Mercuria CSR report 2023 - Flipbook - Page 50
PARTNER PROFILE 2023
FOREL
Non-profit scientific research, Switzerland
The Forel Heritage Association’s mission is to provide scientists with a mobile scientific platform in
the form of a sailing vessel – FOREL – dedicated to polar and subpolar research.
The Forel Heritage Association is a non-profit organization responsible for the scientific
mandate of the research sailing vessel FOREL.
Highlighting the ongoing efforts to protect ocean health, Mercuria proudly stands as one of
FOREL’s leading sponsors.
Mercuria’s expertise in renewable energy and its commitment to promote sustainability will
help FOREL to leverage the results gathered by the platform to help decision-makers propose
solutions for future generations.
WHO OR WHAT IS FOREL?
FOREL is a 28-meter-long motorized sailing
vessel with an aluminum hull allowing her to
navigate in polar and sub-polar regions. The
vessel has been refitted in Lorient in western
France, as a scientific platform including basic
oceanography equipment such as CTD, a
rosette and a Ferrybox for physicochemical
measurements and water sampling.
The platform is equipped with a winch and
cable, allowing various samples to be collected
at depths of up to 1,000 meters. Lab benches,
fume hoods, Milli-Q water production, freezers,
chemical cabinets, etc. have been installed to
accommodate
additional equipment
that
scientists will be able to bring on board as part
of their projects. It has the ambition to train
young sailors and scientists to the challenges
of the polar regions.
She is named after François-Alphonse Forel, a
Swiss scientist born in 1841 whose research in
biology,
chemistry,
water
circulation,
sedimentation and their interactions laid the
foundations for a new discipline: limnology.
WHY DO SCIENCE IN POLAR AND SUBPOLAR REGIONS?
The polar and sub-polar regions are the climate
sentinels and are proving to be a key to
anticipate the effects of climate change on our
planet. This is why these regions are unique
fields of study for researchers from a wide
range of disciplines (glaciology, oceanography,
biology, atmospheric science, etc.).
FOREL will focus on coastal areas that are
difficult to access with large platforms. These
coastal zones are very dynamic and extremely
important as they are the point of exchange
between
the
terrestrial
and
oceanic
environments.
The research programs carried out by scientists
aboard FOREL will provide a better
understanding of the impact of anthropogenic
disturbances on polar ecosystems, in the
context of current and future climate scenarios.
HOW IS FOREL HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
HELPING PRESERVE POLAR REGIONS?
49
