Every Viking expedition is an
opportunity for scientific research
and discovery. Can you tell us more
about your latest finding?
With scientific support from University
of California San Diego’s Scripps
Institution of Oceanography and the J Craig Venter Institute, earlier this year the laboratory on board
Viking Octantis was converted into an advanced scientific environment
while the ship was in Antarctica.
This means visiting scientists
contributing to the Genomics at
Sea Programme (GASP) can now
sequence phytoplankton DNA and
research their genetic response
to environmental change in real
time – without months of delay
transporting samples to a distant
shoreside laboratory.
Viking will regularly host Scripps’
scientists on board this season in the
Great Lakes of the US and Canada.
Their findings will contribute to
GASP and provide critical research
for future expedition voyages.
Has a travel company done anything
like this before?
No, it’s a milestone in marine research
and exploration. Viking is the first
travel company – and Viking Octantis
is one of the first research vessels –
to support real-time environmental
genetic sequencing on board a ship.
Will this take place on both of Viking’s
expedition ships?
Yes – the lab on board our identical
sister ship, Viking Polaris, will be
transitioned to support research
efforts this summer, before both ships
return to Antarctica later in 2024.
Why is this scientific advancement
so valuable?
Oceanic phytoplankton absorbs 40 per cent of the world’s carbon
and provides 50 per cent of the
world’s atmospheric oxygen. Along
with forests, they are the ‘planet’s
lungs.’ Every second breath we take
comes from phytoplankton – which
is reflected in the programme’s
name, GASP. We are proud to offer
scientific partners the ability to
better understand these organisms
that play a critical role in our planet’s
carbon cycle in the remote regions
we take our guests to.
Source: Worldofcruising.co.uk
