanica meadows was also assessed through the characterisation of a number of metrics. The sampling sessions at Xemxija were also complemented by a coastal dynamics session at Golden Bay, through which students were briefed on the measurement of beach profiles, on grain-size parameters as well as on the sampling of beach microplastics.
Additional exercises included beach profiling and sand granulometry, offering a holistic understanding of the coastal environment.
The fieldwork was coordinated by Dr Adam Gauci, Dr Anthony Galea, Ms Audrey Zammit, Mr Alessio Marrone, Ms Katiuscia Petrosillo and Mr David Ramirez. The MSc in Applied Oceanography is coordinated by Prof. Alan Deidun.
Applications for the next intake are now open. If you are interested in learning more about the sea, we encourage you to apply, by visiting the webpage.
This year鈥檚 bootcamp focused on Xemxija Bay, where students investigated the effects of tourism, fishing, and aquaculture. The fieldwork, which spanned three days, involved measuring physical oceanographic and marine biological parameters.
Hands-on activities gave students the chance to work with various scientific instruments from the Department of Geosciences. These included the Secchi disk, CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), satellite-tracked drifters, water samplers, and BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video). Through these tools, students gathered data on water temperature, salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll levels, and overall water quality. The health of Posidonia oceanica meadows was also assessed through the characterisation of a number of metrics. The sampling sessions at Xemxija were also complemented by a coastal dynamics session at Golden Bay, through which students were briefed on the measurement of beach profiles, on grain-size parameters as well as on the sampling of beach microplastics.
Additional exercises included beach profiling and sand granulometry, offering a holistic understanding of the coastal environment.
The fieldwork was coordinated by Dr Adam Gauci, Dr Anthony Galea, Ms Audrey Zammit, Mr Alessio Marrone, Ms Katiuscia Petrosillo and Mr David Ramirez. The MSc in Applied Oceanography is coordinated by Prof. Alan Deidun.
Applications for the next intake are now open. If you are interested in learning more about the sea, we encourage you to apply, by visiting the webpage.
