Underwater Argonauts! The deep-sea scientists logging Med pollution
With an estimated 229,000 tonnes of plastic waste entering the Mediterranean every year – making it one of the world's most polluted seas – the scientists' mission extends beyond documentation. Like modern-day argonauts, they seek to raise awareness, inspire action, and promote solutions
A real microcosm of a city is re-created on L'Atalante: there is a restaurant with waiters, a gym, and even a temporary shop, helping to foster a sense of community
Scientists enjoy the sunshine on the ship's foredeck between watches. They rarely get a day off
This plankton net is equipped with three different meshes, enabling zooplankton to be collected from the water to a depth of 200m. These are analysed using imaging and new genomic methods, such as the analysis of environmental DNA
Molé puts on her survival suit following a safety briefing. This is a compulsory procedure so crews know how to react in an emergency
Muret is responsible for launching the 'rosette'. A large pole called a gaff is used to keep it upright in strong winds. The scientists also provide spare equipment in case of breakage due to storms or other factors
Most of the scientists on board have not had a day off: it's seven days a week, 24 hours a day. 'With The Argonauts,' says Pavy, 'I allowed myself more creative freedom, stepping aside from traditional photojournalism. Experimenting with fiction while remaining rooted in reality opened up new ways to tell stories'
In her second long-term project Under the Arctic Ice, Mercury, Pavy sheds light on the realities of indigenous peoples' prolonged exposure to high mercury levels across the Arctic regions of Greenland and Nunavut. Iqaluit ('the place with many fish' in Inuktitut), has approximately 8,000 inhabitants
This former ranger practices seal hunting at the 'floe edge' (where open water meets the ice floe) for sustenance. He places great importance on passing down this culture. 'We are the eyes and ears of the north', he says. Tikivik also conducts workshops for young Inuit to impart traditional skills: igloo building, hunting techniques, and the Inuktitut language
With mercury levels in the Arctic increasing tenfold since the industrial revolution and the combined impact of global warming, methylmercury is now spreading into the food chain. Locals here are cutting up a caribou. They will sell the meat directly to other residents. Caribou is the most commonly consumed traditional meat by the Inuit in northern Canada and is less exposed to mercury than seal meat
Pavy captures the efforts of doctors, scientists and local communities facing this public health challenge first-hand. Lake trout, the northernmost freshwater species, is an important resource for the people of the north. Sadly, it is also the second-largest source of mercury exposure for the Inuit (8.4%), after seals
The starfish is one of the first links in the food chain. Mercury contamination occurs when it scratches sediments
The hunters spend long hours on the ice floe waiting for slack tide, the period between two tides when there is little current. This is when the seals regularly come out of the water. The Inuit do not eat the oldest seals. 'We leave them for the dogs because they taste bad due to accumulated mercury', one of the hunters says
In Greenland, hunting and fishing account for 10% of jobs and are an important resource for the territory's economy. They also account for 25% of the territory's GDP
The highest per capita mercury levels on the planet are among the Inuit of Canada and Greenland
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Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
Arctic tern numbers down nearly a third at key breeding site, experts warn
Some of the UK's rarest seabirds, including Arctic terns and little terns, nest at Long Nanny, near Beadnell in Northumberland, which is cared for by the National Trust. But reports from the charity suggest the number of occupied Arctic tern nests at the breeding site has fallen from 1,037 in 2024 to 724 this year, a drop of 30%. Arctic terns are at risk from climate change and disease, conservationists warn (Gillian Day/National Trust/PA) The findings come just a month after a high spring tide washed away the nests of Arctic and little nests at Long Nanny, despite efforts by rangers to protect them from weather extremes. National Trust conservationists warn that the seabirds are facing mounting pressure from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change – as well as bird flu, which has devastated seabird colonies around the UK's coasts. The Arctic tern, which makes one of the longest migrations of any creature on Earth by flying from the Arctic to the UK and then onto the Antarctic for the winter in an annual journey of 44,000 to 59,000 miles, was last year added to the 'red list' of species of highest conservation concern in the UK. Little terns are one of the UK's rarest seabirds (Rob Coleman/National Trust/PA) James Porteus, Lead Ranger for the National Trust at Long Nanny, said: 'After several difficult years due to storms washing out nests and then bird flu, we have been saddened by the drop in Arctic tern numbers returning to Long Nanny this year to breed. 'We don't know the reason for the decline but suspect it will be due to factors such as climate change, food availability and of course avian influenza. 'Arctic terns have been badly impacted by the disease at their breeding sites here in the UK in recent years, but we don't know how the species has been affected by the disease outside of the nesting season. 'Little and Arctic terns are facing mounting pressures from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change, and disease.' Arctic and little terns, and ringed plover, breed and nest on the fragile dunes and beaches at Long Nanny, monitored by seven National Trust rangers who rope off around 10 hectares (25 acres) each summer and protect the birds from being disturbed, or preyed on by foxes, badgers, stoats and other birds. The Long Nanny tern site on the Northumberland coast (Mandy Fall/PA) The trust says the colony has grown since it began managing the site in 1977, when there was not a single Arctic tern, and only a handful of little tern nests. Numbers of Arctic terns peaked in 2018, with more 2,800 nests recorded, while the smaller numbers of little terns were at their highest in 1994 when 57 pairs nested. But Mr Porteus said: 'Despite our best efforts, even the most carefully protected nests can be lost in a single tide. 'The changing fortunes of these remarkable coastal birds underscore just how vulnerable our seabird colonies are.' However, 10 pairs of little terns have made a second nesting attempt at Long Nanny, while the remaining birds may have located to Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, managed by Government conservation agency Natural England. American black terns are rare visitors to the UK (Gary Woodburn/National Trust/PA) And a very rare visitor to the UK, an American black tern, has returned once more. The bird, which was ringed last year to confirm it was the same bird returning each year, has spent the summer at Long Nanny for the last six years and in 2024 made a breeding attempt with an Arctic tern. Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust said: 'The importance of Long Nanny is testament to the work of the dedicated rangers and volunteers who work 24/7 to protect our precious seabirds. 'The Long Nanny and wider Northumberland coast will remain a focus of our conservation work to help these delicate birds continue their extraordinary lives,' he said.
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Powys County Times
Arctic tern numbers down nearly a third at key breeding site, experts warn
Numbers of Arctic terns nesting at a key breeding site have dropped by nearly a third this year, as experts warn climate change and disease are hitting the rare birds. Some of the UK's rarest seabirds, including Arctic terns and little terns, nest at Long Nanny, near Beadnell in Northumberland, which is cared for by the National Trust. But reports from the charity suggest the number of occupied Arctic tern nests at the breeding site has fallen from 1,037 in 2024 to 724 this year, a drop of 30%. The findings come just a month after a high spring tide washed away the nests of Arctic and little nests at Long Nanny, despite efforts by rangers to protect them from weather extremes. National Trust conservationists warn that the seabirds are facing mounting pressure from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change – as well as bird flu, which has devastated seabird colonies around the UK's coasts. The Arctic tern, which makes one of the longest migrations of any creature on Earth by flying from the Arctic to the UK and then onto the Antarctic for the winter in an annual journey of 44,000 to 59,000 miles, was last year added to the 'red list' of species of highest conservation concern in the UK. James Porteus, Lead Ranger for the National Trust at Long Nanny, said: 'After several difficult years due to storms washing out nests and then bird flu, we have been saddened by the drop in Arctic tern numbers returning to Long Nanny this year to breed. 'We don't know the reason for the decline but suspect it will be due to factors such as climate change, food availability and of course avian influenza. 'Arctic terns have been badly impacted by the disease at their breeding sites here in the UK in recent years, but we don't know how the species has been affected by the disease outside of the nesting season. 'Little and Arctic terns are facing mounting pressures from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change, and disease.' Arctic and little terns, and ringed plover, breed and nest on the fragile dunes and beaches at Long Nanny, monitored by seven National Trust rangers who rope off around 10 hectares (25 acres) each summer and protect the birds from being disturbed, or preyed on by foxes, badgers, stoats and other birds. The trust says the colony has grown since it began managing the site in 1977, when there was not a single Arctic tern, and only a handful of little tern nests. Numbers of Arctic terns peaked in 2018, with more 2,800 nests recorded, while the smaller numbers of little terns were at their highest in 1994 when 57 pairs nested. But Mr Porteus said: 'Despite our best efforts, even the most carefully protected nests can be lost in a single tide. 'The changing fortunes of these remarkable coastal birds underscore just how vulnerable our seabird colonies are.' However, 10 pairs of little terns have made a second nesting attempt at Long Nanny, while the remaining birds may have located to Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, managed by Government conservation agency Natural England. And a very rare visitor to the UK, an American black tern, has returned once more. The bird, which was ringed last year to confirm it was the same bird returning each year, has spent the summer at Long Nanny for the last six years and in 2024 made a breeding attempt with an Arctic tern. Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust said: 'The importance of Long Nanny is testament to the work of the dedicated rangers and volunteers who work 24/7 to protect our precious seabirds. 'The Long Nanny and wider Northumberland coast will remain a focus of our conservation work to help these delicate birds continue their extraordinary lives,' he said.
Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Western Telegraph
Arctic tern numbers down nearly a third at key breeding site, experts warn
Some of the UK's rarest seabirds, including Arctic terns and little terns, nest at Long Nanny, near Beadnell in Northumberland, which is cared for by the National Trust. But reports from the charity suggest the number of occupied Arctic tern nests at the breeding site has fallen from 1,037 in 2024 to 724 this year, a drop of 30%. Arctic terns are at risk from climate change and disease, conservationists warn (Gillian Day/National Trust/PA) The findings come just a month after a high spring tide washed away the nests of Arctic and little nests at Long Nanny, despite efforts by rangers to protect them from weather extremes. National Trust conservationists warn that the seabirds are facing mounting pressure from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change – as well as bird flu, which has devastated seabird colonies around the UK's coasts. The Arctic tern, which makes one of the longest migrations of any creature on Earth by flying from the Arctic to the UK and then onto the Antarctic for the winter in an annual journey of 44,000 to 59,000 miles, was last year added to the 'red list' of species of highest conservation concern in the UK. Little terns are one of the UK's rarest seabirds (Rob Coleman/National Trust/PA) James Porteus, Lead Ranger for the National Trust at Long Nanny, said: 'After several difficult years due to storms washing out nests and then bird flu, we have been saddened by the drop in Arctic tern numbers returning to Long Nanny this year to breed. 'We don't know the reason for the decline but suspect it will be due to factors such as climate change, food availability and of course avian influenza. 'Arctic terns have been badly impacted by the disease at their breeding sites here in the UK in recent years, but we don't know how the species has been affected by the disease outside of the nesting season. 'Little and Arctic terns are facing mounting pressures from rising seas and stronger storms due to climate change, and disease.' Arctic and little terns, and ringed plover, breed and nest on the fragile dunes and beaches at Long Nanny, monitored by seven National Trust rangers who rope off around 10 hectares (25 acres) each summer and protect the birds from being disturbed, or preyed on by foxes, badgers, stoats and other birds. The Long Nanny tern site on the Northumberland coast (Mandy Fall/PA) The trust says the colony has grown since it began managing the site in 1977, when there was not a single Arctic tern, and only a handful of little tern nests. Numbers of Arctic terns peaked in 2018, with more 2,800 nests recorded, while the smaller numbers of little terns were at their highest in 1994 when 57 pairs nested. But Mr Porteus said: 'Despite our best efforts, even the most carefully protected nests can be lost in a single tide. 'The changing fortunes of these remarkable coastal birds underscore just how vulnerable our seabird colonies are.' However, 10 pairs of little terns have made a second nesting attempt at Long Nanny, while the remaining birds may have located to Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, managed by Government conservation agency Natural England. American black terns are rare visitors to the UK (Gary Woodburn/National Trust/PA) And a very rare visitor to the UK, an American black tern, has returned once more. The bird, which was ringed last year to confirm it was the same bird returning each year, has spent the summer at Long Nanny for the last six years and in 2024 made a breeding attempt with an Arctic tern. Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust said: 'The importance of Long Nanny is testament to the work of the dedicated rangers and volunteers who work 24/7 to protect our precious seabirds. 'The Long Nanny and wider Northumberland coast will remain a focus of our conservation work to help these delicate birds continue their extraordinary lives,' he said.
