70 COMMENTARY From the icy reaches of Antarctica to the remote islands of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean, Heritage Expeditions is not only taking guests on unforgettable journeys – we are also helping to shape the future of scientific discovery. Through close collaborations with leading researchers and Indigenous partners, and by involving guests as citizen scientists, we are making meaningful contributions to the global understanding of climate, biodiversity and cultural heritage. Our contribution begins in the southernmost waters of the world, where Heritage Expeditions has supported groundbreaking climate research for over a decade. Our guests have been collecting air flask samples from the Southern Ocean for New Zealand Crown Research Institute’s GNS Science. The Southern Ocean is the world’s most important carbon dioxide ‘sink’ because it absorbs a large fraction of human-produced carbon dioxide, which helps to slow climate change. The ongoing sampling is being used to map the impact this is having on the Southern Ocean and, in turn, the environment. “With the assistance of Heritage Expeditions and its citizen scientists, we’re finally getting closer to understanding the Southern Ocean,” said Jocelyn Turnbull, principal scientist for GNS Science. While our work in the Southern Ocean offers insight into global climate systems, other voyages focus on discovering life forms scarcely known to science, or entirely new to it. Guests onboard our ‘Indonesian Explorer’ and ‘Discover the Secrets of Melanesia’ voyages can help Professor Tim Flannery, a mammalogist, conservationist, author and scientist, with the discovery of new mammal species on rarely visited islands. “My favourite sighting was on Kofiau Island in Raja Ampat,” said Flannery. “Before our visit, only a single mammal species was known from the island. But from just 12 hours on the island, we documented 19 more, including one of the world’s rarest and most mysterious bats, the Moluccan fishing bat. Going to that island was like filling in a huge blank. There had only been a single record of a mammal from that island up until we did that work. That is what citizen science is all about. We ended up publishing a significant scientific paper on the findings at Kofiau. “There is a real sense of adventure for guests, and scientists, joining us on these expeditions. Very little is known about some of the places we go and the wildlife that lives there. Part of the work by onboard scientists is to gather more information about the wildlife residing there, it is real pioneering zoology.” While some guests and scientists explore remote islands for elusive mammals, others are unearthing secrets from the past – and clues about the future – by studying ancient penguin colonies while in Antarctica. Here, guests can help leading penguin scientist Professor Steve Emslie and assistant Kate Sutherland from the University of North Carolina to collect penguin bones and egg shells that are thousands of years old at the world’s largest and oldest King penguin colony at Cape Adare. Home to more than 338,000 breeding pairs of birds, the King has the longest fossil record of any seabird in Antarctica and provides critical insights into how the colony has adapted to climate change. Voyages that advance science Heritage Expeditions is offering more than awe-inspiring travel. In collaboration with scientists and indigenous partners, its cruises are contributing to climate research, species discovery and cultural preservation AARON RUSS Aaron Russ is commercial director and expedition leader at Heritage Expeditions, with experience on over 200 expeditions to the world’s most remote regions “We are making meaningful contributions to the global understanding of climate, biodiversity and cultural heritage”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=