Paper short abstract:

A mass migration is taking place through the Suez Canal. 350 tropical marine species with roots in the Indian Ocean have travelled north through the Canal. Together with warming sea temperature, they are changing Mediterranean sealife and cultures.

Paper long abstract:

Under the surface of megatankers and shipping, a mass migration is taking place through the Suez Canal. Over time and as a result of both natural change and engineering projects, the Suez Canal has turned into a global highway for sea creature.

Since its opening, more than 350 tropical marine species with roots in the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea have travelled north through the passageway and settled in the Mediterranean Sea. These newcomers have significantly changed Mediterranean sealife and cultures, and their impact will only increase with global warming, damaged ecosystem and the recent widening of the canal. In this talk, I discuss my new research project that explores different afterlives of the Suez Canal. I will outline the larger project to then focus on a range of marine creatures that came with the merging seas. How can parrotfish, prawns and crabs help us scale the afterlife of massive interventions in changing environments? And what can pufferfish and jellyfish teach us about surviving in anthropogenically altered landscapes?