Advanced Marine Research in Haifa Bay: Highlights from the Charney School’s Annual Research Cruise

In July 2025, the Charney School of Marine Sciences launched one of its most ambitious and multidisciplinary research cruises to date, bringing together researchers, students, engineers, and professional staff for three intensive days at sea, where diverse fields of expertise, advanced technologies, and a variety of research platforms were seamlessly integrated to create a high-resolution 3D snapshot of Haifa Bay from the seafloor to the surface and to investigate key environmental, biological, and technological processes shaping the marine ecosystem

The cruise featured autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, multispectral drones, three research vessels, and scientific diving teams, all operating in full coordination using innovative cooperative navigation algorithms developed at the Charney School to enable synchronized data collection across platforms

Among the key research efforts were the exploration of rare Oculina patagonica corals at unusual depths, a survey of invasive algae at 40 meters including genetic sampling, experiments on larval fish responses to PAH pollution, and the deployment of robotic swarms for collaborative environmental monitoring.

The data collected will support advanced research in marine biology, geophysics, and marine robotics and will contribute to the development of tools for sustainable marine ecosystem management in Israel.

The cruise was led by Dr. Oren Gal, who coordinated the complex field operations, with participation from academic staff including Prof. Tali Mass, Dr. Tal Luzzatto Knaan, Dr. Igal Berenshtein, Prof. Yoav Lehahn, and Prof. Itzik Klein, and with the invaluable contributions of our dedicated students, diving teams, and the professional and administrative staff who supported the mission both at sea and on shore

We look forward to the next wave of discoveries!