01
Killer whales & cetaceans
Photo-identification of individual killer whales, sightings of whales and dolphins, behaviour and group composition.
Science
A field station under sail
Few research vessels ever sail all the way around Antarctica. Malabar will, collecting observations from waters rarely surveyed.
The programme
Observe where no one looks
A small, quiet sailing yacht can go where large ships rarely linger, and approach wildlife without the noise of engines.
Throughout the circumnavigation, the crew records what it sees with rigorous protocols, so that every observation can be used by researchers.
Research areas
02
Ocean & ice
Observations of the sea, the weather and the ice along a route that circles the whole continent.
Protocols to be confirmed
03
Further programmes
The scientific programme reaches well beyond orcas. Further research partners will be announced.
To be announced
Methods
How the data is collected
Photo-identification
Each killer whale can be recognised by its dorsal fin, saddle patch and scars. High-resolution photographs build an individual catalogue.
Sighting log
Every encounter is logged with time, GPS position, group size, behaviour and sea conditions.
Environmental context
Weather, sea state and ice conditions are recorded alongside each observation.
Shared standards
Protocols follow established practice, so that the data can be compared with existing catalogues.
Open data
Data that travels further than the boat
Data portal in preparation
The observations will be published in an online catalogue for the scientific community, in standard formats used by international biodiversity databases (Darwin Core, OBIS, GBIF).
Partner researchers will have full access; some data may be held for a time before publication, according to the needs of the research.
Publications
Reports & papers
Expedition reports and scientific publications will be listed here.
Researchers