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Ocean Research Vessel to Stop in San Diego

Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

A French research vessel studying the health of the planet's oceans will be making a stop at the Port of San Diego.

Tara Oceans' research vessel "Tara" will berth at the Maritime Museum of San Diego on Wednesday, October 26.

A special welcome press event will take place Thursday, October 27, at the Maritime Museum, located at 1492 North Harbor Drive at 11 a.m.

Speakers will include Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners Scott Peters, as well as San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Consul General of France, David Martinon. Eric Karsenti, director of Tara Oceans will also be attending.

Both the city and the port will issue proclamations in honor of Tara Oceans. The city will declare Oct. 27 as Tara Oceans Day.

Tara Oceans is a 118-foot schooner on a three-year non-profit marine expedition, managed by the Tara Expeditions Foundation and the Oceans Consortium.

The foundation's objectives are to enable scientists to study ocean ecosystems as well as the impact of climate change on the marine food chain, including coral reefs.

"As an environmental steward, the Port of San Diego has great respect and appreciation for the marine research being done by this team," said Peters.

"The port's jurisdiction includes more than 3,000 acres of water. We are developing a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan to prepare for potential climate change impacts here in San Diego. We've teamed with local universities and research institutions through a partnership with the local Center for Bay and Coastal Dynamics to further study our bay and its ecosystems."

That partnership includes a project between the port and scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to map the San Diego Bay floor. It will help in the study of climate change and sea level rise.

This is Tara Oceans' first visit to San Diego, one of 50 ports in its 71,000-mile itinerary. The research team will spend three weeks in San Diego.

The Tara Oceans team is led by the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Among the many beneficiaries of Tara Oceans research is San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and French BioBeach, a San Diego-based networking organization for U.S. and French biotech communities.

The team will arrive in San Diego after performing research near Hawaii and studying the Eastern Pacific Gyre – also known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" – the giant plastic vortex in the middle of the ocean.

Tara Oceans operates under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The vessel is a floating research platform directed by Dr. Eric Karsenti and Etienne Bourgois.

As an environmental steward of San Diego Bay, the port protects San Diego Bay and the surrounding land. It has established a Green Port program to minimize its environmental footprint, and established an environmental fund, which has helped fund more than 60 projects around port tidelands

The Port of San Diego was created by state legislature in 1962 and is responsible for $1.7 billion in public improvements in its five member cities: Imperial Beach, San Diego, Coronado, Chula Vista and National City.

The Port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 17 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.