In the wake of Statsraad Lehmkuhl’s first One Ocean Expedition, a long list of scientific articles is now emerging.
We have studied the ocean for more than 100 years, yet there is still much we do not know. During the One Ocean Expedition 2021–23, researchers both on board and on land worked to close some of these knowledge gaps.
During the circumnavigation, Statsraad Lehmkuhl crossed vast ocean regions and visited locations rarely reached by research vessels. The expedition was unique.
Using the same ship and the same sampling methods throughout the entire voyage provided researchers with a coherent, global dataset. This made it possible to link observations that had previously been collected sporadically, using different platforms and methods.
An Argo buoy is released into the sea. The buoy dives deep down measuring different parameters along the way, then resurfaces to transmit the collected data via satellite, repeating the cycle as long as the battery lasts. Photo: André Marton Pedersen
Erik Furevik and Erlend Mundal filtering in the lab. Photo: Ingrid Wollberg
State-of-the-art
Statsraad Lehmkuhl was not built as a research vessel, but before departure it was equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments. The most important tools were sensors that collected data continuously throughout the voyage: an echosounder, a hydrophone, an autonomous pCO₂ instrument, and systems that sampled and analysed seawater taken in through an inlet in the hull - to measure environmental DNA and microplastics.
Increase knowledge
The goal of the data collection was to improve understanding of the state of the world’s oceans, with a particular focus on the distribution and diversity of organisms, environmental status, climate, and human pressures on marine ecosystems. Key questions included:
• How do biodiversity and indicators of human pressure vary across the world’s oceans?
• What is the distribution and vertical movement of mesopelagic sound-scattering layers globally?
• What characterizes the physical conditions and water masses encountered during the voyage, and can recurring phenomena such as internal waves and mesoscale eddies be detected?
• How much CO₂ does the ocean absorb from the atmosphere, how does this uptake vary in space and time, and how does it affect ocean acidification?
• How well do in situ observations correspond with satellite measurements of physical and chemical parameters?
• How well do observations, models, and satellite data align, and can these measurements be used to improve weather and ocean forecasting?
Publications
Analysing the large volumes of data has taken time, but the list of scientific articles and master’s theses is now extensive.
Is your publication missing from the list? Please inform us by email at science@ship.lehmkuhl.no.
