Ponant says its new program with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) comes at a time when access to remote areas such as polar regions has been challenged by cuts to science funding.Since
Ponant says its new program with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) comes at a time when access to remote areas such as polar regions has been challenged by cuts to science funding.
Since 2021, Ponant Explorations Group has hosted more than 230 scientists across its fleet. Through this new alliance, WHOI scientists will now join select Ponant expeditions—many aboard the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot—to conduct fieldwork, test emerging technologies, and share their expertise through interactive guest programming.
The company will also provide grant funding to help support WHOI’s polar science work.
“At Ponant Explorations Group, we’re committed to advancing knowledge of the oceans and scientific research as part of our broader mission to explore responsibly and travel with care,” said Samuel Chamberlain, CEO, Ponant Explorations Group Americas.
The first expedition under the new partnership will take place on an October 31 voyage to Antarctica. On the sailing will be two WHOI-MIT Joint Program graduate students, Caroline Needell and Bailey Fluegel, guided by WHOI glaciologist Dr. Catherine Walker.
Aboard the world’s only passenger ship with Polar Class 2 certification—capable of navigating shifting glaciers and uncharted ice floes—Needell and Fluegel will deploy LiDAR technology to model the breakup rate of the Antarctic
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
