ABOUT
Our mission
Our mission is to inspire, engage, and motivate people to connect with our ocean. We are building a global network of sailors and researchers to observe and collect vital data from our ocean and coastlines on board their sailboats. We raise awareness on board, in ports, and in marinas through open science participation, active communication, and demonstrations. We share ocean insights and inspire people to adopt new ocean-friendly lifestyles. We build and exchange capacity with low-income countries through a frugal approach to ocean observations in their home waters.
CONNECTIVITY
The ocean knows no borders.
But it is not without limits.
The ocean connects continents, helps to moderate the planet's climate and sustains life on our planet. Ocean currents link distant ocean basins and ecosystems, reminding us that the ocean is a single, interconnected system. Ocean currents form a global circulation system that redistributes heat, carbon, nutrients and oxygen around the planet over timescales ranging from years to centuries. Sometimes described as the ocean's global conveyor belt, this circulation links the surface and deep ocean, distant ocean basins and marine ecosystems while helping regulate the planet's climate and sustain marine productivity. Microscopic larvae drift across national boundaries before settling on distant shores. Migrating fish, seabirds and marine mammals connect ecosystems separated by thousands of kilometres. The same currents that sustain life can also transport plastic pollution, contaminants and invasive species to some of the world's most remote regions. The ocean reminds us that local actions can have global consequences. Because the ocean knows no borders, responsibility for understanding, managing and caring for its future must also be shared.
One vast ocean – satellite image by Google and focal point at the center of the Pacific Ocean.
OCEAN AWE
The ocean has inspired explorers, scientists and sailors for centuries.
Whether discovering life in a tidal pool, finding a shell on a beach, watching bioluminescence illuminate a breaking wave or crossing an ocean beneath a star-filled sky, meaningful encounters with the ocean awaken curiosity and reveal an ocean that is both vast and full of hidden wonders. For centuries the ocean has represented freedom, discovery and possibility. Some encounters remind us of its immense scale: a horizon without end, migrating whales far from land, or the humbling perspective that comes from crossing an ocean under sail. Others reveal equally extraordinary worlds hidden in the smallest forms of life: a crab beneath a rock, the architecture of a shell, or the astonishing diversity contained within a drop of seawater. Ocean experiences often begin with wonder, but they rarely end with wonder alone. They invite questions about how the ocean works, how its many parts are connected, and why it is changing. Curiosity naturally leads us to seek understanding. Our experience from Sailing4Science expeditions suggests that meaningful encounters with the ocean often become turning points, leaving lasting impressions and a deeper appreciation of our relationship with the sea. Increasingly, experiences of wonder are accompanied by clues about the ocean's changing health.
THE OCEAN THAT SUSTAINS US
The ocean quietly sustains life on our planet every day.
The ocean regulates climate, produces much of the oxygen we breathe, feeds billions of people and buffers humanity from many of the environmental consequences of modern development. Much of this invisible work goes unnoticed, yet our wellbeing depends upon it every day. The ocean is our planet's largest life-support system. It redistributes heat, absorbs much of the excess heat and carbon dioxide generated by human activities, and supports the rich web of life that provides food, livelihoods and economic prosperity for billions of people. These services are so fundamental that we rarely stop to notice them. Every second breath we take, every meal provided by the sea, every shipment crossing an ocean, and every degree of warming moderated by the ocean reflects processes that have evolved over millions of years. For generations we regarded these services as limitless. Today we are learning that they cannot be taken for granted.
A RESILIANT, BUT CHANGING, OCEAN
Have we mistaken resilience for invulnerability?
For centuries the ocean has buffered humanity from many of the environmental consequences of modern development. Today, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are reshaping the ocean in multiple ways at once, challenging the resilience of marine ecosystems and the life-support services upon which we all depend. For much of human history, the ocean's vastness created the impression that it was limitless. Many changes unfolded beyond the horizon and outside public awareness. As a shared global commons, the ocean has often been vulnerable to collective overuse, where the benefits of exploitation are immediate and visible, while the costs are distributed, delayed and easier to overlook. Today the ocean is changing at an unprecedented pace and in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Warming waters, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, pollution, overexploitation and biodiversity loss are no longer isolated challenges. They interact, reinforce one another and propagate through the ocean's extraordinary connectivity. Humanity has never had greater capacity to understand the ocean than it does today. Advances in ocean science, Earth System Science, global observing systems and international collaboration have transformed our understanding of how the ocean regulates climate, sustains life and connects the planet. Yet the ocean itself is changing faster than our collective ability to observe, understand and respond. The challenge is no longer simply to advance scientific understanding, but to ensure that observations, awareness, engagement and stewardship keep pace with the changes now unfolding. Some marine ecosystems are approaching ecological thresholds beyond which recovery becomes increasingly difficult. This is why ocean resilience matters. Protection, conservation, restoration, rewilding and pollution reduction are among the practical pathways for strengthening resilience and helping marine ecosystems recover and adapt in a rapidly changing ocean.
SAILING 4 SCIENCE
We are changing the ocean faster than we are understanding it.
Sailing4Science connects sailors, scientists and citizens to expand ocean observations, strengthen ocean literacy, and create opportunities to connect with the ocean through science. Large parts of the ocean remain under-observed, particularly across the high seas, around remote islands and along sparsely monitored coastlines. Sailing4Science helps address these knowledge gaps by transforming sailing voyages into opportunities for professional and citizen-based ocean observations. But observations are only part of our mission. Sailing4Science also creates opportunities for people to experience the ocean firsthand, connect with marine science and become part of a growing community that values and cares for the ocean. By bringing together sailors, scientists, educators, research organisations, non-profit organisations and citizens, we help strengthen the connection between ocean science and society. The future of the ocean will not be shaped solely by what we choose to extract from it. Increasingly, it will also be shaped by what we choose to protect, restore, regenerate and better understand. Together we contribute to the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want. Sailing4Science is an open, collaborative, bottom-up initiative built on the belief that understanding and caring for the ocean is a shared responsibility. Driven by curiosity, collaboration and a sense of ocean awe, we bring together sailors, scientists, educators, ocean advocates, research institutes, non-profit organisations and engaged individuals to expand observations, strengthen ocean literacy and deepen the connection between science, society and the sea. Our programme is endorsed by UNESCO as an official project of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Because the ocean knows no borders, neither can the understanding, partnerships and shared responsibility needed to navigate its future.
OPEN REALITIES
Open realities
>THE OCEAN PRODUCES APPROXIMATELY EVERY SECOND BREATH WE TAKE. YET THE SYSTEMS THAT SUSTAIN THIS PRODUCTIVITY ARE CHANGING.
 Warming, pollution and ocean acidification are already affecting marine ecosystems from plankton to coral reefs. >THE OCEAN HAS ABSORBED MORE THAN 90% OF THE EXCESS HEAT GENERATED BY GLOBAL WARMING. YET THIS CLIMATE-BUFFERING SERVICE IS NOT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES. Marine heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, contributing to coral bleaching, species redistribution and ecosystem disruption around the world. >THE OCEAN HAS ABSORBED AROUND ONE-QUARTER OF HUMAN CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS. YET THIS SERVICE COMES AT A COST.
 Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean acidity has increased by approximately 30%, altering seawater chemistry and affecting shell-forming organisms, coral reefs and marine food webs. >THE OCEAN PROVIDES FOOD AND LIVELIHOODS FOR BILLIONS OF PEOPLE. YET ABUNDANCE SHOULD NOT BE MISTAKEN FOR INEXHAUSTIBILITY.
 More than one-third of assessed fish stocks are exploited beyond biologically sustainable levels, while many others are fully exploited. The effects ripple through marine food webs, influencing seabirds, marine mammals and entire ecosystems. >THE OCEAN CONNECTS THE PLANET. Ocean currents transport heat, nutrients, carbon and life across entire ocean basins, helping sustain marine productivity and biodiversity. YET CONNECTIVITY HAS A DOUBLE EDGE.
 The same ocean currents that sustain life can also transport plastic pollution, contaminants and invasive species to some of the most remote regions on Earth.
WHAT WE DO
Sailing4Science transforms sailing voyages into opportunities for ocean science, learning and engagement. We support professional and citizen-based observations, facilitate collaborative research in under-sampled regions, strengthen ocean literacy through outreach and education, and build partnerships that connect science, society and the sea. By democratizing ocean observations and creating opportunities for participation, we help cultivate a growing community of people who understand, value and care for the ocean upon which we all depend.
OUR OBJECTIVES
KNOWLEDGE We support students, researchers and citizen scientists committed to marine investigation, education and technology development suitable for small sailing research vessels. We help expand observations in under-sampled regions and support marine researchers in countries and communities with limited research infrastructure. ENGAGEMENT We connect people with ocean science and ocean experiences. Through participatory expeditions, workshops, demonstrations and public outreach, we raise awareness, strengthen ocean literacy and make marine science more accessible. STEWARDSHIP We help build communities for local and global ocean stewardship through knowledge, engagement and shared responsibility. We aim to empower youth, female leadership and diverse participation in ocean science, sailing and stewardship.
WHO WE ARE
Sailing4Science is an open, collaborative initiative that brings together sailors, scientists, educators, students, citizen scientists, ocean storytellers, professional sailing enterprises, non-profit organisations and institutions from around the world. As a UNESCO-endorsed UN Ocean Decade project, we work across disciplines, sectors and borders to expand ocean knowledge, strengthen ocean literacy and promote meaningful engagement with the ocean.
Murat Van Ardelan
Murat Ardelan leads the Marine Chemistry and Biogeochemistry group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has experience working both in Antarctic and Arctic regions and focuses on understanding the role of trace metals in marine biogeochemical cycles.
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellov leads the research group in marine environmental nanochemistry at the University of Gothenburg. He is working on marine pollution in its solid form, e.g. marine litter, from nanometer scale to the ecosystem level. He is also running the sailing research and communication vessel Hrimfare (hrimfare.com)
Maria Gutiérrez González
María is the coordinator for research & education at NTNU’s strategic research area of Oceans (NTNU Oceans) providing her insight and experience on interdisciplinarity and knowledge transfer and focusing on citizen science and capacity building initiatives.
Andreas Gondikas
Andreas is a Researcher at the University of Athens, Greece. He is studying particulate and particle-associated contaminants in the environment and their effects on human health and the ecosystem.
Maria G. Digernes
Maria Digernes is a PhD student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She is working on dissolved organic carbon characterization and trace elements in the ocean.
Bjorn Bertoft
Bjorn is a sailor and citizen scientist with his own climate sailing project 100% Sun Wind Water 2018-2022. He manages communication, media, and brand development for projects aligned with the UN Agenda 2030.
Mathew K. Avarachen
Mathew is a PhD student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He is working on biological and microbial carbon pumps in the ocean and its ecological responses of marine ecosystems.
Annie Vera Hunnestad
Annie finished her PhD at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), specializing in iron aqcuisition strategies in marine cyanobacteria.
Kuria Ndungu
Kuria is a researcher at The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), mainly studying inorganic ions and elements in seawater and exploring extraction of mineral resources from the ocean.
Julia Farkas
Julia Farkas is a Research Scientist in the Climate and Environment research department at SINTEF Ocean in Trondheim, Norway.
Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski
Tomasz is a Researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) at the Department of Biology.