"Like space exploration": The discovery that surprised researchers off the coast of Tel Aviv

A magazine article reveals the deep-sea world off the coast of Israel, tens of kilometers from Tel Aviv. In the Palmahim sliding area, vast coral gardens, methane seeps serving as oases of life, and a 'shark nursery'—an egg field at a depth of over a kilometer—were discovered. Researchers from the University of Haifa and the Society for the Protection of Nature explain how ancient geology created this unique ecosystem, which was only discovered in the last decade.

A N12 magazine article reveals the deep-sea world off the coast of Israel, about 60 kilometers west of Tel Aviv. In the Palmahim sliding area, a vast area 15 kilometers wide and 50 kilometers long, deep-sea coral gardens up to one and a half meters high were discovered, along with methane seeps serving as 'springs in the desert'—rich life hubs in a barren environment. A 'shark nursery' was also found there—an egg field spanning over 200 square meters, discovered in 2021. Prof. Itzik Makovsky from the University of Haifa, who manages deep-sea research using underwater tools, explains that the area's geology was shaped about five million years ago, when salt layers accumulated on the seabed and sediment pressure from the Nile created cliffs and fissures. Alon Rothschild from the Society for the Protection of Nature adds that the corals grow at a rate of thousandths of a centimeter per year, and some are hundreds or even thousands of years old. The article notes that deep-sea exploration is like space exploration—an unknown space where every discovery surprises anew.