New NOAA leader a win for all sailors

by Sail-World on 29 Jan 2009 The change to a new administration in the USA will have many effects on our world political and economic environment.

For sailors who are environmentally aware (and the more you sail the greener you usually become), not only in Australia but around the world, there's a clear win with the recent appointment the new head of NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmosphere Administration).

A member of Sailors for the Sea's advisory board - that not-for-profit organisation that attempts to protect and restore oceans and coastal waters - Dr Jane Lubchenco has just been announced as the new head that very influential body, and will be the first woman to head the organisation if confirmed by the US Senate

Dr Lubchenco has demonstrated her commitment to remedy the troubles of the oceans of the world, to solve the challenges of acidification, pollutants and the serious decline in fish stocks. As an American environmental scientist and marine ecologist, she is the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Oregon State University Distinguished Professor of Zoology. Her research interests include biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science and the state of the oceans.

In addition to serving on the Pew Oceans Commission and the US Commission on Ocean Policy, Dr. Lubchenco was a member of the Sailors for the Sea Science Advisory Committee. Dr. Lubchenco joined the Sailors for the Sea Science Advisory Committee in 2007 to consult on the scientific validity of the Around the Americas project and its associated experiments.

About Around the Americas and Sailors for the Sea:

This project, a circumnavigation by sailboat of North and South America, is designed to focus international attention on ocean health through scientific observation and evaluation of the ocean environment and providing a platform for scientists and educators to communicate the urgency of the issues to the broader public.

For Sailors for the Sea 2009 is shaping up to be an interesting year with many achievements among the great challenges. There will be the world premiere of the film, A Sea Change, the launch of the Around the America's expedition, and the commitment from leading regattas such St. Marteen and the British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta to join the Clean Regattas program.

To find more information about Sailors for the Sea, or, better still, to join this worthy sailors' organisation, and find out how to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, go to their website