Emmanuelle and Ghislain Bardout are set to dive into the depths of the Southern Ocean starting Wednesday to better understand this underwater environment and protect it from climate change and other human activities. Exploring the depths of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, in search of the marine fauna and flora thriving in these icy waters, is the mission of the new French expedition Under the Pole, which begins Wednesday, December 3. These scientific dives will take place over three months to discover and better preserve these marine ecosystems hidden in the far South.
In these polar regions, where air and water hover near zero degrees, the physical challenge is considerable. « I weigh about 52 kilograms, and at the moment I get in the water, I’ll weigh about 100 kilograms, » explains Emmanuelle Bardout, co-founder of Under the Pole. The other co-founder, Ghislain Bardout, also emphasizes the danger of these « difficult, rare, extremely intense dives, » especially when immersions reach several dozen meters below the surface.
True animal forests under the ocean
But Emmanuelle and Ghislain Bardout are far from ordinary divers. They are among the few capable of carrying out such underwater expeditions, which take place between 30 and 200 meters deep in what is known as the « mesophotic zone, » a little-known area housing true animal forests.
« There are corals, gorgonians, black corals, sponges, anemones. And just like on land, when we ask ‘how many trees are needed to make a forest,’ we’re asking the same question underwater, » explains Emmanuelle Bardout. She adds that they will answer this « by installing instruments to see how the current is modified within the forest, what we call the canopy effect, which provides a protective function for all the biodiversity taking refuge there. »
Around twenty scientists are participating in this mission along the northern coasts of Antarctica. The ultimate goal is to secure protection for these underwater forests, which face pressures from climate change and economic activities such as fishing.
Source: franceinfo
