RRS Sir David Attenborough Begins Research Mission in the Southern Ocean
Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths. By understanding more about this process, the researchers hope to improve
Scientists to Study the Arctic in a Wooden Schooner
the next few years.In addition to leading expeditions and training aspiring explorers, Jim is an extreme safety expert and has advised on some of the BBC’s most prestigious and award-winning natural history series, including Frozen Planet, and Human Planet working with luminaries such as Sir David Attenborough. Jim has also consulted on numerous expeditions including many of Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ expeditions
RRS Sir David Attenborough Gearing Up for First Antarctic Science Cruise
Britain's high-tech polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough is gearing up for its first Antarctic science cruise.Over the coming weeks, the crew and scientists on board the vessel will be carrying out a range of trials to test the ship's science equipment in both deep and shallow water around the Scottish coast. Among the tech to be tested are the vessel's moonpool, coring equipment and the ship’s workboat Erebus, all of which are critical elements of upcoming science missions.Erebus will be put through its paces with new equipment, including an A-frame, winch and upgraded
$56m Allocated to Refurbish Three British Research Ships
;s oceans.Babcock’s International Rosyth shipyard was recently awarded $56 million by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to maintain its fleet of scientific research vessels – including the RRS Discovery, RRS James Cook and RRS Sir David Attenborough. RRS Discovery will be the first to undergo a refit at Babcock’s Rosyth facility in Fife, Scotland.During this refit, RRS Discovery will be in drydock to allow the maintenance team access to clean the hull and propulsion equipment, which will help to lower fuel usage and increase overall
They Say We Know More About the Moon Than About the Deep Sea. They’re Wrong
We know more about the Moon than the deep sea.This idea has been repeated for decades by scientists and science communicators, including Sir David Attenborough in the 2001 documentary series The Blue Planet. More recently, in Blue Planet II (2017) and other sources, the Moon is replaced with Mars.As deep-sea scientists, we investigated this supposed “fact” and found it has no scientific basis. It is not true in any quantifiable way.So where does this curious idea come from?Mapping the deepThe earliest written record is in a 1954 article in the Journal of Navigation, in which oceanographer
Babcock Wins £45 Million Contract to Maintain UK Research Vessels
a £45 million (approx. US$56.6 million) contract to maintain its fleet of three scientific research vessels.The initial three-year contract, announced by U.K. Industry and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani earlier this month, will see the large oceanographic and polar research vessels RRS Sir David Attenborough, RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook dock at Babcock’s state-of-the-art facilities in Rosyth, Scotland, for programmed maintenance and upgrade work. The deal includes an option for an additional two years.Babcock Rosyth holds a number of major build and maintenance contracts, including the
Wind Turbines Can Breathe New Life into Warming Seas
wind is set to move further and further from shore, as demand for renewable energy grows and new floating turbine technology makes deep-water expansion possible. However, for the first time, large areas of the UK continental shelf now open for development are “seasonally stratified”. David Attenborough has described these seasonal seas as some of the most biologically productive on the planet. While they only cover 7% of the ocean, they are estimated to account for somewhere between 10% and 30% of the life at the bottom of the food web.According to our new research, one byproduct of deep-sea
Mining Robot Stranded on Pacific Ocean Floor in Deep-sea Mining Trial
collected by the robot in order to measure the impact of seabed mining.While several companies and countries have seabed exploration contracts, regulations governing deep-sea mining have not yet been finalised by the International Seabed Authority, a U.N. body.Critics, including environmentalist David Attenborough, say seabed mining is untested and has a largely unknown environmental impact. Google, BMW, AB Volvo, and Samsung SDI have backed a call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining.GSR has said it will only apply for a mining contract if the science shows that deep seabed minerals have advantages,
Two Injured in RRS Sir David Attenborough Lifeboat Drill
The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch has opened an investigation into a lifeboat drill accident that injured two crew members from the new polar research ship RRS David Attenborough. The two crewmembers suffered minor injuries after a lifeboat rolled onto its side and fell overboard during a launching drill in Loch Buie, on Scotland's east coast, on March 5, the MAIB said.RRS Sir David Attenborough—still known to some as Boaty McBoatface, the top vote getter in an online poll to name the vessel in 2016—was built by U.K. shipbuilder Cammel Laird for owner Natural
February 2024
