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Peter Owens – Irish Scoresby Sound Expedition 2022

In July 2022, the sailing yacht ‘Danú of Galway’ will depart from Galway for East Greenland, with the aim of exploring Scoresby Sound, the biggest fjord system in the world. The team will comprise a small group of independent adventurers with a desire to sail to and climb in this remote landscape. On the way, they will monitor seawater for microplastics as part of a scientific collaboration with the Trinity College Dublin’s Centre for the Environment. They will continue to monitor both salt and fresh water sources throughout the expedition, sailing to Renland, circumnavigating Milne Land deep within the Sound. This data will be used in improving global knowledge of microplastics in Arctic waters. Furthermore, the team will carry out a cetacean reporting study and perform accurate surveys of all anchorages visited.

 

Renland taken by John Thorogood (Arctic Club)Photo of Renland taken by John Thorogood (Arctic Club)


Peter Owens, the expedition leader, is a mountaineer and sailor with many years of experience in both environments. He has put together a strong team that aims to be self-sufficient in Arctic terrain, with a strict policy of ‘leave no trace’. A number of exploratory mountaineering objectives have been chosen on Milne Land and Renland, within reach of the coast, using the yacht as a floating base. You can find out more about Peter on LinkedIn.

 

Expedition Dates: 1 July 2022 to 31 August 2022

  

SES members and all other participants in SES endorsed expeditions take part at their own risk, and will not hold SES, its trustees, employees, volunteers, partners or agents liable (whether in contract or in tort or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any loss, criminal or reputational damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred on any such expedition. SES endorses the aims and objectives of these expeditions only.

 

John Bathgate – AMAZON: Summit to Sea Expedition 2023

In 1968, David Bathgate (John’s father) was on a climbing expedition in the Peruvian Andes. On this expedition, he had the idea to travel the length of the Amazon from its highest source. He didn't get the chance to undertake this challenge but in his 80th year, he passed the idea on to his son. John’s goal is to navigate the Amazon River with his team, from its highest source, a volcano in Ecuador called Chimborazo (20,548t). They will climb to the glacier top of Chimborazo (the highest point on earth from its centre) and from there, find the source of the Rio Chimborazo and follow the subsequent tributaries into The Amazon and to the Atlantic Ocean. This journey of 5,128km will begin on foot for around 200km through the Andes and the remainder of the journey will be completed in canoes and eventually a raft as they pass through the vast Amazon Basin. The Amazon expels more fresh water into the oceans than the next 7 largest rivers combined. So, the highest place on the planet is also the source of the greatest river in the world. The Summit to Sea route has never been attempted before.

 

The team’s aim is to report on land uses in the target area, concentrating on the reasons for deforestation (agriculture/mining/timber). Whilst passing through the changing environments they will be conducting ecology surveys and taking water samples in order to understand biodiversity and pollution levels in areas that have or have not been affected by industry. They hope to prove, through scientific research, that rising pollution levels and habitat decline due to industrial processes are linked to the biodiversity decline in wildlife. They also expect to document the social upheaval and cultural decline in native populations as a result of land conflict.

 

John Bathgate and teammate Ian on a practice expedition

(Photo: John Bathgate and teammate Ian on their practise expedition)

 

Furthermore, they aim to make connections with native populations and become familiar with the surrounding habitats so that they can understand how to cope in these challenging environments. They will also investigate mental health within the team as they grow from shared hardship, firmly believing that a life outdoors, appreciating nature, taking risks, and overcoming challenges help to enact positive mental change. They plan to document this and show it to a wider audience in the hope to inspire others to make positive changes in their lives.

 

John is the Expedition Leader and in 2013 joined the Royal Marines. During his career, he learned skills leading sections in many training environments including maritime, urban, cold weather, and jungle environments. He specialised as a Landing Craft Coxswain (amphibious role) deploying globally, where he was tasked with leading small boat groups on patrols, boarding operations, and landings. During this time, for 3 years he studied Ecology with SRUC online. Throughout his career, John has been climbing and paddling in Scotland, and around the world. He’s aware that successfully leading a team down the Amazon will be his biggest challenge to date.

 

AMAZON: Summit to Sea Route Map

 

EXPEDITION DATES: 1 May 2023 to 17 October 2023

EXPEDITION LOCATION: Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil

 

TEAM MEMBER OPPORTUNITY

John is looking for team members...

 

MEDIC - A qualified medic with paddling experience and good personal administration skills. They will also be expected to conduct scientific work during the trip (within their professional field).

 

CAMERA PERSON - Must be on stages 1 & 2, and be an experienced paddler and photographer.

 

If you are interested in joining this expedition, please contact John at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

If you are interested in sponsoring this expedition, please contact John at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

You can find out more about this expedition by visiting www.summittosea.org.uk.

 

SES members and all other participants in SES endorsed expeditions take part at their own risk, and will not hold SES, its trustees, employees, volunteers, partners or agents liable (whether in contract or in tort or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any loss, criminal or reputational damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred on any such expedition. SES endorses the aims and objectives of these expeditions only.

 

James Chapman – Project Amu Darya 2023

The Aral Sea was the fourth-largest lake in the world. Today, the Aral Sea has shrunk to one-tenth of its original size. In the last century, no other river on earth has undergone such change.

Aral Sea 1989 and 2014

(Photo: The Aral Sea in 1960 and 2016)

Despite being arguably one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in history, no history of this change has been recorded. Until now. Project Amu Darya is planning to spend August and September 2023 recording oral histories along the Amu Darya River. We will make a film of these interviews with the aim of telling the story of the Aral Sea crisis through the lens of the Amu Darya, and the voices of its people.

Team

(The Team)

The Amu Darya Film will be released in 2024. u Darya.

 

EXPEDITION DATES: 14 August 2023 to 1 October 2023

EXPEDITION LOCATION: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan

TEAM MEMBERS: James Chapman, Annie Liddell and Oscar Turner

 

Please CLICK HERE to find out more about this project as well as give support. 

 

SES members and all other participants in SES endorsed expeditions take part at their own risk, and will not hold SES, its trustees, employees, volunteers, partners or agents liable (whether in contract or in tort or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any loss, criminal or reputational damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred on any such expedition. SES endorses the aims and objectives of these expeditions only.

 

Alex Scoffield – ENIGMA: Examining the physical conditions of a high-elevation Himalayan glacial lake 2023

Glaciers in the Himalaya contribute freshwater to millions of individuals. Future scenarios of these water resources are uncertain given a lack of empirical data to drive projections of glacier evolution. In particular, the influence of ice-contact glacial lakes, which can alter glacier flow and lead to greater melt rates, are poorly represented in numerical models. This expedition will instrument a high-elevation glacial lake in Nepal (Thulagi lake, 4,055 m asl) with temperature and suspended sediment sensors to collect the empirical data required to incorporate glacier-lake interaction into future projections of glacier change. The team of researchers will return six months later, providing the longest record of contemporary glacial lake physical conditions in the Himalaya.

 Thulagi Ice Distal by Dan Jantzen & Scott Watson

(Photo: Thulagi Lake by Dan Jantzen and Scott Watson)

 Alex Scoffield in the field

 

EXPEDITION DATES: 6 May 2023 to 27 May 2023

EXPEDITION LOCATION: Mansiri Himal, Nepal

 

You can find out more about Alex Scoffield and the ENIGMA expedition on Twitter.

 

SES members and all other participants in SES endorsed expeditions take part at their own risk, and will not hold SES, its trustees, employees, volunteers, partners or agents liable (whether in contract or in tort or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any loss, criminal or reputational damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred on any such expedition. SES endorses the aims and objectives of these expeditions only.

 

Catherine Hauw – Effects of lead ammunition hunting in Namibian cheetahs

Lead (Pb) from hunting ammunition is a serious health risk for humans, wildlife, and ecosystems, and is a global One Health issue. Many recent publications have questioned evidence that animals and humans are suffering from lead intoxication, and putting a light on predator lead blood levels is therefore important.

 

Catherine Hauw

 

During this project, Dr Catherine Hauw, wildlife veterinarian and biologist, will investigate the impact of lead ammunition hunting on wild cheetahs and leopards by analysing their blood samples at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.

 Catherine Hauw

 

This will be the first-ever study on lead toxicity in carnivores in Namibia. More studies proving the effects that the use of lead ammunition might have on other wildlife could help ensure best practise is followed, particularly in countries like Namibia where hunting is an important source of revenue and meat and is seen as a tool for conservation.

 

EXPEDITION DATES: 4 June 2023 to 4 September 2023

EXPEDITION LOCATION: Cheetah Conservation Centre, Namibia

 

SES members and all other participants in SES endorsed expeditions take part at their own risk, and will not hold SES, its trustees, employees, volunteers, partners or agents liable (whether in contract or in tort or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any loss, criminal or reputational damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred on any such expedition. SES endorses the aims and objectives of these expeditions only.