Sea Women Expeditions High Arctic Expedition

Hello everyone and welcome to my Go Fund Me campaign for the November 2021 Sedna Epic Expedition to the High Arctic. This has now been postponed to November 2022 due to COVID. 

About Me
I am a marine biologist and lecturer based in Cumbria, UK. 

You can learn more about me here: https://littleone248.wixsite.com/website.

I am ecstatic to have been selected to join a team of talented sea-women from around the world on a Sedna Epic Expedition to the High Arctic in November 2022.  I have been awarded a place on the Science team onboard the MV Freya and will be focused on extracting eDNA from water samples, carrying out genetic, acoustic and photographic identification of orcas and humpbacks, assessing orca health, studying phycology and documenting ocean change under the supervision of Dr. Kirsten Muller, who is a Professor of Biology and Assistant Vice President of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. We will also be participating in a Women's Leadership Programme in Tromso, Norway to promote women in STEMM careers and to connect with Sami women and indigenous communities to explore scientific, environmental, societal and policy issues. We also have a Sedna Arts Team who will be documenting the expedition through photography, videography and various artworks. The data and media collected will be used in film, media, educational opportunities and workshops worldwide! Team Sedna are all 100% volunteers, including me! So I would really appreciate any help to go! 


About Sedna Epic 
The Sedna Epic Expedition was founded by Susan R. Eaton and is comprised of an incredibly talented and passionate team of women ocean scientists, marine biologists, explorers, movie-makers, photographers, artists, educators, Inuit advisors and team members, and polar divers and snorkelers. Sedna's sea women have hailed from Canada, the USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, England, Italy, Finland, Norway and Sweden. 

The Sedna Epic’s sea women scout, document and record "ocean change". This involves melting glaciers, disappearing sea ice, warming waters, ocean acidification, and shifting sea life populations.

Since 2013, Sedna’s sea women have mounted three snorkel and dive expeditions to the Arctic, conducting ocean research. In consultation with Inuit advisors and team members, Sedna's sixty sea women have delivered their innovative ocean knowledge sharing and mobilization program to 1,000 Inuit youths, girls and Elders in Labrador, Nunavut and Greenland.

(The Sedna Epic Expedition's founder and leader Susan R. Eaton navigates pack ice, offshore northern Labrador. Photo copyright sednaepic.com - Jill Heinerth)

Sedna's sea women bring the ocean to eye level for Inuit (many of whom don't swim) via: Mobile touch aquariums that temporarily house sea critters; by running underwater robot-building camps for youth; and by leading Inuit girls and Elders on snorkel safaris to see the marine biodiversity in their own back yards, so to speak.

But, Sedna's ocean work in the High Arctic is far from finished...
Sedna's sea women will return to the High Arctic in Winter 2019 and 2022.

Photo is courtesy of expedition partner Waterproof Cruises & Expeditions and copyright of Jens Wikström - Wildlife Photography

About the Sedna Epic expedition to the High Arctic 
At 69 degrees North, Tromsø lies some 350 kilometres above the Arctic Circle and is Norway's gateway to the High Arctic.

The Sedna Epic's Norway team is comprised of around 35 sea women who hail from Canada, the United States, England and Australia. This talented group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous ocean women includes underwater photographers and videographers, anthropologists, lawyers, marine biologists, geologists, polar guides, artists, journalists, undergraduate students and PhD candidates.

Women's Leadership Program 
The first stage of our expedition involves running a 2 ½ day women’s leadership program in Tromsø to discuss women’s growing representation in policy, exploration and STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) careers. Sedna's Indigenous team members will provide insights about the unique issues that Inuit women face in Canada's High Arctic.

During the leadership program we hope to collaborate with Sami women—much like we’ve connected with Inuit women and girls during Sedna’s expeditions—to better understand this part of the Arctic, its history, geography, and the culture and traditions of its Indigenous people.

We anticipate many women will attend the women's leadership program, including: Team Sedna members; Sedna's advisors; Sami women; and women involved in advancing gender equality in the Arctic, including scientific, environmental, societal and policy issues.

Scientific Research of Orcas & Humpbacks 
Every winter, orcas and humpbacks congregate in northern Norwegian fjords to feed on vast schools of herring and creating one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet!

Following the women's leadership program, Team Sedna will spend time at sea aboard a research vessel and will be undertaking scientific research. Some of the scientific research carried out will include the photographic, acoustic and genetic identification of orcas and humpback whales. A team member has custom built a whale research platform named HVAL (HydroVideo Acoustic Logger) to aid this research. Other research includes the extraction of Environmental DNA (eDNA) from water samples which will reveal the presence of certain species,  analysing ocean conditions, welfare and behaviour studies on the whales and documenting disappearing sea ice and the effects of climate change. Other projects involve investigating marine geology; micro-plastics and plankton. The data and media collected will be used in film, media, educational opportunities and workshops worldwide!

Image is courtesy of Waterproof Cruises & Expeditions and photographer and explorer Göran Ehlmé of Waterproof International. 

For more info on Sedna Epic please visit https://www.sednaepic.com/

The Sedna Epic Expedition is incredibly important to me for a number of reasons. Not only it is an amazing opportunity to further my skills and abilities in the field, but I will also connect with a team of multitalented women from around the world from whom I can learn. We will collect valuable scientific data and document ocean change in the battle against climate change.
I am also incredibly passionate about the growing representation of women in STEMM. I have had to work extra hard to prove myself time and time again in my field. Therefore, inspiring and encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in STEMM is a cause close to my heart! 

Costs of the Sedna Epic Expedition
Unfortunately raising funds for polar expeditions is the biggest hurdle that explorers face. The Sedna Epic has no paid employees and volunteerism is a cornerstone of our expeditions.
It takes a community of generous patrons, supporters and  donors to send a team of women divers and snorkelers to the High Arctic.

Here is a breakdown of my fundraising  costs:

Live-aboard, shared cabin (4,000 Euros or $USD 4,450) Cohort #1

Sedna Admin Fee ($USD 150)

Return Air Fare to Tromso ($USD 1,300 to $1,700)

Three Nights Hotel/Meals in Tromso, based upon double occupancy  ($USD 600)

 One Night Hotel/Meals in Oslo, based upon double occupancy ($USD 200)

 Miscellaneous—taxi transfers, excess baggage, air evacuation insurance, etc. ($USD 600)

 Total: $USD 7,700**

 **It’s recommended to add a 10% contingency…

Own expenses:
Cohort #2 Live-aboard 4200 euros
Gear and training £500 to £1000

Initially I need to pay :

$USD 150 to Sedna Epic for Administration

800 Euro deposit to Waterproof Cruises and Expeditions to secure my position on board 

I am firstly focusing on raising my initial expenses and hope to raise these costs by December 2019. 

I then hope to have raised the remaining expedition costs by August 2021. 

*The expedition has now been postponed to November 2022 due to COVID.

I will be running various fundraising events, delivering presentations, applying for grants and corporate sponsors, saving my wages and appealing to kind donors who want to support adventurous females!

Your gift, no matter how small, will help lead the way in ocean education, help to promote women in STEMM and empower women and girls. You will champion female role models and help to create a space for girls to excel in science, the arts and exploration. You will enable the collection of important scientific data on orcas, humpbacks, ocean change, ocean chemistry, marine geology, micro-plastics and plankton.  You will encourage curiosity, inspire wonder and ignite action for all who experience and follow the Sedna Epic Expedition above and below the surface!

No amount is too small and I genuinely appreciate your generosity so greatly!

Photo by Karin Brussaard and courtesy of Waterproof Cruises & Expeditions

For more information, please check out the Sedna Epic website https://www.sednaepic.com/
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Twitter: @SednaEpic
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