When it comes to understanding what makes the ocean ‘tick’, plankton is the most important starting point.
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It should be obvious that ammunition and mines are single-use and for this reason alone, not a sustainable use of resources – just as single-use plastics, and aren’t most of us objecting to those publicly by now?
The body of scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of war is increasing. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, past and ongoing conflicts are subjected to more intense impact evaluation beyond the harm caused to people, culture and societies.
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At the beginning of this year, Pelican of London cruises the Western Mediterranean Sea. I take this as a prompt to share some insights into the marine (eco)system of this region and its state of conservation.
For millennia the Mediterranean has been shaped by the rise and fall of civilisations and associated development in agriculture, art, philosophy, science and technology, by numerous wars and long-distance trade, by religious diversity and cultural fusion, and latterly by commercial rivalry and geopolitical competition, tourism and migration 1.
The Western Mediterranean Sea and its creatures know no national boundaries, cultural differences or politics, while their health is utterly dependent on international agreements and their implementation, maritime policies and traffic, as well as national environmental regulations, fishing practices and pollution from a wide variety of sources.
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Mauricio is one of those multi-talented young people who just excel at whatever they do – whether that’s coaching children on Capoeira skills, analytical chemistry, working as corporate receptionist or marine biology! He has volunteered as Scientist in Residence on the sail training tall ship Pelican of London and has become one of her ambassadors.
Here, Mauricio writes a guest blog for Challenging Habitat that showcases two separate worlds of science communication: with fellow scientists and with the public. The latter is becoming increasingly important as much of what scientists do is funded by the public purse – i.e. you and me – and taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent.
So, whoever you are, I invite you to dive into Mau’s world of marine biology – case study Australia’s Super Corals!
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The ROV is deployed and we’re watching the seabed habitat in real time. Seaweed…a crab…a glimpse of a fish… What if we could find out what animals are actually living in the sea beneath the waves?
We can and we did!
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Deep sea discoveries never fail to amaze me, and this one of a coral that lives on metal deposits is extra special.
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To me, life is about curiosity and learning and growing. I love talking and working with people who have different backgrounds and expertises, because there is always the potential for a surprise, a fact, a story, a new understanding …
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Growing (up) is all about exploring and once more, sail training on board the tall ship Pelican of London proved to be an excellent vehicle for both, exploring self and the world and finding out how we deal with challenges along the way …
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When, in May 2025, the UK Met Office reported that “Northwest European waters are currently experiencing an extreme marine heatwave“, the yachting community in Plymouth had been talking about worsening fouling on their boats for weeks.
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I’d like to mark World Ocean Week with a good story, but where to start? There are so many!
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When I discovered that a one-inch-square piece of kelp frond is a microcosm of creatures, (once more) the enormity of the ocean and what we don’t yet know about it, dawned on me.
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Pelican of London toured three beautiful(ly interesting) parts of the British Isles this week with a crew of seasoned seafarers on board, including Neil, John and Gaz of the Kimber’s Men!
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Challenging Habitat 