The BRIDGE-BS expeditions have significantly contributed to the understanding of the complex marine environment of the Black Sea, providing valuable insights that pave the way for more effective conservation and management strategies.

In the context of the 2022 winter expeditions, the entire Southern basin of the Black Sea has been thoroughly examined. The BRIDGE-BS 2023 summer expedition, dedicated to exploring the intricate coastal and offshore ecosystems of the Black Sea and understanding its multiple stressors, has also been completed.

This remarkable endeavor involved collaborative field studies conducted by Romanian partners GeoEcoMar and NIMRD during Western Black Sea expeditions, with Bulgarian partner IBER-BAS, and monitoring efforts by the Georgian partner TSU. Along with the synergistic field studies conducted by the METU-IMS team from Türkiye, these extensive summer cruises represent one of the most comprehensive research undertakings in recent years, shedding light on the state of the Black Sea ecosystem. In 2024, we anticipate the ongoing organization of highly targeted and process-oriented expeditions to further enhance the BRIDGE-BS research.

Discover the overview of the observations performed in the first 18 months of the BRIDGE-BS expeditions here.