Lindblad Expeditions has announced its special visiting scientist program for the 2023 Antarctica and Southern Ocean season, according to a press release.
“Our pioneering heritage and more than 50 years of experience operating responsibly in Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean paired with our world-class expedition ships makes a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic sailing the ideal vessel for researchers to explore this otherwise rather inaccessible part of the world,” said Trey Byus, chief expedition officer at Lindblad Expeditions.
“We are honored to host these incredible research programs, each world-changing in their own right, and thankful for the researchers for working with us. Enabling such important research through onboard programming underscores our dedication to education and conservation of the unique geographies we visit every day.”
The program, featuring the two Polar-class vessels, the National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution, will serve as the home base for 23+ visiting scientists on 14 of the 19 annual visits to this region.
To help select projects for the 2023 season, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic formed an Expedition Science Committee involving experts with extensive field research backgrounds. A total of eight projects were selected including:
- Antarctic Whale Health: Studying Killer Whales in Antarctica onboard the National Geographic Endurance
- PenguinWatch: Monitoring penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands.
- Southern Ocean Kelps: Collecting samples of kelp unique to the region
- Snow Algae: Tracking and researching snow algae blooms
- Baleen Whale Population Surveys: Collecting whale observation surveys
- Microplastics in Antarctic Limpets: Collecting limpets in Antarctica and Patagonia
- Environmental DNA (eDNA): Overseeing the transfer of a portable eDNA sequencing lab recently established on the National Geographic Endurance
- Oceanography of the Ross and Amundsen Seas: Collect oceanographic data such as salinity, oxygen, and temperature
