27 days, 12,000 kilometres
In autumn of 2016, a team of scientists from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), supported by the French Polar Institute Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV), set sail on the Marion Dufresne as part of the SOCLIM project, supported by the BNP Paribas Foundation. The researchers’ mission? To cross the turbulent waters of the Southern Ocean in order to better understand how the ocean works and how it influences the climate.
For a month, Universcience.tv teams followed the SOCLIM project scientists aboard the Marion Dufresne, documenting everything from the scientists’ life and work on board and the challenges they face, to discoveries on the Kerguelen Islands and the climate conditions they encounter. To see all this and more, tune in every week for a new episode of the Southern Ocean Mission webseries!
Episode #1 - The Southern Ocean and climate: the stakes for SOCLIM
In the first episode, Southern Ocean Mission scientists reflect on the stakes of the expedition and the adventure that awaits them before they set sail on the Marion Dufresne.
“ Of course, what we are looking for is an answer to the questions we are asking ourselves, notably about the role of the Southern Ocean in absorbing CO2. But we are also interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms, the different processes that transfer atmospheric CO2 to the bottom of the ocean where it is stored. ”
