The month of January was impacted by the port call of French schooner Tara, which stopped in Savannah, GA on January 20-26. Tara provides samples and data to the scientific community worldwide to learn more about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. It is the very first attempt to make a global study of marine plankton.
During their six-day port call, a number of events was organized to raise environmental awareness among the general public, and particularly young people. Among the many activities scheduled were a phytoplankton collection stop in NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary; the welcoming of pre-registered groups of students from Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties aboard the vessel; and a series of scientific seminars.