Exxpedition
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Scientific Programme
    • Crew Directory
    • Sponsors & Partners
  • Expeditions

    2026 EXPEDITIONS

    • SOUTH PACIFIC I: Auckland to Bay of Islands
    • SOUTH PACIFIC II: Bay of Islands to Tongatapu
    • SOUTH PACIFIC III: Tongatapu to Vava’u
    • ARCTIC: Ilulissat to Nuuk

    2027 EXPEDITIONS

    • CARIBBEAN I: St Lucia to Sint Maarten
    • CARIBBEAN II: Sint Maarten to Curaçao
    • CARIBBEAN III: Curaçao to Aruba
    • ANTARCTICA: Ushuaia and back
    • NORTH PACIFIC I: Hawaii to Vancouver
    • NORTH PACIFIC II: Vancouver to Seattle

    PAST EXPEDITIONS

    • Maldives SHiFT 2023-2024
    • Round the World 2019-2021
    • North Pacific 2018
    • Round Britain 2017
    • Caribbean 2016 & 2017
    • Atlantic 2014 & 2015
  • Impact
    • Science
    • STORYTELLING
    • Ambassadors
    • Bursaries
    • Superpower Stories
  • Get Involved
    • Apply to Join
    • Take Action
    • Watch The Film
    • Donate
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media Coverage
    • Track the Boat
Exxpedition
Apply Now

Run a SHiFT Workshop

Apply Now
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Scientific Programme
    • Crew Directory
    • Sponsors & Partners
  • Expeditions
    • 2026
      • South Pacific I: Auckland to Bay of Islands
      • South Pacific II: Bay of Islands to Tongatapu
      • South Pacific III: Tongatapu to Vava’u
      • Arctic: Ilulissat to Nuuk
    • 2027
      • Caribbean I: St Lucia to Sint Maarten
      • Caribbean II: Sint Maarten to Curaçao
      • Caribbean III: Curaçao to Aruba
      • Antarctica: Ushuaia and back
      • North Pacific I: Hawaii to Vancouver
      • North Pacific II: Vancouver to Seattle
    • Past Expeditions
      • Maldives SHiFT 2023-2024
      • Round The World 2019-2021
      • North Pacific 2018
      • Round Britain 2017
      • Caribbean 2016-2017
      • Atlantic 2014-2015
  • Get Involved
    • Apply to Join
    • Take Action
    • Watch the Film
    • Donate
  • Impact
    • Science
    • STORYTELLING
    • Ambassadors
    • Bursaries
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media Coverage
    • Track the Boat

October 8, 2018

Download the SHiFT Workshop Guide Here

by eXXpedition Team
Filed under News

  • SHARE ON:
Previous post Helping us connect during eXXpedition North Pacific September 3, 2018
Next post Video: TOMRA shows our North Pacific crew sharing ocean plastic solutions! October 17, 2018
Meet the machine helping us trace ocean plastic ba Meet the machine helping us trace ocean plastic back to its source 🔬

This is an FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer), provided by our Science Partner PerkinElmer. It lets our crews identify the polymer type of every fragment of plastic we collect, whether from the ocean’s surface or the shoreline.

This technology helps us to pinpoint what a piece of plastic actually was before it broke down - which is key to tracing pollution back to its source and building solutions that work.

Watch to see the FTIR in action, plus some of the plastic types we’ve found so far 🌊

Learn more about our Science Programme today - link in our bio!

📸: 
Sibel Bulay
Rowan Henthorn
Naomi Hansen
Jinger Zeng
Malin Jacob
Mo Langmuir
Winnie Courtene

#eXXpedition
If we had to sum up this Arctic expedition in one If we had to sum up this Arctic expedition in one carousel... this would be it. 👉

From Ilulissat to Nuuk, via Sisimiut, we’ve shared incredible wildlife encounters, breathtaking landscapes, long days on the water, and unforgettable moments with the people who made this expedition what it was.

Alongside it all, we collected water samples and litter transects to better understand how microplastics are reaching one of the world’s most remote marine environments. Every data point contributes to a bigger picture of ocean health, and every conversation along the way adds important context to the science.

A huge thank you to our partners, crew and local experts for making this journey what it was. These are some of the moments we’ll remember most.

Photos taken by crew: @katysetssail, Sofia Nogues Segura, Shannon Osaka, @lyly.man
While eXXpedition’s latest Arctic voyage has com While eXXpedition’s latest Arctic voyage has come to an end, we thought we’d let you in on what life on an expedition really looks like.

Yes, there are incredible wildlife sightings, breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable moments.

But there’s also early starts, beans for dinner (again), cosy sleeping quarters, endless layers, changing weather, collecting samples, recording data, and everyone mucking in to keep things running.

It’s science, teamwork and adventure, with a healthy dose of sea legs and shared laughs along the way. Scroll across to see what an expedition really looks like. 👉
“The plastic crisis has reached every corner of “The plastic crisis has reached every corner of the world, even the most remote.”

Seven years after first sailing with eXXpedition in the Caribbean, crew member Sofia returned to sea with us—this time in the Arctic.

In her latest blog, she reflects on two expeditions, two very different oceans, and one shared reality: plastic pollution is everywhere, even in some of the world’s most pristine places.

Read Sofia’s reflections and discover what our science revealed along the way.

🔗 Head to the link in our Stories. 

Galley

Night watch

Manta Trawl
A milestone for eXXpedition 🧭 A few days ago, A milestone for eXXpedition 🧭

A few days ago, we reached the furthest north eXXpedition has ever travelled. This marks a significant moment in our journey, taking our mission to understand and tackle ocean plastic pollution further north than ever before.

We’re incredibly grateful to our crew, partners, supporters and everyone who made this expedition possible.
Nothing but Arctic waters 🌊 Nothing but Arctic waters 🌊
A polar plunge isn’t on the official expedition A polar plunge isn’t on the official expedition schedule… but it’s hard to say no when you’re surrounded by Arctic water 👀
Meet the incredible women sailing from Ilulissat t Meet the incredible women sailing from Ilulissat to Nuuk ✨

Onboard this Arctic expedition, we have a journalist, scientists, academic, health advocate, nurse practitioner, PhD student, communications manager, conservation strategist and consultant from the US, Spain, Austria and UK. 

Katja Heinzlmaier (@heinzlmine), Academic Expert and Lecturer 

Katharine Bear Nalven (@katysetssail), Marine Conservation Consultant | supported by Sea & Shore Solutions

Lyssa Manning (@lyly.man), Conservation Strategist & Circular Systems Builder | supported by @OceanConservancy

Waverly Wadsworth (@waverly.wadsworth), Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Student

Mission leader Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones (@_winniecj), Marine Biologist with a PhD in plastics pollution. 

Sofia Nogués Segura, Senior Communications Manager

Elizabeth Starnes (@Lstarnes21), Nurse Practitioner

Catherine Nicola Rogers, Health Coach and Health advocate 

Kateryna Peinecke (@katya_pei), Scientist

Stephanie Peters, Scientist

Shannon Osaka, Journalist and Writer

Natalie Foote (@nat_foote), Operations & Strategy Leader

Thank you to our partners at @Finisterre for the great kit – especially since we’ll be sailing in lower temperatures!

#eXXpedition
Where does all the plastic in the ocean come from, Where does all the plastic in the ocean come from, and what are the solutions to tackle this problem? 🌊

80% of it starts on land, so there’s no single fix for this problem. That’s why eXXpedition’s Science Programme is setting out to deliver the first global study tracing ocean plastic pollution back to where it really comes from! 🔍

Swipe through to see our why and how, then get into the nitty gritty of our methodology. From litter transects and store surveys, to sieving microplastics and analysing polymer types with an FTIR from PerkinElmer (@perkinelmer), our crews are gathering data across three areas - microplastics in water, litter on land and along coasts, and products and waste management in communities.

By looking closely at polymer types across land and sea, we can trace ocean plastic fragments back to the products they came from, helping drive solutions that are tailored to each place, not one-size-fits-all ♻️

Our programme follows the Circularity Assessment Protocol, developed by the Circularity Informatics Lab at the University of Georgia (@universityofga).

Tap the link in our bio to discover more.

📸: 

Naomi Hansen
Sophie Dingwall
Sibel Bulay
Eleanor Church
Pallavi Dave
Britta Baechler
eXXpedition 

#eXXpedition
We’re excited to be setting sail again for our f We’re excited to be setting sail again for our fourth expedition of the year. This time, we’re heading to the Arctic, exploring the spectacular west coast of Greenland! ❄️⛵
 
We’ll journey from the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord in Disko Bay to Sisimiut and on to Nuuk, combining hands-on scientific research with connecting with local communities along the way.
 
As we sail through ice filled fjords beneath the midnight sun, we’ll collect water samples to investigate microplastic pollution in one of the world’s most remote ocean environments. While this landscape appears untouched, our research helps reveal how plastic has travelled even to the Arctic - bringing us one step closer to understanding the global plastic crisis 🌊
 
To find our more about our voyage, please see our press release on our website via the link in bio.
 

A huge thank you to our partners for helping make this eXXpedition possible:
Kensington: @kensingtontours
UGA: @universityofga
PerkinElmer: @perkinelmer
Panexplore: @panexplore

@Heinzlmine
@katysetssail
@lyly.man
@waverly.wadsworth
@Lstarnes21
@katya_pei
@nat_foote
@_winniecj
 
#eXXpedition
Follow our Journey#exxpedition

Sign up to our e-mail newsletter!

loader

Your e-mail address is only used to send you our newsletter and information about the activities of eXXpedition. You can always use the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter.

  • Policies
  • Terms and Conditions
  • eXXpedition FAQs
  • Photo Credits
  • [email protected]
  • [email protected]
© eXXpedition 2026 | This website provides information for eXXpedition CIC and eXXpedition Travel Ltd |

Menu

  • CARIBBEAN I: St Lucia to Sint Maarten
  • CARIBBEAN II: Sint Maarten to Curaçao
  • CARIBBEAN III: Curaçao to Aruba
  • ANTARCTICA: Ushuaia and back
  • NORTH PACIFIC I: Hawaii to Vancouver
  • NORTH PACIFIC II: Vancouver to Seattle