At The Ocean Race we want to do all we can to support and protect the seas. An important element of this is using our unique race - which goes through some of the most remote parts of the planet that are rarely accessible for scientific research - to gather valuable information about the health of the ocean. This isn’t something that we can do alone, our onboard science programme relies on our amazing teams, who play a key role in helping to improve understanding about our marine world and the threats it faces. 

The data the sailors collect provides leading science organisations across the world with valuable information, in real-time, that helps to paint a more accurate picture of what is happening to the ocean and the important role it plays in maintaining a healthy planet.

The Ocean Race 2022-23

This edition of the Race saw our most ambitious science programme to date (and what we believe is the most comprehensive science programme of any sporting event in the world). During the 32,000 mile long race, 4.3 million measurements of essential ocean parameters were taken, including, for the first time, levels of oxygen and trace elements in the water. Data was also delivered to science partners faster in this edition, transmitted via satellite and reaching the organisations in real time.

These measurements aim to improve understanding of two of the biggest threats to the health of the seas: the impact of climate change and plastic pollution. Data also fed, and continues to feed, into global weather reports and revealed valuable insights into life beneath the waves. The data collected included:

• Indicators of climate change: Two boats, 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia, carried OceanPacks, which take water samples to measure levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, salinity and temperature, providing insights about the impact of climate change on the ocean. Trace elements, including iron, zinc, copper and manganese, were also captured for the first time. 

• Plastic pollution: GUYOT environnement – Team Europe and Holcim – PRB took water samples throughout the race to test for microplastics. The analysis will reveal the amount of microplastics throughout the route and scientists will also study the samples to determine which plastic product the fragments originated from (for example, a bottle or carrier bag).

• Meteorological data: The entire fleet had onboard weather sensors to measure wind speed, wind direction and air temperature. Teams also deployed drifter buoys in the Southern Ocean, a critical part of the ocean where there are data gaps. The buoys capture measurements on an ongoing basis to grow understanding about how currents and the climate are changing. The meteorological data helps improve weather forecasts and are particularly valuable for predicting extreme weather events, as well as revealing insights on longer-term climate trends. 

• Ocean Biodiversity: Biotherm collaborated with the Tara Ocean Foundation to trial an experimental research project to study ocean biodiversity during the Race. An onboard automated microscope recorded images of marine phytoplankton on the ocean surface, which were later analysed to provide insights on phytoplankton diversity in the ocean, along with biodiversity, food webs and the carbon cycle. 

In a first-of-its-kind data collection for racing boats, environmental DNA, known as eDNA, was gathered during leg 4 by 11th Hour Racing Team. Each sample included genetic material contained in microbes or shed by thousands of marine species through their waste products and skin cells. Analysis of this eDNA gives a comprehensive snapshot of the presence and diversity of species with high accuracy. Data can help to track endangered species, monitor diseases and pathogens and, when samples are compared over time, eDNA can provide insights into how the climate crisis is affecting marine life.

Click the image below to explore the data that was collected by teams during The Ocean Race 2022-23:

How the data is used

All of the collected data is open-source and shared with The Ocean Race’s science partners - organisations across the world that are examining the impact of human activity on the ocean. From there it feeds into reports that inform and influence governments across the world, including reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) along with databases such as the Surface Ocean Carbon Dioxide Atlas, which provides data for the Global Carbon Budget, a yearly assessment of carbon dioxide that informs targets and predictions for carbon reduction. 

Click here to view infographic in full size

Part of the data gathering (measurements from the surface drifter buoys, Argo float and onboard weather stations) supports efforts by international organisations who work together as part of the Global Ocean Observing System, a network aimed at improving understanding of our one ocean. 

The scientific data contributes to the Ocean Decade Odyssey project which is an endorsed project of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030).

Our science program is run in collaboration with world-leading institutes, including:
• IOC-UNESCO / OceanOPS
• GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• National Oceanography Center 
• Ifremer 
• World Meteorological Organization
• Centre national de la recherche scientifique 
• Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
• Universitat de Lleida
• Meteo-France 
• UK Met Office
• University of Rhode Island
• Cawthron Institute
• VLIZ

The origins of the Science programme

The Science programme can be traced back to 2001 when onboard sensors captured ocean data. In 2015, the first drifter buoys were deployed by teams, to take continual measurements about the climate and essential ocean variables. The programme was ramped up for the following edition of the Race in 2017-18, with science equipment installed onboard the boats for the first time to take measurements as the fleet raced around the world. Analysis of the samples collected during the event made headlines around the world with the discovery of microplastics at Point Nemo - the furthest place from land on the planet, where the nearest people are in the International Space Station. View the report here.

Data was also collected during the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021. This time, deeper analysis was made of the microplastics, providing significant insights into the levels of plastic fibres in Europe’s waters. (View the report here.)