Mission Blue: 1st Report from High Arctic Spitsbergen! • Polar Diving • Norway's New Hope Spot • Let's Protect 20% of the Ocean by 2020! • Twilight Data

In This Issue... Stories from the Ice: Field Report No. 1 from the Spitsbergen Expedition Spitsbergen Beneath the Surface: Field Report No. 2 The Jæren Coast of Norway Hope Spot is Announced! We Want to Protect 20% of the World's Oceans by 2020 Ocean Stores: Data from the Twilight Zone The Team is Back from the Spitsbergen Island Hope Spot! The Mission Blue Expedition to Spitsbergen Island Hope Spot was designed to create awareness, foster partnerships and ignite broad public support for a global network of marine protected areas, or "Hope Spots," large enough to save and restore the ocean. "I think the loss of sea ice really affects the whole ecosystem," said Alysa McCall, a polar bear expert that joined the Mission Blue expedition. She continued, "We sometimes say sea ice is to the ocean what soil is to the forest."  Read More! Polar Diving at Spitsbergen Island Hope Spot Beneath the waves, you find yourself immersed in planktonic life, including some surprisingly large zooplankton—pulsing golden green jellies the size of marbles, skittering shrimplike amphipods and graceful sea angels (Clione limacina). Blades of kelp glitter past your scuba mask as you look to the algae-covered rocks below, where mussels, shrimp, crabs and other invertebrates dwell. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot a plump harbor seal (Phoca vitulina ssp. vitulina) gliding by to check you out. None of Mission Blue's arctic scuba exploration would be possible without specialized gear from Scubapro designed for the extreme conditions of polar diving. Read (and See) More! The Jæren Coast of Norway Hope Spot is Announced! The Jæren Coast Hope Spot stretches from Ogna bay to Sola beach, and includes the protected islands of Rott, Haastein and Kjoer. The area has a high diversity of marine species and contains many unique habitats both in the sea and on its shores. “The local Jæren coast provides us with a wealth of resources and services, but has an intrinsic value that goes far beyond this,” said Fiona Provan, a local scientist. “Establishing a Hope Spot provides us with a great opportunity to share knowledge and to come together to build competence on how to best take care of this unique and diverse environment.” Learn More Let's Get 20% of the Oceans Protected by 2020 Share the News on Twitter Ocean Stories: Data from the Twilight Zone In this partner feature, Mae Dorricott, European Rolex Scholar, beautifully recounts her experience joining Dr. Sonya Rowley on her annual expedition to explore the "twilight zone" of Pohnpei at the Nihco Marine Park. As a part of this expedition, they studied humans' impact on the local sea fans, coral reefs, fish and other marine animals there. Dive in! Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Will you join us?

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