The AR7E-2026 project aims to generate new insights into the links between ocean circulation, climate, carbon cycling and marine ecosystems.
An international team of researchers has set off aboard the Marine Institute’s RV Celtic Explorer vessel on an expedition to track chemical and biological changes in the ocean.
The RV Celtic Explorer will be used by the team for the AR7E-2026 project, which will conduct hydrographic (meaning measurements and descriptions relating to the ocean’s physical features) and biological observations along a stretch of ocean used for scientific analysis, known as a transect, from Ireland to Cape Farewell at the southern shore of Greenland.
The project aims to build on hydrographic transects that have provided climate quality measurements across the Atlantic Ocean for decades.
By extending these long-term observations, the AR7E-2026 project aims to generate new insights into the links between ocean circulation, climate, carbon cycling and marine ecosystems.
“The AR7E-2026 expedition demonstrates the importance of international collaboration and sustained ocean observation in addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and ocean health,” said Michael Gillooly, director of ocean, climate and information services at the Marine Institute.
“We are delighted to see RV Celtic Explorer supporting this world-class research effort, generating vital scientific evidence that will deepen our understanding of the North Atlantic and inform sustainable ocean management both nationally and internationally.”
AR7E-2026 is led by Dr Yvonne Firing from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, and comprises a team of scientists from institutions based in the UK, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland and Greece.
The project is the first Marine Institute research vessel survey to receive funding through the Aquarius project, a four-year Horizon Europe-funded programme led by the Marine Institute that aims to provide access to research infrastructure to aid projects focused on marine and freshwater ecosystem sustainability.
The Marine Institute noted that the expedition is “particularly timely” as it contributes scientific knowledge from areas beyond national jurisdiction, meaning the vast regions of ocean lying outside any country’s exclusive economic zone.
“As the international community begins implementing the landmark UN High Seas Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, high-quality observations from these waters will play an increasingly important role in understanding, conserving and sustainably managing marine biodiversity,” said the organisation. “Such research provides the scientific evidence needed to support international cooperation in protecting the global ocean.”
The expedition also sets off after the world’s oceans recorded the hottest June on record, with the average sea surface temperature reaching just under 21°C across the world’s tropical and temperate oceans.
In other climate news, yesterday (23 July) EU environment ministers met in Dublin for an “informal” session discussing the climate and environmental challenges impacting the bloc.
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