Our second research mission of 2015 took the Global Reef Expedition to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a small island chain in the Indian Ocean and home to some of the most remote, and pristine, coral reefs on Earth – 95% of which have yet to be explored. Our work here consists of coral reef surveys and high resolution mapping of reefs in the Chagos archipelago, all of which are part of the Chagos Marine Reserve, the largest no-take marine protected area on earth. Representatives from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Nova Southeastern University, and the Chagos Conservation Trust will join our core science team on this mission.
Meet IFAN: Helping Bring Navigate with Care to the Next Generation
If you’ve ever seen a lighthouse flashing from the shore or a brightly colored buoy bobbing in the water, you’ve seen Aids to Navigation at work.
Aids to Navigation, often called AtoNs, help mariners navigate safely. They can mark channels, warn of hazards, help vessels determine their position, and provide other information people need to make safe decisions on the water. Around the world, these systems help guide everything from small recreational boats to large commercial or container ships.
But safe navigation isn’t only about protecting vessels and the people aboard them. The choices mariners make can also affect the animals and ecosystems beneath and around them.
That connection between maritime safety and ocean conservation is at the heart of this year’s Science Without Borders® Challenge—and of our partnership with this year’s theme sponsor, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN).
