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TANGO SCIENTIFIC expeditionS

WestERN antarctic peninsula, AUSTRALIS

As the southern winds blow in her sails, the light ice gently breaks against the white hull of the RV Australis. From Ushuaia, Argentina, follow nine scientists and their three crew members on a journey to study the sea ice and the benthic ecosystem of the Grandidier Channel, West Antarctic Peninsula, on board a 23-meters long sailboat.  

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@ Francesca Pasotti

Setting the scene

In February-March 2023, a team of nine scientists from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Ghent University and the University of Liège set sail for Antarctica onboard a 23-metre sailboat. Their boat, the RV Australis, is operated by Ben Wallis, owner of the company Oceans Expeditions and two crew members. Called TANGO1, their project aims to study the responses of the Antarctic ecosystem to global warming, a research priority under international agreements, and will study the Grandidier Channel, in the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

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By studying the coastal ecosystem of the Antarctic Peninsula, the team wants to better predict the tipping points or ecological thresholds for the adaptability of this ecosystem to climate change.
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