Om te ervaren hoe onze kust er in het verleden moet hebben uitgezien en de werking van een getijdenlandschap aan den lijve te ondervinden ging team Testerep recent een namiddag struinen door geulen, slikken en schorren in het Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe. Het werd een gezellig modderig wandelavontuur.
Have you ever heard of foraminifers? And do you know why they can play an important role in Testerep reconstruction? Well, foraminifers are unicellular organisms with an external calciumcarbonate skeleton (also called test) found in salt water. When the organism dies, over time only the calcareous skeleton remains. Buried under a layer of sediment, these skeletons can preserve in the sea floor for a very long time. By taking a core from the sea floor and then studying the remains of the foraminifers, we get a better idea of the conditions under which the sediment was deposited at the time. This in turn then helps reconstruct the partially drowned Testerep peninsula through time.
Last month, one of the VLIZ researchers attended an intensive workshop on foraminifers in Urbino, Italy. The knowledge gained will be of great help in studying the sampled seafloor cores. Furthermore, the workshop also provided new insights, interdisciplinary collaborations and networking opportunities, which will be very valuable for further research within the project.
In co-creation with both novice and more experienced writers, theatre company Purgatory aims to bring Testerep's story to life. During the writing workshop at Theatre by the Sea, you will work with professional writing coaches on stories and characters, which will serve as inspiration for the performance 'The Drowned Ballads of Testerep'.
