Pelican of London is committed to nurture Ocean Literacy 1 and Marine Citizenship 2 within all who sail on board. These two concepts encompass key elements for ocean protection and conservation, including forming an emotional connection, understanding the ocean system and being aware of its perils, developing pro-marine environmental behaviours and engaging in ocean advocacy and governance 3, 4.
In the end, we will conserve only what we love,
Baba Dioum, IUCN Conferenc 1968.
we will only love what we understand
and we understand only what we are taught.
The United Nations has declared 2021 to 2030 the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a call to action for global collaboration in preserving our marine ecosystems.
We integrate experiential, hands-on learning about the systems of the ocean and atmosphere with everyday life on board and inspire the next generation of marine biologists, oceanographers, engineers, environmental scientists and changemakers in all areas of society.
Over the next decade, these future leaders will develop the passion, skills, and technological expertise needed to safeguard our oceans, ensuring a thriving, sustainable future for all.
Explore the Expedition Data and Ocean Science Project buttons
for an insight into some of the STEAMS* work on board.
(*Science Technology Engineering Arts Maths Sustainability)
Key Concepts of Ocean-focused STEAMS on Board
The Ocean System
Traditional science compartmentalises the ocean into oceanography and marine biology, ecology, geology and chemistry. But it really is one system that deserves a holistic view: without the biogeochemical cycles facilitated by currents, seabed geology, weathering on land and atmospheric exchange at the sea surface, life as we know it would not exist in the ocean, from the surface to the abyss.
We explore diverse aspects of the ocean with simple means to provide a feel for its complexity and interconnectedness.
Ocean and Atmosphere
The exchange of gases and aerosols between ocean and atmosphere fuels the base of the marine food web and is key to cloud formation over the ocean 5. The heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere regulates the global climate and regulation 6, 7.
With experiments, oceanographic and meteorological equipment, we explore the gas exchange and ocean acidification, identify clouds and learn about weather systems and wind-driven waves.
The Big Ocean Conveyor Belt
It takes around 1000 years for a drop of water to complete its journey from sinking into the deep somewhere east of Greenland, surface in the northern Pacific and return via the Indian Ocean to the North Atlantic. Along its way, it draws down carbon dioxide in polar regions, distributes heat between latitudes and supplies shelf seas with nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean 8.
We introduce the Global Thermohaline Circulation and its regional ‘sister currents’ as fundamental drivers of ocean fertility and climate regulation.
Life Beneath the Waves
From the surface to the abyss, ocean life is entirely dependent on the biogeochemical cycling of carbon. This is where physics, chemistry, biology and geology join forces to create the conditions for thriving ecosystems. The oceanic food web is (largely) based on microscopic, photosynthetic algae and cyanobacteria (phytoplankton) that feed carbon into all kingdoms of life in the ocean 9.
On Pelican, we examine plankton under the microscope, explore the water column with cameras and survey marine mammals and seabirds.
Ocean in Peril
The list of threats to the ocean system can be overwhelming: industrial and sewage pollution, oil spills, waste dumping, global warming, ocean acidification, noise and underwater explosions, shipping and its infrastructure, destructive fishing and overfishing, aquaculture, spread of invasive species, coastal habitat destruction, deep sea mining, polar krill harvesting and ice melt… 10
On Pelican, we raise awareness, empower evidence-based reasoning and understanding of scientific process and support voyage crew in finding reliable sources of information beyond their time on board.
Life Support System Ocean
The ocean is our life support system, covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface with a depth to 10,000 meters, it represents 99% of living space on the planet by volume 11.
We rationalise this with an ecosystem services approach that accounts for the natural resources the ocean provides, the dispersal and breakdown of our wastes and pollution, the climate regulation and carbon sink, the transport routes, amenity and tourism value it represents 12, 13.
In addition, on board we experience and feel the ocean – many of us form a deep connection with it.
Conservation and Citizen Science
Citizen Science projects crowd-source data that otherwise could not be obtained economically at the required spatial or temporal resolution. The data is used for campaigns and lobbying for better environmental policies in conservation, legislation and international agreements, for education and to enhance scientific knowledge, understanding and modelling 14.
On Pelican, our trainees become citizen scientists for a wide range of organisations, contributing valuable data, such as marine mammals, seabirds, marine litter, meteorological observations and invasive species.
Marine Citizenship
Marine Citizenship has been defined as “Exercising the right to participate in the transformation of the human-ocean relationship for sustainability” 2.
The pre-requisites for being a Marine Citizen include having a connection with the ocean, knowledge about the ocean system and awareness of the problem it faces.
The work we do with our trainees support them on their way towards becoming marine citizen, and we return to:
“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will only love what we understand and we understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum
References
- UNESCO. no date. Ocean Literacy for All. [definition of Ocean Literacy: “Ocean literacy is a way not only to increase the awareness of the public about the ocean, but it is as an approach to encourage all citizens and stakeholders to have a more responsible and informed behaviour towards the ocean and its resources. “https://www.unesco.org/en/node/82173 ↩︎
- Buchan PM et al. 2023. Marine citizenship: The right to participate in the transformation of the human-ocean relationship for sustainability. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0280518. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280518 ↩︎
- McKinley et al. 2023. The evolution of ocean literacy: A new framework for the United Nations Ocean Decade and beyond. Marine Pollution Bulletin 186, 114467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114467 ↩︎
- Buchan et al. 2024. Thalassophilia and marine identity: Drivers of ‘thick’ marine citizenship. Journal of Environmental Management 352, 120111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120111 ↩︎
- PML. no date. Air-sea gas exchange. Plymouth Marine Laboratory Science Topic. https://pml.ac.uk/sciencetopics/climate-change/air-sea-gas-exchange/ ↩︎
- Woods Hole. no date. Carbon Cycle. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Learning Hub. https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/cycles/carbon-cycle/ ↩︎
- Speich et al. no date. Ocean, Heat Reservoir. Ocean-climate.org. https://www.ocean-climate.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ocean-heat-reservoir.pdf ↩︎
- Roger Williams University. no date. Currents, Upwelling and Downwelling. Introduction to Oceanography. https://rwu.pressbooks.pub/webboceanography/chapter/9-5-currents-upwelling-and-downwelling/ ↩︎
- National Geographic. 2010. Marine Food Chain. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/marine-food-chain ↩︎
- Ocean Generation. no date. Our Impact: Understanding the 5 Ocean Threats. https://oceangeneration.org/5-human-ocean-threats/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12446512474&gbraid=0AAAAACybhyqPYUMGXpvcsrLmjWqZKWlKG&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgr_NBhDFARIsAHiUWr4HvqNUbw6znpJxXnKdVTxxcr3a5Qrhr0OYz0vsgdutfDJTsZMcYesaAhh4EALw_wcB ↩︎
- UN. no date. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 14 Life Below Water. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/oceans/ ↩︎
- Mapping Ocean Wealth. 2026. What are ecosystem services? https://oceanwealth.org/ecosystem-services/ ↩︎
- Hopper T. 2021. What does the ocean do for you? introducing the concept of marine natural capital. JNCC Blog. https://jncc.gov.uk/news/blog-2021-what-does-the-ocean-do-for-you-introducing-the-concept-of-marine-natural-capital/ ↩︎
- EU4Ocean Platform. no date. Citizen Science – importance and benefits. European Commission. https://maritime-forum.ec.europa.eu/contents/citizen-science-importance-and-benefits_en ↩︎
