19 December 2024
[Plankt'Eco project] Developing global plankton observation to improve ocean management
Integrating researchers from developing countries into Tara Oceans communities In 2016, the Tara structure, formerly an endowment fund, obtained the status of a foundation recognized as being of public utility, and thus officially became the Tara Ocean Foundation. This change is structural for the Foundation: it enables us to set up our very first cooperation
December 5, 2024
Why is the Ocean a vital ally in the fight against climate change?
Why is the ocean essential to our planet? The Ocean, blue lung of our planet, is alive and vital, playing a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate. As an essential ally in the fight against climate change, it acts as a vast reservoir capable of absorbing much of the excess heat and greenhouse gases
November 8, 2024
Robertina Šebjanič’s Logbook: Echo of the Abyss
Her choice of the Baltic Sea wasn’t a coincidence. Indeed, her artistic project focuses on the impact of weapons lost in the Ocean during past conflicts. The Baltic Sea is a sea that has been impacted by many wars over the past century. Many munitions still lie beneath its surface.Past conflicts, present consequences, the artist
October 29, 2024
Arctic and Antarctic: what are the differences?
Why are they called the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic continent? The Arctic and Antarctic are two regions located at the poles, made up of ice caps, glaciers and pack ice. How can we tell them apart? The Arctic is mostly an ocean surrounded by land, while Antarctica is mostly a continent surrounded by the
October 24, 2024
Marine Protected Areas: How can we ensure an effective protection of marine ecosystems?
What is a Marine Protected Area? According to the IUCN, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is:” A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated, and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.” MPAs can vary in their level of protection, ranging from
September 17, 2024
The plankton paradox: Unprecedented cooperationbetween bacteria in the Ocean
Better understanding plankton diversity thanks to the data collected during the Tara Oceans expedition The plankton paradox was described by ecologist George E. Hutchinson in 1961: A very great diversity of plankton can be observed on the ocean surface despite limited nutrient resources for which these organisms are in constant competition. This led a team
September 5, 2024
[Tara Polar Station] An innovative shipyard in Cherbourg
CMN teams rise to the polar challenge CMN wanted to build Tara Polar Station, as the foundation’s mission of exploration and sharing to protect the Ocean and the expeditions it wishes to lead to the North Pole are in line with the vision and values of the company, which is committed to imagining, designing and
They talk about us
2 June 2023
There's way more tiny life on Earth than scientists had thought, study of coral reefs finds
Eu.usatoday
July 23, 2024
Renata Padovan’s Logbook: Documenting the Ocean for an Immersive Onshore Exhibition
The artist’s project, titled “Water-Air Interface,” aimed to explore and reveal through an immersive installation the unique, mysterious, dynamic, life-filled, fragile, and essential environment of the ocean’s surface. To achieve this, Renata intended to combine photographs, sound recordings, microscopic images, videos, drawings, physico-chemical measurements of the water, and samples collected on board with data on
July 5, 2024
Integrating the ocean into the climate regime: the Ocean & Climate Platform’s challenge
A collective watches over the Ocean The ocean is a key player in climate regulation. Unfortunately, it has long been absent from climate negotiations. In order to integrate the ocean into the climate regime, a group of civil society actors, with the support of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, decided to create the
June 18, 2024
Construction of Tara Polar Station: 3 major challenges remain
Major challenge: building a polar vessel to resist ice From idea to construction site In the past, relatively few ships have been engineered to be locked in ice and remain there — on average, only one per century. The biggest challenge of this project is to build a vessel adapted to the polar environment. Designing
May 21, 2024
The Pink Flamingo Society: An international fleet of oceanographic research vessels funded philanthropically
The United Nations has declared a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to protect the Ocean’s health. Ambitious goals have been set in order to advance marine science. This implies to support scientific expeditions through investments, technological development, public engagement, etc. As a result, the Pink Flamingo Society, a philanthropic fleet, has been
April 16, 2024
A history of polar exploration in the Arctic
Discovering the Poles For several centuries, polar exploration has inspired people’s dreams. However, reaching the Poles has always been a challenge for mankind. Adventurers, navigators and scientists all wanted to conquer these territories preserved from all human activities. They embarked towards the unknown to conquer frozen lands, sometimes without preparation for the extreme conditions that
April 2, 2024
Eutrophication, an important issue in the Baltic Sea
What is eutrophication? This biological phenomenon occurs when a significant amount of nutrients is released in the environment. These influxes come in particular through farm inputs, such as fertilizers, that allow plants to grow more quickly. However, the quantities supplied to ecosystems are often very large, causing excess nutrients to flow into the aquatic continuum
March 21, 2024
Environmental pollution caused by microplastics: the example of mermaid tears
How does plastic impact the environment? According to ADEME, the Ecological Transition Agency, plastic is the third most-produced material in the world (after cement and steel), representing half a billion tonnes, Overall production of plastic has experienced an exponential increase since the 1950s. It doubled between 2000 and 2019, going from 234 million tons to
February 27, 2024
Migratory flows in the Ocean: Why do marine animals migrate?
Animal behavior: migration Movement is an animal behavioral characteristic that has been studied by scientists for many years. Animals are able to find their way in the Ocean, a dark and immense environment, thanks to external signals. Thus, a movement can be triggered by: the modification of the degree of activity by a stimulus (kinesis):