RRS Sir David Attenborough Begins 30-Day Mission To Study The Southern Ocean

The RRS Sir David Attenborough, a state-of-the-art arctic research vessel from Britain, brings scientists to the Weddell Sea to study the movements and transformation of carbon dioxide in the Southern Ocean. Tuesday marked the vessel’s departure from Punta Arenas, Chile, for the 30-day scientific mission. Before sinking to the ocean’s depths, carbon in seawater near Antarctica interacts with the ice and atmosphere, as well as microscopic plants and animals referred to as phytoplanktons and zooplanktons near the ocean’s surface. By learning more about this process, the researchers aim to enhance models that forecast our future climate.

Researchers will use technologies like autonomous submarines, floats, and gliders to observe the processes that had previously been inaccessible and unstudied, like under the sea ice. The team will also drill holes in the sea ice to gather samples. They will also tag seals with instruments that will collect data continuously about the oceans as they dive up/down via the water, sending the data back to scientists in real-time through satellite communication.

Dr Clara Manno, an experienced marine ecologist with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and part of the PICCOLO assignment, said that they are focusing on the Western Weddell Sea to know more about the fundamental processes that handle how much carbon the Southern Ocean has been taking up.

PICCOLO is gathering systematic, first-of-its-kind, year-round measurements of the procedures controlling the carbon cycle. Part of this revolved around anchoring a scientific mooring to the seabed in 2023, where it has been left in the winter to gather data. The team members will pick this mooring as part of the cruise. The observations and data collected from this project will be fed into the advanced earth system models to make upcoming predictions regarding the climate more accurate.

The PICCOLO cruise will witness the abilities of RRS Sir David Attenborough put through the paces. Over the past few years, the vessel has undergone several trials to have it science-ready, including all the polar science trials carried out last season. BAS runs the RRS Sir David Attenborough, which UKRI-NERC owns. It extends a platform for the larger U.K. polar community to continue its research in the Polar Regions.

The PICCOLO is part of the NERC-sponsored RoSES research program that mainly focuses on learning more about the Southern Ocean’s role in the broader earth system. The scientific evidence gathered via the research will inform international climate policy.

Reference: MarineLink

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