Oceanographer paves way for coral studies in Türkiye

After completing her oceanography education in France, a Turkish scientist has returned to the country to conduct research on coral species in the depths of the Marmara Sea that have never been studied before.

"Years later, I decided to return to write my Ph.D. thesis in Türkiye despite the fact that I had to start the six-year doctoral period all over again," said Nur Eda Topçu, an associate professor from Istanbul University who studied ocean science in France's Brittany region and completed her master's degree in Marseille.

Noting that the Mediterranean Sea is very different from the oceans, Topçu said she is trying to establish a model that offers diving-based fieldwork. "There is an incredible world under the sea with dozens of subjects that have never been studied."

Trying to find out where the species on which she has been working for 20 years exist with the dives into the sea, Topçu said, "The coral gardens in France and Italy, which can be detected at a depth of 70 meters with robotic devices, exist at a depth of 20 meters in the Marmara Sea."

When Topçu returned to the country, she started working with professor Bayram Öztürk, the former dean of Istanbul University's Aquatic Sciences Faculty, and participated in dives with them.

Topçu said she had an accident within this period in which dozens of her bones got broken. "I had many surgeries and tried to walk for two years, first with a walker and then with a cane. Though the people around me were very against for me to start diving again to make progress in my thesis, I started diving again in a short time."

Meanwhile, the scientist also pointed out that constructions cause great damage to sea creatures. "Inspections at sea need to be increased, only after which...