Athanasios Nikolaou
@thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
PhD Student at the Department of Marine Sciences @uaegean, Greece | Passionate about advancing #EcosystemBasedManagement (EBM) for improved #MarineConservation
Pinned
Our article “What do we know about the state of European seas?” is now out in @consletters.bsky.social. In this study, we used all available #MSFD assessments to unveil the status of European Seas. @drangelborja.bsky.social @skatsanevakis.bsky.social
Find the article link at the post’s end.
Find the article link at the post’s end.
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
So far in this #mooc we’ have explored some core principles of #ebm (Ecosystem-Based Management) 🌊but here’s something we haven’t yet talked about:
👉 EBM isn’t a one-off process. It’s cyclical and constantly evolving.
How does this make the ends meet? Stay tuned to find out…
👉 EBM isn’t a one-off process. It’s cyclical and constantly evolving.
How does this make the ends meet? Stay tuned to find out…
December 8, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
This is the moment we realised what we were looking at.
During @nemo-tools.bsky.social ROV surveys to map gorgonian & coralligenous habitats, the seafloor suddenly turned into a landscape of circular nests, each guarded by a male.
We weren’t searching for spawning grounds – we dropped onto one.
During @nemo-tools.bsky.social ROV surveys to map gorgonian & coralligenous habitats, the seafloor suddenly turned into a landscape of circular nests, each guarded by a male.
We weren’t searching for spawning grounds – we dropped onto one.
December 8, 2025 at 8:30 AM
This is the moment we realised what we were looking at.
During @nemo-tools.bsky.social ROV surveys to map gorgonian & coralligenous habitats, the seafloor suddenly turned into a landscape of circular nests, each guarded by a male.
We weren’t searching for spawning grounds – we dropped onto one.
During @nemo-tools.bsky.social ROV surveys to map gorgonian & coralligenous habitats, the seafloor suddenly turned into a landscape of circular nests, each guarded by a male.
We weren’t searching for spawning grounds – we dropped onto one.
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🐟🪸We’ve just published the first documented nesting aggregation of black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Author link (view-only): rdcu.be/eTtif
@skatsanevakis.bsky.social @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#NEMOTOOLS #marinebiology #ROV #spawninggrounds #conservation
Author link (view-only): rdcu.be/eTtif
@skatsanevakis.bsky.social @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#NEMOTOOLS #marinebiology #ROV #spawninggrounds #conservation
December 8, 2025 at 8:30 AM
🐟🪸We’ve just published the first documented nesting aggregation of black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Author link (view-only): rdcu.be/eTtif
@skatsanevakis.bsky.social @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#NEMOTOOLS #marinebiology #ROV #spawninggrounds #conservation
Author link (view-only): rdcu.be/eTtif
@skatsanevakis.bsky.social @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#NEMOTOOLS #marinebiology #ROV #spawninggrounds #conservation
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
The University of the Aegean invites applications for a 2-year Researcher (MSc, #MarineEcology) post under the LIFE-PINNACARE project. Focus: Pinna nobilis #conservation in Greece + field work.
📅 Apply by 6 Jan 2026.
📧 More info: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/393307
— dive in!
#Conservation #job 🌍🌐
📅 Apply by 6 Jan 2026.
📧 More info: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/393307
— dive in!
#Conservation #job 🌍🌐
December 7, 2025 at 8:12 AM
The University of the Aegean invites applications for a 2-year Researcher (MSc, #MarineEcology) post under the LIFE-PINNACARE project. Focus: Pinna nobilis #conservation in Greece + field work.
📅 Apply by 6 Jan 2026.
📧 More info: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/393307
— dive in!
#Conservation #job 🌍🌐
📅 Apply by 6 Jan 2026.
📧 More info: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/393307
— dive in!
#Conservation #job 🌍🌐
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🌍Interesting new study concluding "in the thousands of locations sampled in this meta-analysis, the mean #microplastic densities are high enough to expect fundamental biological processes, such as growth & reproduction of marine fauna to be significantly negatively impacted."
doi.org/10.1007/s113...
doi.org/10.1007/s113...
Global microplastic pollution at levels harmful to marine life - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Poor waste management has resulted in marine plastic litter increasing worldwide, and microplastics (MP) are now detected in all marine habitats. To better understand the distribution and ecological i...
doi.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:12 PM
🌍Interesting new study concluding "in the thousands of locations sampled in this meta-analysis, the mean #microplastic densities are high enough to expect fundamental biological processes, such as growth & reproduction of marine fauna to be significantly negatively impacted."
doi.org/10.1007/s113...
doi.org/10.1007/s113...
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🐢🦭🐦New @pnas.org study provides a quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds,marine mammals & sea turtles.
6 to 405 pieces of ingested #plastic (or volume of 0.044-39.89 cm3/cm length) lead to a 90% chance of mortality.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
6 to 405 pieces of ingested #plastic (or volume of 0.044-39.89 cm3/cm length) lead to a 90% chance of mortality.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles | PNAS
Plastic ingestion has been documented in nearly 1,300 marine species, including every
seabird family, marine mammal family, and sea turtle species....
www.pnas.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:49 AM
🐢🦭🐦New @pnas.org study provides a quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds,marine mammals & sea turtles.
6 to 405 pieces of ingested #plastic (or volume of 0.044-39.89 cm3/cm length) lead to a 90% chance of mortality.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
6 to 405 pieces of ingested #plastic (or volume of 0.044-39.89 cm3/cm length) lead to a 90% chance of mortality.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🔊🌊 Just out in Sensors: a low-cost (~50 €) #hydrophone toolkit for robust underwater #AcousticMonitoring. Built for researchers, educators and #CitizenScientists eager to explore marine #soundscapes. Hear the ocean differently. 🐳🛥️🐬📡 www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25...
#MarineEcology 🌍🌐🧪
#MarineEcology 🌍🌐🧪
December 2, 2025 at 9:13 PM
🔊🌊 Just out in Sensors: a low-cost (~50 €) #hydrophone toolkit for robust underwater #AcousticMonitoring. Built for researchers, educators and #CitizenScientists eager to explore marine #soundscapes. Hear the ocean differently. 🐳🛥️🐬📡 www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25...
#MarineEcology 🌍🌐🧪
#MarineEcology 🌍🌐🧪
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🔊🌊 Great moments with the Scouts this week! We introduced them to our ~50 € hydrophone, handed out units, and dove into citizen-science together. Nothing better than seeing young explorers record their first marine soundscapes. 🐬✨ #OceanScience #CitizenScience 🧪
December 2, 2025 at 9:13 PM
🔊🌊 Great moments with the Scouts this week! We introduced them to our ~50 € hydrophone, handed out units, and dove into citizen-science together. Nothing better than seeing young explorers record their first marine soundscapes. 🐬✨ #OceanScience #CitizenScience 🧪
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
So, is #ebm just a concept on paper? Not at all. 📜
It is already shaping how we manage European seas, through global conventions, directives, regional policies, and local implementation.
Stay tuned for next week’s #mooc on how EBM spans marine sectors & the related challenges🚧
It is already shaping how we manage European seas, through global conventions, directives, regional policies, and local implementation.
Stay tuned for next week’s #mooc on how EBM spans marine sectors & the related challenges🚧
November 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
But what is the environmental status of European waters? Consult the following paper for an overview:
👇
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
👇
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
November 27, 2025 at 5:49 PM
But what is the environmental status of European waters? Consult the following paper for an overview:
👇
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
👇
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
Same area, but now with the pressure visible: longlines, ropes and other fishing gear litter entangling gorgonians and covering the seabed. Chronic ghost fishing and structural damage that we urgently need to address.
#marinelitter #ghostfishing #MPA #conservation @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#marinelitter #ghostfishing #MPA #conservation @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Same area, but now with the pressure visible: longlines, ropes and other fishing gear litter entangling gorgonians and covering the seabed. Chronic ghost fishing and structural damage that we urgently need to address.
#marinelitter #ghostfishing #MPA #conservation @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
#marinelitter #ghostfishing #MPA #conservation @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
Clip from the Tokmakia plateau (NE Lesvos): a mesophotic coralligenous reef with dense red gorgonians and complex bioconstructions. This is the kind of “animal forest” habitat our work focuses on documenting and conserving.
#coralligenous #gorgonians #oceans @skatsanevakis.bsky.social
#coralligenous #gorgonians #oceans @skatsanevakis.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Clip from the Tokmakia plateau (NE Lesvos): a mesophotic coralligenous reef with dense red gorgonians and complex bioconstructions. This is the kind of “animal forest” habitat our work focuses on documenting and conserving.
#coralligenous #gorgonians #oceans @skatsanevakis.bsky.social
#coralligenous #gorgonians #oceans @skatsanevakis.bsky.social
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🪸New paper out on mesophotic coralligenous reefs in the NE Aegean. We used side-scan sonar + ROV surveys to map gorgonian assemblages and quantify the impact of marine litter in a Natura 2000 site.
Open access: www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13...
#marinebiology #Mediterranean #Natura2000 #NEMOTools
Open access: www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13...
#marinebiology #Mediterranean #Natura2000 #NEMOTools
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 AM
🪸New paper out on mesophotic coralligenous reefs in the NE Aegean. We used side-scan sonar + ROV surveys to map gorgonian assemblages and quantify the impact of marine litter in a Natura 2000 site.
Open access: www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13...
#marinebiology #Mediterranean #Natura2000 #NEMOTools
Open access: www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13...
#marinebiology #Mediterranean #Natura2000 #NEMOTools
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
What have we learnt this week❓❓
To summarise #ebm means understanding how much the ecosystem can endure, how much we can pull on different strings, where we need to be careful, and where we need to strengthen the web. 🕸️🕸️
Ecosystem knowledge is […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
To summarise #ebm means understanding how much the ecosystem can endure, how much we can pull on different strings, where we need to be careful, and where we need to strengthen the web. 🕸️🕸️
Ecosystem knowledge is […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 AM
What have we learnt this week❓❓
To summarise #ebm means understanding how much the ecosystem can endure, how much we can pull on different strings, where we need to be careful, and where we need to strengthen the web. 🕸️🕸️
Ecosystem knowledge is […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
To summarise #ebm means understanding how much the ecosystem can endure, how much we can pull on different strings, where we need to be careful, and where we need to strengthen the web. 🕸️🕸️
Ecosystem knowledge is […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
If the #ocean is like a spider web🕸️, then our human activities are like pulling on the different strings which puts pressure on the structure as a whole. Therefore we need to understand the bigger picture to ensure ecosystems can recover and function […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM
If the #ocean is like a spider web🕸️, then our human activities are like pulling on the different strings which puts pressure on the structure as a whole. Therefore we need to understand the bigger picture to ensure ecosystems can recover and function […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
The #ocean provides for all of us, but that is not the end of the story. We are part of the ecosystem and we need to respect that. The fish 🐟 we eat, the corals 🪸 that protect our coast, with our actions we influence them, harm them and in doing so can harm ourselves.
November 17, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The #ocean provides for all of us, but that is not the end of the story. We are part of the ecosystem and we need to respect that. The fish 🐟 we eat, the corals 🪸 that protect our coast, with our actions we influence them, harm them and in doing so can harm ourselves.
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
By managing all human activities together, we can find smarter, more effective ways to protect and restore our oceans. 🌊 This ensures the sea can keep providing all the things we rely on: the food we eat, the air we breathe, and places for recreation, for […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
November 14, 2025 at 10:06 AM
By managing all human activities together, we can find smarter, more effective ways to protect and restore our oceans. 🌊 This ensures the sea can keep providing all the things we rely on: the food we eat, the air we breathe, and places for recreation, for […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
On #WorldScienceDay 🌊 meet Tikta, #GES4SEAS project software to assess risks and impacts from cumulative pressures and map the environmental status of sea. Name is inspired by Tiktaalik a Greenland word as it can be used for both marine and terrestrial assessments.
👉 www.ges4seas.eu #MarineEcology
👉 www.ges4seas.eu #MarineEcology
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 AM
On #WorldScienceDay 🌊 meet Tikta, #GES4SEAS project software to assess risks and impacts from cumulative pressures and map the environmental status of sea. Name is inspired by Tiktaalik a Greenland word as it can be used for both marine and terrestrial assessments.
👉 www.ges4seas.eu #MarineEcology
👉 www.ges4seas.eu #MarineEcology
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
When the ocean heats up, urchin love life cools down. New Hakai-linked study shows that even modest, non-lethal warming can suppress purple sea urchin reproduction — a twist that could temporarily help kelp forests recover. But both kelp and urchins feel the heat.
🔗 tinyurl.com/2s46j5v8
🔗 tinyurl.com/2s46j5v8
November 3, 2025 at 7:09 PM
When the ocean heats up, urchin love life cools down. New Hakai-linked study shows that even modest, non-lethal warming can suppress purple sea urchin reproduction — a twist that could temporarily help kelp forests recover. But both kelp and urchins feel the heat.
🔗 tinyurl.com/2s46j5v8
🔗 tinyurl.com/2s46j5v8
New paper shows functional extinction of two coral species in the Florida Keys, adding to the growing list of marine extinctions and highlighting climate change as the main threat to biodiversity.
October 27, 2025 at 6:58 PM
New paper shows functional extinction of two coral species in the Florida Keys, adding to the growing list of marine extinctions and highlighting climate change as the main threat to biodiversity.
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🌊 Curious about what’s driving marine #Extinctions?
Dive into this AI-created #podcast based on our recent paper! Discover global extinction hotspots, key drivers, and the species most at risk. 🎧🐠
#MarineEcology #OceanScience #ClimateChange 🧪 🌍 🌐
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInl...
Dive into this AI-created #podcast based on our recent paper! Discover global extinction hotspots, key drivers, and the species most at risk. 🎧🐠
#MarineEcology #OceanScience #ClimateChange 🧪 🌍 🌐
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInl...
Marine extinctions and their drivers
YouTube video by Natural Science Deep Dive
www.youtube.com
October 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
🌊 Curious about what’s driving marine #Extinctions?
Dive into this AI-created #podcast based on our recent paper! Discover global extinction hotspots, key drivers, and the species most at risk. 🎧🐠
#MarineEcology #OceanScience #ClimateChange 🧪 🌍 🌐
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInl...
Dive into this AI-created #podcast based on our recent paper! Discover global extinction hotspots, key drivers, and the species most at risk. 🎧🐠
#MarineEcology #OceanScience #ClimateChange 🧪 🌍 🌐
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInl...
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
Do you want to learn about the method of choosing tools to support Ecosystem-Based Management and marine ecosystem managers? See our #GES4SEAS policy brief here:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
It contains our tool SEAS4GES that can be used by you in taking management decisions
RT!
#MarineEcology
#Research
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
It contains our tool SEAS4GES that can be used by you in taking management decisions
RT!
#MarineEcology
#Research
September 29, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Do you want to learn about the method of choosing tools to support Ecosystem-Based Management and marine ecosystem managers? See our #GES4SEAS policy brief here:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
It contains our tool SEAS4GES that can be used by you in taking management decisions
RT!
#MarineEcology
#Research
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
It contains our tool SEAS4GES that can be used by you in taking management decisions
RT!
#MarineEcology
#Research
Reposted by Athanasios Nikolaou
🔍 Has anyone come across transparent antifouling coatings for u/w camera lenses?
We’re looking for something commercially available in the EU, safe for static u/w cameras that will keep lenses clear without frequent manual cleaning.
Any leads, experiences, or suppliers would be very welcome! 🌊📷
We’re looking for something commercially available in the EU, safe for static u/w cameras that will keep lenses clear without frequent manual cleaning.
Any leads, experiences, or suppliers would be very welcome! 🌊📷
September 19, 2025 at 11:31 AM
🔍 Has anyone come across transparent antifouling coatings for u/w camera lenses?
We’re looking for something commercially available in the EU, safe for static u/w cameras that will keep lenses clear without frequent manual cleaning.
Any leads, experiences, or suppliers would be very welcome! 🌊📷
We’re looking for something commercially available in the EU, safe for static u/w cameras that will keep lenses clear without frequent manual cleaning.
Any leads, experiences, or suppliers would be very welcome! 🌊📷