16 January 2023
Tara, a legendary oceanographic sailboat, evolving through scientific missions and shipyard overhauls
History of the schooner Tara’s overhauls The schooner is now 33 years old, and has been sailing under the name Tara for 20 years. Before each new mission, a reflection is carried out about how to arrange and adapt the spaces for the needs of science and future navigations. – Tara Arctic 2006-2008 In 2006,
January 9, 2023
United Nations Convention on Law Of the Sea, forty years later
Starting with the principle of “freedom of the seas”, which has long been enshrined and affirmed in treaties and doctrine, various issues and questions led States, well before 1982, to structure their relations and their hold on these spaces. However, a timid environmental objective was associated with this movement of appropriation of the seas, illustrated
December 6, 2022
COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity: how to integrate marine ecosystems into the global biodiversity conservation strategy?
1992-2022: What assessment 30 years after its ratification? In 1992 was held the Earth Summit in Rio, a historic meeting during which the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was created, among other things, a major governance framework for environmental protection. This Convention deals with biological diversity at all levels: ecosystems, species and more recently genetic
November 7, 2022
[COP27] United Nations Conference on Climate Change: 3 expectations of Tara Ocean Foundation
Monday, November 7 The recent report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announces that the policies currently in place predict a temperature rise of +2.8°C by the end of the century. To reach the +1.5°C target, emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030. This objective cannot be the result of superficial measures
October 21, 2022
Giving a voice to the invisible majority of the Ocean: the marine microbiome
The marine microbiome, key to life on Earth What is a microbiome? Until recently, some researchers referred to microbiome as the living environment of microorganisms1; others, as their genome. Then, in June 2020, dozens of specialists worldwide finally published a clear definition: a microbiome is a microbial community evolving within a well-defined habitat. The term
August 30, 2022
Upwelling phenomenon in the Benguela Current with Emma Rocke, lead scientist aboard the schooner Tara
Her journey to become a researcher A childhood in harmony with nature Emma grew up in the Canadian countryside, close to a lake where she spent most of her free time exploring local wildlife. From a very young age she cared about her environment. Due to the lack of implementation of local policies and overpopulation, the water
August 29, 2022
At the heart of dynamic ocean structures: portrait of Rémi Laxenaire, lead scientist aboard the schooner Tara
His journey to become a researcher Discovering the Ocean on the Reunion Island Having grown up on Reunion Island, Rémi has had a special connection with the Ocean since his childhood. Through his scuba dives and sailing trips, he discovered and explored the Western Indian Ocean basin. These experiences confirmed his desire to orient his
They talk about us
20 December 2021
UMaine professors complete another leg onboard Tara research schooner
Bangordaily News
July 7, 2022
What progress has been made following the United Nations Conference on the Ocean in Lisbon?
Hundreds of new commitments for the Ocean registered Last February, the One Ocean Summit initiated by President Macron in Brest launched a year 2022 that can be described as a “Super Year for the Ocean”. After the positive outcomes of the General Assembly of the UN Environmental Program in Nairobi in March (UNEA-5.2), where states
July 6, 2022
Is it possible to highlight a change within plankton communities due to ocean eddies?
Ocean circulation Connecting 2 continents by sailing near the Roaring 40s and the Furious 50s (*1) is a true maritime adventure that requires facing raging elements: high winds, gigantic waves and very cold temperatures. These areas are also characterized by strong currents separating ocean regions with very different hydrographic properties. This illustrates the key role
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 29, 2022
Part 3 of the Microbiome mission: the schooner Tara samples the West African coast for 5 months
An ambitious scientific program in West Africa For 5 months, the schooner will stopover in 7 African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gambia and Senegal. During this presence along the African coasts, the Tara Ocean Foundation and associated research institutes will delve into 3 major scientific projects: The
Plastic pollution, the solutions are circular
To find the best solutions, we need to go back to the source of the problem. The current economic model, based on the extraction of resources, their transformation and then their destruction, depletes the planet and generates mass waste. This is true regardless of the resources, whether organic or geological in origin. This impasse was
Looking for a coccolithophore bloom off Argentina by Flora Vincent
Her journey to become a researcher A childhood in contact with the Ocean Flora was born in the south of France. She spent a lot of time during school holidays discovering the Mediterranean Sea. At the age of 8, she became passionate about scuba diving and something clicked: “I could spend hours underwater looking at fish,
June 28, 2022
Plastic pollution in the Ocean: What are the Tara Ocean Foundation’s levers for action?
What is plastic? Plastic is not a single material. There are thousands of types, with a wide variety of visual, mechanical and technical properties. This diversity of physical properties can be explained in two ways: First by the initial diversity of plastic polymers such as polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PET).
April 28, 2022
5,500 new RNA virus species discovered in the Ocean using samples collected during Tara Oceans mission
Discovering the RNA virosphere The ocean was once thought to be a vast desert in terms of viruses. Today, scientists are turning to the multitudes we now know inhabit the world’s seas to unravel mysteries of their biology, evolution, and function. While viruses are synonymous with disease, they also infect smaller organisms that run the