Before the next stages in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, and Antibes, the schooner Tara made a stop at the port of Nice.
Amid yachts, ferries, and pleasure boats, a ship catches the attention of passersby in the port of Nice: the schooner Tara. As part of its scientific expedition around the Mediterranean Sea, the sailing vessel is stopping over in the prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes for six days.
Under a blazing sun, researchers and crew members gave tours of the ship and explained the various objectives of their mission to the public.
In addition to these visits, the Surfrider Foundation and the Marine World Discovery Center offer activities and games on the theme of the Mediterranean, along with an exhibition entitled “Our Ocean Planet.”
The boat, 36 meters long and 10 meters wide, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. After several expeditions to the four corners of the planet, Tara is now sailing the Mediterranean Sea to study the impacts of plastic on the Mediterranean ecosystem.
This new mission aims to quantify plastic fragments, as well as their size and weight. It will also identify the types of plastics that spread in the sea and will explore the dynamics and function of microbial communities living on the plastic.
