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STORY: MLV OCEAN OF KNOWLEDGE CR IAV
HEADLINE: OCEAN OF KNOWLEDGE
DURATION: 3.36
SOURCE: NEKTON
RESTRICTIONS: Free access on all platforms in perpetuity/ no archive resales
3 VERSIONS: 16:9, 1:1, 9:16
STORYLINE
Three academics from Oxford University in the UK have spent the past five weeks in the Maldives helping the lowest-lying nation on earth better understand what life exists far beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean.
The Maldives is 99% water and 1% land - global warming is already a reality there with storm surges causing regular flooding and coral reefs being lost to rising ocean temperatures.
The mission was a joint partnership between Oxford-based deep sea explorers Nekton and the Maldives Marine Research Institute. Data gathered from the surface down to 1000 metres will help Maldivian policy makers decide how to best protect vast swathes of ocean.
CAPTIONS
Three Oxford academics, two submersibles, one mission.
The expedition is a joint partnership between Oxford-based Nekton and the Maldives Government.
Their quest is to co-produce a baseline biodiversity assessment of the deep reefs surrounding the Maldives.
Every submersible dive off the coast is a true voyage of discovery in frontline science.
Little data exists of Maldivian waters beneath 30 metres.
Some existing navigational charts of the area date back to 1923
Multi-beaming technology is changing that - producing topographical maps on board.
The Nekton mission aims to provide a better understanding of marine biodiversity
Calibrated cameras are deployed to record species size and abundance
Scientific sampling will give Maldives policymakers an insight never before possible.
The ocean is a critical part of the Maldivian economy - a fact amplified by a visit from the country’s President
Accurate data is vital to Maldivian policy makers if they are to be its responsible guardians
Nekton has pledged data gathered remains the property of the mission partner - the Maldives government.
To download the media briefing in full, please click through on the link below:
3 October 2022
