Malizia Explorer Departs Ushuaia For Second Antarctic Mission, Joining Forces With Under The Pole
For the first of two consecutive one-month missions, the sailing research vessels Malizia Explorer and Under The Pole are teaming up for an expedition to Antarctica. The mission brings together an international crew of scientists and climate activists, including Dr. Lea Olivier, Luisa Neubauer, Camille Étienne, and Tamara Klink, to the Western Antarctic Peninsula, where Malizia Explorer will carry out research, support Under The Pole’s scientific deep diving programme, and help amplify the mission’s conservation and policy implications.
For the second time, Team Malizia’s sailing research vessel Malizia Explorer has left the Beagle Channel, heading south from Ushuaia, the Gateway to Antarctica, towards one of the most climatically sensitive regions on Earth. This one-month expedition forms part of a broader collaboration with Under The Pole, an organisation founded in 2008 by deep diver and marine explorers Emmanuelle and Ghislain Bardout, dedicated to the understanding and preservation of the Ocean. Their scientific expedition sailing vessel, WHY, has been operating in the region since early December as part of a three-month Antarctic campaign. While WHY remains on site, Malizia Explorer will undertake two consecutive missions, with a second voyage scheduled to follow in early February 2026.
Onboard Malizia Explorer is a diverse international team of sailors, scientists, climate advocates, journalists, and influencers, including environmental activists Luisa Neubauer (Germany) and Camille Étienne (France), Tamara Klink (Brazil), and Dr Lea Olivier (France) from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). Together, they form a collective dedicated to making the often-invisible impacts of climate change in Antarctica visible to the global public and conduct scientific research.
Malizia Explorer leaving the Beagle Channel and heading to the Western Antarctic Peninsula for a joint mission with Under The Pole ©️ Marin Le Roux | polaRYSE | Team Malizia
After departing Ushuaia on Wednesday evening local time, the crew is now crossing the Drake Passage to rendezvous with WHY in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, within the Austral Sea, an area undergoing some of the most rapid environmental changes on the planet. This region is particularly sensitive to shifts in sea-ice cover, glacial melt, and Ocean circulation, all of which have global implications for climate regulation and sea-level rise.
Through this joint mission, Malizia Explorer is supporting Under The Pole’s work as part of the DEEPLIFE programme, a global initiative dedicated to studying and documenting Marine Animal Forests (MAFs) across the world’s Ocean basins, from polar to tropical regions, and from shallow waters (0–30 m) to mesophotic depths (30–200 m). DEEPLIFE, endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and led scientifically by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), aims to advance the conservation of deep marine ecosystems, too often overlooked. Lorenzo Bramanti, DEEPLIFE’s scientific co-director and experienced deep diver, is on board the WHY throughout the three-month expedition to ensure the successful implementation of scientific protocols.
Some of the expedition participants on Malizia Explorer's departure day in Ushuaia ©️ Marin Le Roux | polaRYSE | Team Malizia
During the Antarctic expedition, Malizia Explorer will provide logistical and operational support to the Under The Pole team, enabling their vessel, WHY, to conduct deep human diving operations and scientific research throughout the three-month summer campaign. In parallel, scientific work onboard Malizia Explorer, led by Léa Olivier (AWI), will focus on linking physical Ocean structure, biological activity and carbon fluxes across coastal-to-open-ocean gradients. These studies aim to close key data gaps and improve understanding of Ocean-climate interactions in the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
Beyond exploration and science, the joint expedition called Global Warning also carries a strong advocacy and awareness mission: a dedicated campaign will be launched to highlight the importance of protecting Antarctic marine and particularly mesophotic ecosystems, with the support of influencers and public figures on board, amplifying the message to global audiences. Guided by the belief that we only protect what we know and love, the team will also lead global outreach initiatives, connecting with schools and adult audiences worldwide through live communications, storytelling, calls-to-action and educational events.
Malizia Explorer leaving the Beagle Channel ©️ Marin Le Roux | polaRYSE | Team Malizia
The expedition builds on Malizia Explorer’s previous Antarctic research and outreach efforts, conducted in November in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute, the German Environment Agency, and ThINK Jena. That earlier mission delivered the first detailed field study of the Danger Islands, a small yet ecologically significant island group, providing critical data to improve global climate models and inform political decision-making. Beyond data collection, the project aimed to bridge science and policy by translating research insights into concrete conservation strategies.
With this second expedition, Malizia Explorer continues to strengthen its role as a platform for scientific research, exploration, and climate advocacy in Antarctica. By partnering with Under The Pole, the vessel helps advance understanding of fragile polar ecosystems while amplifying the urgency of their protection to audiences worldwide. As the Antarctic summer unfolds, the team will continue to combine science, storytelling, and outreach to inspire global action for Ocean conservation.
Follow the Global Warning 2026 expedition
Updates from the Global Warning 2026 mission will be shared throughout the Antarctic campaign via Malizia Explorer’s channels, as well as those of Under The Pole and the expedition participants.
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