ENVIRONMENTAL
DATA COLLECTION
we want our impact to extend beyond sailing BY COLLECTING ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
USING CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE TO COLLECT VITAL OCEAN DATA WITH THE SWISS POLAR INSTITUTE
The Swiss Polar Institute will place cutting-edge science onboard our IMOCA and carry out a robust and innovative data collection campaign during both the training and racing phases of the Vendée Globe challenge between 2023 and 2025.
As a major regulator of the global carbon and energy cycle, the Southern Ocean represents one of the key modulators of the global climate system. The Vendée Globe race and campaign represent a unique opportunity for science to access data in understudied yet critical ocean regions.
A Unique Swiss Scientific Campaign
Opportunities to collect data and make scientific observations in remote locations of the world oceans are precious and should be maximised. Our Vendée Globe campaign will help to increase scientific knowledge by providing access to crucial data, collected by our onboard Ocean Sensor Kit: a Swiss-wide collaboration by leading Swiss science groups at ETH Zurich, the University of Bern and the University of Lausanne coordinated by the Swiss Polar Institute.
what we measure on our boat
We will study marine extreme events, notably harmful impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems and use collected data for scientific publications, including open access data repositories.
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CO2 concentration
How much carbon the ocean is taking on
Chlorophyll
How much biology is in the ocean, like algae and it's CO2 intake
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Temperature
Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns
Atmospheric pressure
How increases in CO2 may affect pressure and gravity
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Salinity
Chemistry of natural waters and the biological processes within them
The Instruments
To carry out the measurements, an OceanPack RACE® underway system manufactured by the German company subCtech will be installed and fitted with the following additional options:
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RACE CO2 auto-calibration
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RACE Thermosalinograph
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RACE GPS marine receiver
the scientists
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The extreme environment of the Southern Ocean still holds many mysteries – especially with regard to its role as a sink for atmospheric CO2. With these novel measurements, we will be able to unlock some of these.
Prof. Nicolas Gruber
ETH Zurich
