The crossing from Ponta Delgada to Greenland allowed Afonso Gusmão to investigate the impacts of climate change on the oceans.
“I remember looking down and seeing nothing but giant waves while the wind and freezing rain beat against my face.” The scene took place in the North Atlantic, during a cyclone that produced 35-knot winds and six-meter-high waves. Suspended from one of the masts of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a Norwegian training ship, helping to raise a sail, Afonso Gusmão experienced one of the most intense moments of the expedition that took him from Ponta Delgada (Azores) to Nuuk, Greenland.
“My passion for science, particularly in topics related to climate change and sustainability, goes back many years,” the PhD student shared when asked about his ambition. “I thought that, besides being a unique opportunity, this expedition would align with everything I believe in and what drives me as a scientist.”
Afonso Gusmão, a PhD candidate in the Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Program at Instituto Superior Técnico, participated in the One Ocean Expedition , a voyage integrated into international ocean research and awareness initiatives. Selected through the UTAustin Portugal program for one of five national spots, he joined 40 PhD and master’s students from various countries in the summer course organized by the University of Bergen (Norway).
