Fig 1.
Seasonal satellite-derived data.
A) Mean sea surface temperature (SST, 2010–2015); B) Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a, 2002–2015). From http://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni. Circles indicate studied areas in Cyprus (Zenobia) and Lebanon (Alice-B).
Fig 2.
Schematic representations of the shipwrecks orientation and position on the seafloor and sampling stations.
A) Zenobia resting on its portside. B) Alice-B resting upright. Indicated are the prevailing sea currents (arrows), the exposition to sunlight (solar symbol), and the stern section (stars) of the vessels. C) Three sampling stations at the Zenobia: 1 = Thermistor, 2 = Car Deck, 3 = Stacker; illustration courtesy of Larnaka Sea Cruises. D) Sampling transect (stripped arrow) at the Alice-B; photo Nadja Wohlleben.
Table 1.
Main characteristics of the Zenobia and Alice-B shipwrecks.
Fig 3.
Representative examples of epibenthic communities on the shipwrecks.
A) Aggregations of serpulid polychaetes (e.g. Rhodopsis cf. pusilla) on dead coral skeletons (Madracis pharensis, Phyllangia mouchezii), sponges, calcareous and green algae and ascidians; Zenobia, 34m depth. B) Live azooxanthellate M. madracis corals, branching bryozoans (e.g. Caberea sp.), brachiopods and other species overgrown by sponges, mostly Chondrosia reniformis; Zenobia, 36m depth. C) Large clusters of bivalves (e.g. Chama pacifica, Pinctada imbricata radiata) fouled by filamentous algae, ascidians and sponges; Alice-B, 32m depth. D) Pigmented and dead M. pharensis colonies on a calcareous structure within turf-algae, sponges and ascidians; Alice-B 32m depth.
Fig 4.
Percentage of cover (mean + SD) of seven benthic categories on the shipwrecks.
A) Three sampling stations at the Zenobia shipwreck: Th = Thermistor; Cd = Car deck; St = Stacker; see Fig 2 for position of the sampling station at the wreck. B) Alice-B. C) Comparison of the pooled data (three stations) from Zenobia with Alice-B. N = number of photo-frames.
Fig 5.
Benthic category defined as “Other” in the cover analysis of the Zenobia and Alice-B shipwrecks.
A) Percentage (mean + SD) cover of subcategories that pooled together comprise “Other”; Rest = taxonomic groups that individually contributed little to the general category (e.g. foraminifers, brachiopods, hydrozoans, zoanthids, sessile crustaceans). B) Bryozoan Caberea sp. and an un-identified cyclostome; Zenobia, 26m depth. C) Foraminifer Miniacina miniacea; Zenobia 29m depth. D) Bivalve Spondylus spinosus fouled by corals (Phyllangia mouchezii, Madracis pharensis); Alice-B, 30m depth.
Fig 6.
Coral species found at the shipwrecks.
A) Percent contribution (mean + SD) of coral species to total live coral cover at the Zenobia (by sampling station and pooled together) and Alice-B shipwrecks; N = number of photo-frames were corals were present. Th = Thermistor; Cd = Car deck; St = Stacker; see Fig 2C for sampling stations at the wreck. B) Heavily fouled Spondylus sp. shell by calcareous species (e.g. Caryophyllia spp. corals). (C) An unusually elongated form of the coral Phyllangia mouchezii. (D) P. mouchezii fouling loose ropes. All photos from the Zenobia wreck, 25-40m depth.
Fig 7.
Sessile epibenthic communities at the oil pockets of Zenobia’s Car deck station, 25m depth.
A) Oil and an epibenthic community dominated by the coral Madracis pharensis; arrows indicate direction of the spillage. B) A temporal oil “pond” large enough to surround M. pharensis colonies and other species creating temporal “islands” of live organisms. C) A more enduring pond with coral communities in the vicinities. D) Oil droplets reaching a community of corals (Caryophyllia spp.) and associated organisms. The droplets are produced by collision with the ponds of air bubbles from divers.