History of Research
49
oceanographic information yielded by the two throughgoing American vessels,
"Atlantis II" and "Chain".
The picture given by this short presentation of the history of the Suez Canal
research is rather discouraging (see also Table 1). Except for two periods, the
years immediately before and after the Canal opening (i.e. 1864-1888) and the
period between 1924 and 1934, there is no comprehensive information to characterize the evolution of the Suez Canal biota. In recent years only the studies of
Morcos on the salinity give more continuous information. "The Hebrew University-Smithsonian Institution Joint Program" trips to the Canal (1967-1973)
yielded relatively restricted collections. These have, however, been studied fairly
completely. A special issue of the Israel Journal of Zoology [VoI. 21 (3-4), 1972J
gives a summary of most of this research effort.
In January 1975 Professor Brattström collected some of the fouling which
grew on the ships trapped in the Bitter Lake since 1967; this collection has yet to
be studied.
A scientific appreciation of the migration process through the Suez Canal has
to content itself with this rather incomplete data. In the more than one hundred
years since the opening of the Suez CanaI, one could have expected a more
organized and continuous effort by the scientific community.
Table 1. Chronologicallisting of scientific research in the Suez Canal
Collector and Author
Vaillant, L.
Issel,A.
Fuchs,Th.
Fischer,P.
Müller,K.
Lesseps, F. de a
MacAndrew, R.
Durand-Claye, L.
Schmidt,C.
Keller,C.
Krukenberg, C. F. W.
Vassel,E. a
"Pola" Expedition
Luksch,J., Natterer,K.,
Sturany,R.
Tillier,L.a, Bavay,A.a
Tillier,J. B. a
Voisin Beya
Herdman, Thompson,I.c.,
Scott,A.
"Ammiraglio Magnaghi"
V ercelli, F.
Monod,Th.
Cambridge Expedition to
the Suez Canal:
Fox,H.M., et. al.
Year of
Year of
collection
publication
1864
1865
1869
1864-1876 1878,1881
1865,1870,1871
1872
1873,1876
1869
1870
1872
1874
1875
1878
1882
1882,1883,1888
1887
1888
1889, 1890
1895
1898,1899,1903
1898,1905,1906
1902
1902-1906
1902
1903
1923-1924 1927
1925
1924
1924-1931
a Persons employed by the Suez Canal Company.
Topics
Mollusca
Mollusca
Geology, Mollusca
Mollusca
Chemical data
Geology, chemistry
Mollusca
Chemical data
Chemical data
General biology
General biology
General data, geology
Chemical data, Mollusca
Mollusca
Pisces
General data
Planktonic Copepoda
Hydrography
General
General; zoological results:
reports by specialists on
groups of animals
49
oceanographic information yielded by the two throughgoing American vessels,
"Atlantis II" and "Chain".
The picture given by this short presentation of the history of the Suez Canal
research is rather discouraging (see also Table 1). Except for two periods, the
years immediately before and after the Canal opening (i.e. 1864-1888) and the
period between 1924 and 1934, there is no comprehensive information to characterize the evolution of the Suez Canal biota. In recent years only the studies of
Morcos on the salinity give more continuous information. "The Hebrew University-Smithsonian Institution Joint Program" trips to the Canal (1967-1973)
yielded relatively restricted collections. These have, however, been studied fairly
completely. A special issue of the Israel Journal of Zoology [VoI. 21 (3-4), 1972J
gives a summary of most of this research effort.
In January 1975 Professor Brattström collected some of the fouling which
grew on the ships trapped in the Bitter Lake since 1967; this collection has yet to
be studied.
A scientific appreciation of the migration process through the Suez Canal has
to content itself with this rather incomplete data. In the more than one hundred
years since the opening of the Suez CanaI, one could have expected a more
organized and continuous effort by the scientific community.
Table 1. Chronologicallisting of scientific research in the Suez Canal
Collector and Author
Vaillant, L.
Issel,A.
Fuchs,Th.
Fischer,P.
Müller,K.
Lesseps, F. de a
MacAndrew, R.
Durand-Claye, L.
Schmidt,C.
Keller,C.
Krukenberg, C. F. W.
Vassel,E. a
"Pola" Expedition
Luksch,J., Natterer,K.,
Sturany,R.
Tillier,L.a, Bavay,A.a
Tillier,J. B. a
Voisin Beya
Herdman, Thompson,I.c.,
Scott,A.
"Ammiraglio Magnaghi"
V ercelli, F.
Monod,Th.
Cambridge Expedition to
the Suez Canal:
Fox,H.M., et. al.
Year of
Year of
collection
publication
1864
1865
1869
1864-1876 1878,1881
1865,1870,1871
1872
1873,1876
1869
1870
1872
1874
1875
1878
1882
1882,1883,1888
1887
1888
1889, 1890
1895
1898,1899,1903
1898,1905,1906
1902
1902-1906
1902
1903
1923-1924 1927
1925
1924
1924-1931
a Persons employed by the Suez Canal Company.
Topics
Mollusca
Mollusca
Geology, Mollusca
Mollusca
Chemical data
Geology, chemistry
Mollusca
Chemical data
Chemical data
General biology
General biology
General data, geology
Chemical data, Mollusca
Mollusca
Pisces
General data
Planktonic Copepoda
Hydrography
General
General; zoological results:
reports by specialists on
groups of animals