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Major Victory for Protection of the Ross Sea Hope Spot

Mission Blue and her partners have been advocating for the protection of the Ross Sea Hope Spot for years. And now that Russia has finally jumped on board, what was once just hope is now a reality: plans are set for the creation of a huge new marine protected area in the region! Located deep in the Southern Ocean, the Ross Sea is one of the most pristine marine ecosystems on the planet offering scientists the chance to study marine processes yet to be affected by human interference, pollution or exploitation. Due it its remarkable biodiversity, the Ross Sea is full of unique wildlife like penguins and blue whales, including numerous species found nowhere else in the world. HUGE thanks go to the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, Ocean Unite, The PEW Charitable Trusts, Greenpeace, Lifeline Antarctica and the many other passionate and persistent voices for the Ross Sea — including YOURS!…

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The World’s Last Great Wilderness

By: Mike Walker, Project Director Antarctic Ocean Alliance

For many of us Antarctica is out of sight and out of mind. We know even less about the waters surrounding it, the wild Southern Ocean. Our ignorance may aid its conservation, as what goes unseen goes, relatively, unharmed. However, this might also means we have not noticed the repeated failure of decision-makers to honour their commitment to protect this unique wilderness.
Exactly 25 years ago on October 4, 1991, countries signed the Madrid Protocol to protect Antarctica’s environment. The agreement is widely regarded as one of the most successful examples of diplomacy in modern history and has ensured that Antarctica remains “a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. And while the Protocol applies to the waters surrounding the continent it does not apply to fishing activities.…

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Waves of Hope

By Philippa Ross – Great, Great, Great Granddaughter to Sir James Clark Ross

Life is a precious, priceless gift. Birth creates a renewed sense of hope, deep love and an innate desire to protect and create the best conditions for new life forms to thrive. Birthdays remind us of how much someone or something matters to us, the difference they’ve made to our lives and the world around us.
Russia is set to celebrate the birth of a new era established 24 years ago—an historic event when a constitutional reform to unify the rights of its people was founded to honor their sacred beloved homeland and country.
It’s a time to celebrate the chapters of Russia’s story and appreciate the wisdom and kindness of old and new characters whose art, song, dance, writing, and science influenced its growth and development.…

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Voyage of Discovery

By Philippa Ross – Great, Great, Great Granddaughter to Sir James Clark Ross

My own ‘Voyage of Discovery’ was quite unlike the perilous journey my Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Sir James Clark Ross, took 175 years ago. The most dominant difference being, I knew where I was going and when I’d be back!
James was a true pioneer who sailed unchartered waters, discovering the Antarctic continent in what Amundsen described as ‘ponderous tubs’—a man who’s remembered as one of the most capable seamen the world has ever produced and a votary of science to whom Antarctic scientific exploration owes so much.
I, on the other hand, am a mere pilgrim who owes much to Heritage Expeditions for their generosity in giving me a free passage to honor my ancestor—thankfully in a vessel that was a far cry from being ponderous or tub-like!…

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Lost Antarctica!

Dr. Sylvia Earle has penned the intro to the newly released paperback version of James McClintock’s, Lost Antarctica. 
Says Dr. Earle, “but the book is the main thing, a riveting account of changes that have taken place in just a few decades.  It reads like an Indiana Jones adventure. Jim is Indy, Nature is the heroine, we are the villains.”

The bitter cold and three months a year without sunlight make Antarctica virtually uninhabitable for humans. Yet a world of extraordinary wildlife persists in these harsh conditions, including leopard seals, penguins, giant sea spiders and predatory worms, corals, multicolored sea stars, and 50-foot algae.
Now, as temperatures rise and ocean acidification increases, this fragile ecosystem is under attack. In this closely observed account, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Antarctica gives us a highly original, colorful, and distinctive look at a world that we’re losing.…

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CCAMLR Meets Again to Determine Fate of Ross Sea Hope Spot

Representatives of two-dozen countries and the European Union—the member governments of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR—are meeting to determine whether some of the waters of the Antarctic, including the Ross Sea, one of Mission Blue’s original Hope Spots, will be protected or left open to industrial fishing and other human activities.
Fishing and oil drilling could be banned across more than two million square kilometres of the frigid seas around Antarctica in a historic attempt to conserve the last pristine ocean.
Negotiations will centre on a proposal for a 1.25m square kilometre “no take” zone, which would cover much of the Ross Sea. Another proposal would establish several other smaller protected areas in the seas around East Antarctica, adding a further 1.9m sq km protection zone.…

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DOER’s Sub-Ice Rover Tested in Tahoe

It almost feels like science fiction: a 28-foot long, 2,200-pound robotic submarine that can fit through a 30-inch ice borehole. But observers in Tahoe this past week can attest to the realness — and world-class engineering — of the Sub-Ice Rover (SIR) created by DOER Marine of Alameda for North Illinois University. The craft is designed to explore the ocean underneath the half mile of frozen water known as the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. To clear the borehole, SIR is designed to collapse to a diameter less than 30 inches. 

Once beneath the ice, SIR expands and produces an array of high tech sensors and cameras which blast terabytes of data up the 2-mile cable to the control center. These instruments will ultimately seek to collect data about ice melt beneath the Ross Ice Shelf to better understand conditions at the interface between seawater and the base of the glacial ice, as well as investigate the sea floor and layers of sediment beneath. …

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Bremerhaven Didn’t Go Our Way, But Hope is Alive

What a shame that proposals at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Bremerhaven for the two largest ocean sanctuaries in the world in the Antarctic Ocean were blocked by the Russian delegation. Instead of losing hope, let’s redouble our efforts and fortify the belief that we can protect these pristine waters for future generations. Our next big opportunity to apply positive pressure to the fate of the Antarctic will be in Hobart this October. Let’s pounce on the opportunity.
We at Mission Blue were blown away by the energy and dedication of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) in their campaign to influence CCAMLR to create this important Marine Protected Area — Hope Spot — to build a healthy Antarctic Ocean for the future.…

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Featured Video ~ Sylvia Earle on the Ross Sea

On July 11th, CCAMLR, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources will meet in Bremerhaven, Germany to again debate the fate of the Ross Sea. Let the world know you are watching, and send a message to the countries who may stand in the way against Antarctic protections by following this link. Click on one of the countries that is still on the fence, and send an email (which the Antarctic Ocean Alliance has done for you!) It’s easy & quick and so important!
In this video, Mission Blue teams up with Biotherm and the Antarctic Ocean Alliance to speak out in support of our Ross Sea Hope Spot. You can make your voice heard too! We’ll be posting more in the next weeks about how you can help.…

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Lost Antarctica & Ghost Rookeries ~ Climate Change & the Adelie Penguin

Dr. Sylvia Earle calls Dr. James McClintock’s recent book, Lost Antarctica: Climate Change on the Antarctic Peninsula (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2012), a wonderfully written wake up call concerning Antarctica and global climate change. The book should be required reading for everyone who can read. No exceptions. Those who can’t read should watch the film.” 

Ghost Rookeries: Climate Change and the Adelie Penguin from EOWilson Biodiversity Foundation on Vimeo.
“The consequences of a loss of biodiversity could encompass everything from altering key Antarctic marine food chains to the loss of species that may hold cures to cancer,” writes Dr. McClintock, whose recent book forms the basis of Ghost Rookeries.
The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation (EOWBF) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) will be embarking on an exciting new initiative this summer.…

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