By Susan Roberts
Can you imagine sailing the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean to the frigid waters of Greenland? This summer, about 40 graduate students and faculty from Portugal, Norway, Greenland, and the U.S. are spending three weeks on the Staatsraad Lehmkuhl, sailing from Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores to Nuuk, Greenland. The vessel is a three-masted barque, built in Germany in 1914 and now based in Bergen, Norway. Although the ship is majestic, the accommodation is spartan – just hammocks in a shared space below decks. However, these students eagerly joined the ship in Ponta Delgada after a three-day workshop on the campus of the University of the Azores to begin their oceanographic voyage.
This year’s expedition of the Staatsraad Lehmkuhl – a circumnavigation of North America – is a contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development organized to inspire and engage students in ocean science around the globe. With its modern oceanographic equipment, the ship will serve as a floating university for students to take measurements, share experiences, and create a network of young leaders.
Countries around the world have established national decade committees to provide a link between their countries and the international program. In the U.S., the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine serves as the U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade.
