15 March 2023
Artistic residency aboard Tara: a fruitful cohabitation between artists and scientists
Art & Science: The emotion of discovery Nature is a real playground for artists and scientists who find themselves with the same goal: to understand and describe the surrounding world that continues to amaze us. So what’s so different about the artistic and scientific approach? Information such as temperature, salinity, photographs or sounds are collected.
March 6, 2023
After fifteen years of negotiations, the UN adopts the Treaty for the Protection of Biodiversity in the High Seas!
Although three States are not satisfied with all the provisions of the text and have expressed reservations about the final draft, the conclusion of these negotiations represents a historic moment for the Ocean, which lacked a protection instrument for biodiversity beyond the coastal areas under national jurisdiction. The text will now be forwarded to a
February 9, 2023
The high sea: how to protect the little-known biodiversity of international waters?
What is the High Sea? The concepts of freedom and infinity have often been associated with the human conception of maritime space throughout history. In the early definition of the Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius (17th century), the Ocean was declared a free and limitless space (mare liberum), which escaped all State sovereignty (res nullius). But
January 16, 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
They talk about us
20 December 2021
UMaine professors complete another leg onboard Tara research schooner
Bangordaily News
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
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