IWC supports Cousteau Divers in effort to track ocean temperatures.
This past Saturday, just in time for World Oceans Day, IWC Schaffhausen announced its support of a new environmental project to study the effects fo climate change via measuring the ocean’s temperatures. The study is spearheaded by IWC’s diving partner, Cousteau Divers. The plans is to measure the ocean temps using precision sensors and then also gather information from recreational divers around the world to discover how ocean temperature affects biodiversity and climate.
IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau
“The ocean absorbs about 90% of the planet’s heat and produces more than half the oxygen we breathe. It acts as the Earth’s air conditioning system, and feeds hundreds of millions of people. A critical factor in understanding how the ocean stores and releases energy is its temperature. However, scientists still need more data in order to build a comprehensive picture of how ocean temperatures vary at depth, especially in coastal ecosystems, which are home to the vast majority of marine biodiversity.”
IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Mechanical chronograph movement ∙ Self-winding ∙ 44-hour power reserve when fully wound ∙ Mechanical external/internal rotating bezel with SafeDive system ∙ Date and day display ∙ Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds ∙ Small hacking seconds ∙ Luminescent elements on hands, dial and internal rotating bezel ∙ Screw-in crown ∙ Sapphire glass, convex, antireflective coating on both sides ∙ Water-resistant 30 bar ∙ IWC bracelet quick-change system ∙ Case height 17 mm ∙ Diameter 44 mm
The IWC supported Cousteau Divers project will measure ocean temperatures to try to ascertain how they affect marine life.
The Cousteau Society, formed in 1973 by the famed Jacques-Yves Cousteau, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of ocean life. IWC has been supporting this cause and the Society for the past 16 years, since 2003. The brand has also created five different Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Jacques-YvesCousteau watches during that time. Now the brand extends its partnership with the Society to support the Cousteau Divers.
“To measure the ocean’s temperature reliably and with a high degree of precision, Cousteau Divers’ team of volunteer engineers, led by Brad Bazemore and Brendan Walters, have developed a prototype for a portable precision temperature sensor. The device will track GPS and underwater navigational information… As a systems platform, the device will later be able to include additional oceanographic measurements such as conductivity, optical density and pH. About 50 of these sensors will be deployed to dive centers globally, at locations selected with the help of scientific partners. The entire project is open source, meaning that both the hardware and the software designs are available online…” This initial program will last for 18 months and then a larger plan will be enacted.
