Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Cape Farewell’s youth, science and cultural expeditions to the High Arctic in September 2007 will continue our work in Climate Change education and address the causes and physical effect Climate Change is having on the High Arctic  (Cape Farewell, the science, education & art of climate change)

Outline
In September-October 2007 Cape Farewell is planning two expeditions in the High Arctic. On September 16th a youth team of 12 from schools throughout England and the USA/Canada, accompanied by scientists, teachers, artists and media crew sail aboard the Noorderlicht from Longyearbyen to the science station at Ny Alesund to participate in a week long scientific survey and artistic creation, both exploring how climate change has effected the Northern Arctic and communicating this information live through media broadcasts to schools in the UK and USA. From September 23rd a core team of ocean scientists from the National Oceanography Centre and USA, artists and filmmakers set sail aboard the Noorderlicht to traverse the North Atlantic on the 79.5 parallel. Real data of temperature and salinity will be recorded and fed into the RAPID investigation. The crew then will attempt to land on the Eastern coast of Greenland before sailing south on this now ice-free coast to the Fjord of Scorsby Sund. This journey south will be at the edge of the capabilities of a sailing vessel and the arts, media and science crew will have the opportunity to explore uncharted territories and assess the changes caused by climate change. Art works will be inspired, oceanography experiments conducted and all filmed for media release. This will be an expedition of communication allowing a worldwide audience live contact with the crew and involve them in the crew’s real time physical experience of climate change. Cape Farewell has an established track record of innovation, education and communication from the Arctic and this expedition will be the most ambitious and far reaching yet undertaken. It will involve scientists and artists from around the world communicating to a worldwide audience on what is a global issue, climate change.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Cape Farewell continues to advance education techniques, bringing school students physically and virtually into the debate of the High Arctic and climate change. We will be utilising new communication techniques to bring scientific rigor and creative endeavour directly into schools to inspire our youth to be more aware of the awesome beauty of the Arctic and what we stand to lose. The second expedition will be international in personnel and is designed to reach a global audience by establishing new media partners, [Google, AOL], to deliver information and film on the world wide web, live and interactive. The content and ambition of the Greenland expedition is designed to attract media attention at the same time producing professional material both in the sciences and art.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Oceanography_ National Oceanography Centre (UK), University of Miami, RAPID, NOAA. Education- Big Heart Media (UK), Nuffield (UK), National Oceanography Centre (UK), schools in UK and USA. NOAA, University of Miami, British Council China. Media- AOL (USA), Channel 4 (UK), National Geographic (USA), Sundance (USA), PBS (USA). Arts & Culture- UK, USA, China. Outreach worldwide through the web.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Greenland Sea/North Atlantic. Expedition1. Spitsbergen, Longyearbyen – Ny Alesund. Education youth expedition. Reworking of data from the Prince Albert Expedition of 1907. Plankton and water measurements. Expedition 2. Longyearbyen, north to 79.5N parallel, transit to East Greenland. South along East Greenland coast to Scorsby Sund, 71N Temperature and salinity measurements on 79.5 transit. Ice and water sampling and temperature/salinity on the East Coast Greenland.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 08/07 – 08/07      08/07 – 08/07      
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Vessel is a 140 ft schooner with capability of conduct temperature and salinity measurements, placement and recovery of buoys, plankton sampling, and observations. She has cabin space for a team of 20 personnel. Existing science station. Mini helicopter for filming and survey. Satellites for communication.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Legacy in the form of media resource, education material, experimental communication, science data, inspirational vision of the project.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
National agency
Commercial operator
Own support

This is a multi facetted project with an abundance of international partners. Many are in place and all the others are identified and under negotiation.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes - Endorsed by [to date]: National Oceanography Centre, Arts Council England, BAS, and Nuffield. Under discussion: University of Miami, RAPID, NOAA, AOL.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes
This is a visionary expedition which will offer new data on how the High Arctic is changing, empower students to assess and repeat data taken 100 years ago, use cultural activity to reach a worldwide audience using new forms of communication on the world wide web, research the Eastern Greenland coast and assess just how the sea ice and Arctic waters there are behaving.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The Cape Farewell shore-based team have already organised and run three Arctic expeditions, all of which have been a resounding success. We work closely with the Captain of the Noorderlicht in maintaining the safety of the crew at the same time as enabling them to work and achieve set objectives. We also work closely with the National Oceanography Centre and other worldwide science institutions to make sure that we have up to date satellite data of ice movement and weather situations. Media links are an important part of our communication systems and we work closely with the best available. All links come through the shore-based team enabling a clear path of communication and command.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Education and communication are central to our objectives and the expeditions are constructed around these objectives. The education expedition is designed to be available live to schools in the UK and USA and worldwide on the web. The oceanography data will be available and it is proposed that the Greenland expedition will be able to be tracked, again through the web links. NOAA is supplying data communication buoys to be deployed during this voyage.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
All data management will be fed through our partnership with the National Oceanography Centre and the ‘education’ data will be made available directly to schools.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Cape Farewell is well placed to attract funding for its art, environmental and education programs. In the past funders have included NESTA, Arts Council England and Nuffield. Trust support has come from the Calouste Gulbenkian, Bromley and Lighthouse foundations. We are currently expanding our ‘funding envelope’ working with new trusts and have been given assurances of funding from our established partners. This is a constant activity and we have an established track record of success.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The International Polar year is very timely; the poles are registering the effects of climate change and bringing this to a global audience focuses attention on the need to address this very important issue. Cape Farewell has already established a strong position in bringing these issues to the wider public through its cultural, educational and science-based information and media channels. 2007/8 brings new and more urgent challenges in the climate debate and we have planned an expedition that is far reaching, visionary, though practical, and is based on communication – we want to bring the extraordinary and crucial High Arctic into everyone’s consciousness so that we all can become involved in, and promote caring for, our environment.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Director David Buckland
Cape Farewell
239 Royal College Street
London
NW1 9LT
UK

Tel: 0207 209 0610
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Other project members and their affiliation

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