Exploring Malta’s Coasts, Applied Oceanography Students in Action

Students following the MSc in Applied Oceanography at the University of Malta recently participated in the programme’s annual bootcamp, aimed at collecting, processing, and visualising ocean data while assessing human impacts on the marine environment.

This year’s fieldwork focused on Mellieħa Bay and Mistra Bay over three intensive days dedicated to coastal dynamics, marine biology, and physical oceanography.

During “Coast Day”, students carried out beach profiling, collected sediment samples for grain-size analysis, and investigated beach microplastics using image analysis and machine learning techniques, alongside students from Cardiff University.

“Biology Day” focused on the deployment of Niskin and Van Dorn water samplers, sediment corers, and the collection of data on Posidonia oceanica meadows and chlorophyll concentrations.

The final day, dedicated to physical oceanography, involved CTD profiling, sea-current drifter deployments, meteorological monitoring, and bathymetric surveys. Students also processed and analysed the collected data in laboratory sessions.

Throughout the bootcamp, students gained hands-on experience using scientific equipment from the Department of Geosciences, collecting data on water quality, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, coastal sediments, and seagrass health.

The fieldwork was coordinated by Prof. Adam Gauci, Dr Anthony Galea, Ms Audrey Zammit, Mr Alessio Marrone, Mr David Ramirez, Ms Laura Prieto and Mr Sam Bauermeister. 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 online.