Tara PACIFIC 2016-2018

Coral reefs biodiversity facing climate change The research schooner Tara will leave her home port of Lorient on May 28th 2016 for a new expedition in the Asian Pacific. The boat will sail nearly 100,000 km around the Pacific Ocean for more than two years. The interdisciplinary team of scientists aboard, coordinated by the CNRS and the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM), will examine in a new way the biodiversity of coral reefs and their evolution in response to climate change and human activities. This adventure is sponsored by the CNRS, PSL, CEA, CSM and many other public and private partners. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of the oceans' surface, yet they include nearly 30% of known marine biodiversity. Their health is crucial to the diversity of species, and also for humanity. Studying this fragile and endangered ecosystem is a priority since a large number of reefs have been disappearing in recent years. From east to west and from south to north, Tara will criss-cross the Pacific Ocean to explore the hidden diversity of coral reefs and gain a better understanding of their capacity to adapt to climate change. From the Panama Canal to the archipelago of Japan (2016-2017), from New Zealand to China (2017-2018), the schooner will traverse 11 time zones of the world's largest ocean, and visit the most remote islands and reefs. A novel approach to reef biodiversity