Give Back and Get Involved in Citizen Science
Travel is always the best educator and we offer the chance to enrich your curiosity and expand your knowledge and understanding of the places we travel to. There is no better learning opportunity than being in the field with subject matter experts.
Our Citizen Science Program is designed to be an interactive forum of like-minded travellers to share new discoveries and deepen their connection to the natural world in a relaxed, informal and fun environment – both on board our ships, on our fascinating shore expeditions and in our zodiacs.
You can make a difference as we can provide invaluable data to the scientific community through you taking part. You too can become an ambassador for the protection of our majestic but fragile blue planet when you return home by sharing what you have learned.
‘Our goal is literally to inspire a network of hope – one place, one community, one vision at a time – but together around the world.’
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists around the world.
Why Take Part?
AE Expeditions travels to some of the most unique and remote places on the planet. It is challenging for scientists to spend time in these areas, so any observations we contribute can be extremely valuable.
Gathering and sharing data is also a great way to engage and educate ourselves in pressing issues that concern us at a local, regional and global level.
How Does it Work?
Members of our passionate Expedition Team, together with a Citizen Science Coordinator, will be on hand to introduce and assist you with the projects being conducted on your voyage.
Expert guidance on the collection, storage and sharing of new scientific data will not only greatly enhance your voyage experience, but help you gain more knowledge of our ever-changing natural environment.
From the biggest mammals to the smallest marine creatures, the important part you play in our Citizen Science projects will help protect and preserve the planet for generations to come.
Our Projects
Our eight dynamic and diverse Citizen Science Projects – focusing on whales, seabirds, microplastics, pollution, weather patterns, phytoplankton, polar fjordlands and marine biodiversity – have been hand-picked for their ground-breaking work and global achievements.
Please note: As some of our Citizen Science projects are location- and weather-dependent, we cannot operate all of the projects on all voyages. We will endeavour to include as many projects as possible on your voyage with ample time allocated to them on a day-to-day basis.
HappyWhale
HappyWhale uses photo ID to track individual whales. Guests can photograph encounters and log them on the database, improving knowledge about migration, population health and behaviour.
eBird
eBird is the world’s largest biodiversity-related Citizen Science project, collecting bird observations from around the globe. Aurora passengers help to track species distribution and population changes.
NASA GLOBE Cloud
Our passengers are invited to record cloud conditions, with observations submitted to NASA GLOBE Cloud contributing to climate modelling.
Secchi Disk Study
Our Citizen Scientists measure water clarity by lowering a Secchi disk, recording visibility, and sharing data with scientists that are studying the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems. This builds a long-term global dataset, and each voyage contributes new observations from some of the least-studied waters in the world.
FjordPhyto
FjordPhyto invites passengers to explore phytoplankton diversity in polar fjords and coastal waters. Using simple tools, they collect samples to help scientists track phytoplankton health and its response to changing ocean conditions. These observations enhance understanding of the base of the marine food and how climate change is altering polar ecosystems.
*Only available on Antarctic voyages.
Marine Biodiversity
This global online community allows us to share observations about the animals and plants we see on our expedition voyages and to discuss, identify and create research-quality Citizen Science data for the purposes of science and conservation.
iNaturalist’s identification model provides initial suggestions, but other people in the iNaturalist community can help to identify and confirm our own observations.
Microplastics
Microplastics are one of the biggest issues facing our oceans, impacting marine animals, ecosystems and even human health. In order to tackle this problem, we need to know where the microplastics are, how much there is, and what type of plastic it is.
Onshore excursions, we will scoop the surface of small sample areas using scientific protocols, place them in a bucket and sieve off any residual microplastics. These are then taken back to the ship for sorting, recording and packaging to be sent for further scientific analysis with The Big Microplastic Survey.
Pollution
EyeSea is a platform that empowers individuals from around the globe to contribute valuable data and observations about the ocean’s health and biodiversity.
Because of the remote destinations we visit, our expeditioners are well-placed to contribute valuable data that will help scientists better understand and safeguard these precious ecosystems for future generations. Expeditioners can use the app to capture images of plastic debris in the water or on beaches, along with geolocation data indicating the location of the sighting.
Ready to get involved?
Join One of Our New Scientist Discovery Tours
In partnership with AE Expeditions (part of Aurora Expeditions), New Scientist Discovery Tours is setting sail to the polar regions to provide breathtaking and illuminating travel experiences that combine the extraordinary natural surroundings with a focus on science and discovery.
Enjoy a vibrant program of expert-led talks, workshops, shore visits and Zodiac cruises, covering topics from polar science (including glaciology and marine biology) to the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human. Designed for curious minds to travel with kindred spirits.