NBC News crew travelled with scientists from Oceanites to Antarctica.
Harry Smith and the NBC crew followed Ron Naveen and Dr. Heather Lynch from Oceanites this past season in Antarctica, to tell the story that Ron and his team of researchers have been studying for over 30 years.
Antarctica is literally the coolest place on Earth, and this unspoilt microclimate is an ideal location for research and ecotourism to join forces, clearly demonstrating the drastic changes to the earth’s climate.
“The Antarctic Peninsula isn’t the easiest place to get to…Its a place of jaw-dropping grandeur, mountains, glaciers, and icebergs the size of city blocks. We came here to count penguins…You can argue about climate change all you want, but there are few places on the planet that have felt the effects of the earths warming more than here, the Antarctica Peninsula, where the average winter temperature has risen more than 9 degrees F. What does that mean? The penguins will tell us.” – Harry Smith, NBC News
Charming and resilient penguins that call the Antarctic Peninsula home are living with the effects of a warming planet. Oceanites research is focused on changes to the penguin’s breeding grounds and population over time, and their adaptation to these changes. The results are then interpreted and utilized as indicators of broader global climate issues.
Ron Naveen is a citizen scientist who founded Oceanites, an organization whose sole purpose is to track penguin populations and breeding habits and contribute to global research. Last year, alongside One Ocean Expeditions, Oceanites hosted researchers and IAATTO members at The Future of Antarctica conference onboard and on-location in Antarctica. Guests were able to take part in many of these discussions, offering greater insight on the topics of ecotourism.
One Ocean Expeditions has supported Oceanites for almost a decade, along with several other research organizations. We are able to facilitate science onboard throughout the Antarctic and Arctic seasons, on topics from penguin population studies, to water sampling for micorplastics and whale migration research. “Research is an integral part of our daily shipboard program on almost every passenger voyage,” adds Andrew Prossin, Founder of One Ocean Expeditions.
The NBC report takes you alongside to Antarctica to count penguins. Take a look at some other wildlife they met along the way.
For more information around the involvement of One Ocean Expeditions and Oceanites in science projects in Antarctica, give us a call or send through an email. Our experienced sales team is happy to give you more information.
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