Children on Summer Break Invited to Join Deep Ocean Science Mission and Take a ‘Virtual’ Ride in a Submersible

 

Children are being offered the chance to become deep sea explorers as part of a groundbreaking science expedition launching in the North West Atlantic this week.

Deep ocean scientific research charity, Nekton, is calling on young people around the world to ‘virtually’ join their first expedition to explore and research the Earth’s largest and critically important ecosystem.

The mission, sponsored by re/insurer XL Catlin, will measure physical, chemical and biological indicators to assess the function, health and resilience of the deep ocean. The scientific findings will be released as part of the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey later this year.

Junior aquanauts will be able to experience a ‘virtual’ voyage to the ocean floor aboard a submersible by viewing a series of fully immersive videos that use the latest 360 and virtual reality technology.

The Nekton team, in partnership with XL Catlin and Digital Explorer, has also developed an educational program to support the mission, including a series of science challenges where students can earn Mission Badges, with a special Submarine Explorer certificate awarded when all six are completed.

Targeting 8 to 14-year-olds, the resources support the Submarine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) initiative which aims to inspire STEM learning and young people’s environmental engagement.

All the digital resources are available online so that children, looking for awe inspiring activities during their summer break, can access the materials via their PC, tablet and smartphone at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch 360 VR Journey to the Deep on YouTube.

The expedition itself uses the latest Triton submersibles to descend to 300 metres (1,000 feet) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that can reach depths of 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), plus a team of deep sea technical divers and two science ships.

The four-week mission targets three locations, the seas around Bermuda, Nova Scotia’s Gully Marine Protected Area (the largest submarine canyon in eastern North America) and the mysterious Sargasso Sea.

 

Furthering scientific understanding and education is at the core of Nekton’s mission. Changes in the deep ocean due to human activities have the potential to adversely impact the next generation. Nekton’s foremost objective is to motivate everyone, from children to world leaders, to protect this largely unexplored marine environment before it is damaged beyond repair.

Oliver Steeds, Nekton’s Mission Director, said: “The deep ocean is the beating heart of our planet which regulates our atmosphere, water, food and climate and yet we’ve invested only a tiny fraction of the trillions spent on space research on deep ocean research. We want to build awareness and understanding within our younger generations so we can protect this critically important ecosystem before it is too late.”

Paul Jardine, Chief Experience Officer of XL Catlin, added: “Submarine STEM is XL Catlin’s latest educational resource, to help raise ocean literacy and inspire a new generation. We believe that in collaboration with our partners, an important legacy is the delivery of high-quality curriculum-led education programs that in turn empower others to contribute.”

Further educational resources for classroom use are being launched later this year once the new term begins.

 

 

EDITOR’S NOTES

To access the first of a series of three 360 VR videos entitled ‘Journey to the Deep’ and to watch other educational content visit Nekton’s YouTube channel at: https://youtube.com/c/nektonmissionorgdeepocean

To download Nekton’s Submarine STEM materials visit: https://nektonmission.org/education/submarine-stem-activity-booklet

Or visit the website: https://nektonmission.org

 

 

 

SUBMARINE STEM (www.nektonmission.org/education)

Activity Booklet

The Submarine STEM Activity Booklet contains a series of six ‘mission’ activities for families and children to explore the science of the Nekton Missions. It also contains background information about submersible exploration and deep sea environments.

 

Deep Sea Life Cards

The cards are designed to give an overview of some of the life in the deep sea and how different animals are linked. Instructions for this activity can be found in the Activity Booklet.

 

Deep Ocean & Voyage Map Posters

An infographic poster about the different layers in the ocean, underwater exploration and deep sea life and a Voyager map that can be used to follow the expedition.

 

 

ABOUT NEKTON (www.nektonmission.org)

Nekton is a multi-disciplinary alliance of the world’s leading ocean scientists, media organisations, business leaders, philanthropists, educationalists and civil leaders who have joined forces to explore and research the deep ocean, the Earth’s least-explored, largest and most critically important ecosystem. The objective of the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey is to create a standardised methodology to be used by marine biologists for measuring physical, chemical and biological indicators to assess the function, health and resilience of the deep ocean.

 

ABOUT XL CATLIN (www.xlcatlin.com)

XL Catlin, is the global brand used by XL Group PLC’s (NYSE:XL) insurance and reinsurance companies which provide property, casualty, professional and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world. Clients look to XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward.

 

XL Catlin is proud to sponsor research and educational programs which explore how our planet’s oceans may be changing. Submarine STEM is its latest educational resource following the award winning Frozen Oceans materials linked to the Catlin Arctic Surveys, (2009 – 2011) and the Coral Oceans materials linked to the XL Catlin Seaview Survey (2012 – present). To learn more visit www.XLCatlinOceansEducation.com

 

ABOUT DIGITAL EXPLORER (www.digitalexplorer.com)

Digital Explorer is an award-winning education social enterprise based in London. A pioneer in the development of innovative real-world learning programmes, Digital Explorer supports teachers and students internationally to understand and engage with critical global issues from the oceans to cultural understanding. It creates unique collaborations between explorers, scientists, teachers and pupils to provide inspirational lessons and resources direct from the world to the classroom.

 

TRITON SUBMERSIBLES (www.tritonsubs.com/news-media/attenborough)

Nekton is deploying pioneering marine technologies, including crewed submersibles and Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), to gather physical, chemical and biological data. The two deep-diving Triton submersibles are adapted with the latest filming and scientific equipment. Their transparent spherical pressure hulls provide a revolutionary platform for scientific observation and are similar to the one used in Sir David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef dive. The transparent hulls will enable the latest Virtual Reality 360-degree cameras on board to document an extraordinary level of detail of the mission with radio links enabling interaction with the mission team.

 

MORE ABOUT THE MISSION

Dates:             Mobilisation from July 18

Mission ends: August 16th 2016

 

Locations:     Bermuda: (Submersible Operations)

Canada: Halifax, Gully Marine Protected Area (Nova Scotia)

High Seas: NW Atlantic & Sargasso Sea

 

MISSION SITES

 

Bermuda

The mission will focus on the longest depth transects on the Bermuda Platform and associated seamounts, possibly the longest cross-depth transects ever completed and uniquely using a combination of divers, submersibles and ROV.

 

Bermuda also provides a unique opportunity for historical comparison, as it was the location for the first ever crewed deep ocean exploration. William Beebe and Otis Barton made their deep dive in the 1930s and their data will be a reference point for measuring change.

 

Gully Marine Protected Area, Nova Scotia

200 km southeast of Nova Scotia, the Gully Marine Protected Area is the largest submarine canyon in eastern North America and is home to a wide variety of organisms, including cold-water coral, diverse fish species and over 14 different kinds of marine mammals, including the endangered Scotia Shelf population of Northern Bottlenose Whale.

 

Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is at risk from the vast accumulations of litter that build up within gyres. The mission will examine these impacts but also strive to answer a question about where the litter goes. Unlike most other gyres where the accumulations remain and persist, in the Sargasso Sea it appears that long-term accumulation does not occur.