The air-guns stopped shooting at 5:00am. Years of preparation, countless financial resources, hours of effort, and bright minds from twelve different countries went into making the MIRAGE II expedition a reality. On Friday, the 20th of October, congratulations were in order for a job well done.
For the past three weeks, the scientists on board the R/V Marion Dufresne have had a great deal of work to do. For one day, I observed the comings and goings on the decks of the Marion Dufresne. This is what it looked like.
"A flash of light catches my eye and I raise my binoculars to check it out. A dolphin perhaps? Or a basking turtle? I search until I spot it again. The object is bobbing high in the water, doing a little dance in the light breeze. It is a stick." Dr Rebecca Jewell reflects on her experience as a Marine Mammal Observer on board R/V Marion Dufresne.
Chief Scientist Satish Singh was invited to share his experiences in a joint event organised with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The goal was to discuss how to reduce disaster risk in order to achieve the UN sustainable development goals. Several lessons can be drawn from the conference call discussion.
Hear from Filomena de Jesus (Timore L’este) and Marie-Laure Fournasson (France), about their experiences as participants in the Floating Summer School programme on board the R/V Marion Dufresne
Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” We should take his word for it, especially when it comes to science. As I walk around the Science Control Room on board the R/V Marion Dufresne, I witness a small army of experts keeping close tabs on endless spreadsheets, running equations or measuring maps with religious precision. It seems counterintuitive to think that passion and imagination are driving this research, yet they are.
Subduction zones are the most violent collisions on Earth. They are so powerful that even scientists who are familiar with the dynamics of plate tectonics are humbled by images of the aftermath.
