Two balsa rafts have sailed from Lima, Peru for the Easter Island. In six weeks the expedition will return after a trip of more than 5000 nautical miles. The rafts are equipped for full scale oceanographic research and the first attempt in our time to show how ancient mariners sailed the Pacifics.
A warmer planet can destabilise an important oceanographic process in the North Atlantic called deep water formation. If deep water formation is affected, it will have a profound impact on global climate and precipitation.
Fridtjof Nansen’s bold foray into the Arctic 120 years ago is a classic tale of polar adventure and exploration. But the oceanographic information Nansen brought back continues to influence polar science today.
The sweet smell of plankton envelopes researchers on deck as they haul up buckets of copepods, shrimp, algae and fish. Spring has come to the Labrador Sea. The marine science gold rush is in full swing.