In Banyuls-sur-Mer, the Laboratoire Arago has been scrutinising the bay and its seabed since 1882. For more than a century, divers and scientists here have shared the same curiosity about the underwater landscapes of the Mediterranean.
A laboratory facing the sea
Founded in 1882, the Laboratoire Arago, today the Banyuls Oceanological Observatory (Sorbonne Université / CNRS), is one of the oldest marine biology stations in France. Habitat ecology, invasive species, coastal monitoring: the Mediterranean is studied here at close quarters.
Diving as a research tool
Underwater, scientific diving makes it possible to observe, sample and measure what surface instruments struggle to capture. Species counts, monitoring of the posidonia meadows, the condition of the coralligenous habitats: every dive produces knowledge.
From data to decision
Research informs public decision-making: on the Côte Vermeille, the Cerbère-Banyuls marine nature reserve, France’s first marine reserve, created in 1974 over some 650 hectares, illustrates this link between the work of researchers and the management of natural habitats. The Biodiversarium carries this approach further by making it accessible to schoolchildren and the general public.
Science at MERveille
Talks, workshops and meetings with researchers will bring science to the heart of the festival, showing that behind every dive there is knowledge to be passed on.
Scientific work and programmes are constantly evolving: for up-to-date information, please refer to the publications of the Banyuls Oceanological Observatory.