View from the trail of Diana's Peak National Park on Saint Helena, South Atlantic Ocean

King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) with introduced reindeer at breeding and nesting colony at St. Andrews Bay on South Georgia, Southern Ocean, Polar Regions

Salt flats and distant views of Pichu Pichu, El Misti and Chachani volcanoes, Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, Arequipa Province, Arequipa Region, Peru, South America

Lioness (Panthera leo) with cub, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, Africa

A lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica, Polar Regions

El Teide National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Atlantic, Europe

El Teide National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Atlantic, Europe

Fungus on tree trunk, Pyrddin Gorge, Pontneddfechan, Neath Valley, South Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis chathamensis), can live for over 100 years, on San Cristobal island, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Kicker Rock, a volcanic formation near the island of San Cristobal, a popular spot for snorkelling, Galapagos Islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus), large lizard can can grow to five feet long and live for 60 years, South Plaza island, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Caterpillar on rock near Diablo Waterfalls (Pailon del Diablo), Tungurahua Province, Ecuador

Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus), large lizard can can grow to five feet long and live for 60 years, South Plaza island, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Mangroves in front of the King Leopold sandstone formations, Hunter River, Frederick Harbor, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia, Pacific

Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis chathamensis), can live for over 100 years, San Cristobal island, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Underwater view of Jellyfish Lake, a marine lake located on Eil Malk Island, Rock Islands, Palau, Micronesia, Pacific

Elevated view of pandanus (screw palm) trees at a site known as the Milky Way, Palau, Micronesia, Pacific

Panoramic of a huge boab tree (Adansonia gregorii), growing in Careening Bay, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia, Pacific

Petrified forest, Agia Marina, Agios Nikolaos Geopark, beach with turquoise water in the south of Greece, Greece

Large dry salt lake in the Sharaan Nature Reserve, AlUla, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Large dry salt lake in the Sharaan Nature Reserve, AlUla, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Large dry salt lake in the Sharaan Nature Reserve, AlUla, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Aerial view of Jabal Ithlib area within Site of Hegra (Madain Salih), UNESCO, in the area of AlUla, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Adult rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome) at breeding and molting colony on New Island, Falkland Islands

View of New Island in the Falkland Islands

Adult Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax (atriceps) atriceps) exhibiting intense breeding plumage, New Island, Falkland Islands

Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), being fed in Hol Chan Marine Preserve, inside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Belize

Tourists hand-feeding tarpon (Megalops atlaticus), at feeding station inside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Belize

Rock formations in the oasis Tigui, Tibesti Mountains, Chad

Adult brown bears (Ursus arctos) foraging for salmon at the Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States of America

Adult brown bears (Ursus arctos) foraging for salmon at the Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States of America

Young Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari) among mangrove trees in shallow water, Bermuda

Adult fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) sub-surface feeding in the rich waters off the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Adult bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) hauled out on the ice in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Adult Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) grazing within the town limits of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

A curious young polar bear (Ursus maritimus), approaches the ship on Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, UNESCO, Ounila River valley, Ouarzazate Province, region of Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

Djebel Saghro, near Tizi'n-Tinififft, on the road from Ouarzazate to Agdz, Draa-Tafilet region, Morocco

Views of the abandoned whaling station in Stromness Bay on South Georgia in the Southern Ocean, Polar Regions

Thrift near Marwick Head, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Puffins, Mingulay, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

View of glacial ice on Alexander Island in Franz Josef Land, Russia, Arctic Ocean, Eurasia

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Great frigatebird (Fregata minor) chick in the nest in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Beautiful view of Death Valley National Park, California, United States of America, North America

Remarkable sandstone rock carved by erosion in the Ashar Valley, AlUla, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Adult rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome) at breeding and molting colony on New Island, Falkland Islands

Nevado Ausangate mountain in the Andes, Pitumarca District, Cusco (Cuzco) Region, Peru, South America, South America

El Teide National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Atlantic, Europe

El Teide National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Atlantic, Europe

Tourists hand-feeding tarpon (Megalops atlaticus), at feeding station inside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Belize

Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris), just outside Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Views of Austfonna, an ice cap located on Nordaustlandet in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, Arctic, Europe

Galapagos Land Iguana (conolophus subcristatus), a large lizard species, that can grow up to five feet long and live 60 years, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Example of the thick foliage and undercut islets, Palau, Micronesia, Pacific

Adult Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) grazing within the town limits of Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway, Arctic, Europe

Pinnacle Rock, a volcanic plug on Bartolome Island, one of the most spectacular features of the Galapagos islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Opuntia (Prickly Pear) cacti on South Plaza island, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Aerial view of saltmarsh at low tide near Cadiz, Spain

Aerial view of saltmarsh at low tide near Cadiz, Spain

Biosphere 2, self-sustaining ecosystem, lodgings of mission's scientists, Oracle, Arizona, USA, North America

Biosphere 2, self-sustaining ecosystem, Oracle, Arizona, USA, North America

Biosphere 2, self-sustaining ecosystem, Oracle, Arizona, USA, North America

Biosphere 2, self-sustaining ecosystem, cactus in front of facility with tropical rainforest, Oracle, Arizona, USA, North America

Biosphere 2, self-sustaining ecosystem, Oracle, Arizona, USA, North America

Mouth detail of a colorful and healthy mushroom coral (Fungia fungites) that is growing on a tropical coral reef. Mushroom coral is unique in the coral world, in that it does not attach itself to the bottom, Philippines

Mouth detail of a colourful and healthy Mushroom coral, Fungia fungites, that is growing on a tropical coral reef in the Philippines. Mushroom coral is unique in the coral world, in that it does not attach itself to the bottom, Philippines

Tara Oceans Expeditions - May 2011. Tara with deployed plancton nets. On "station", the boat is drifting without engine or sails. Tara Oceans, a unique expedition: Tara Oceans is the very first attempt to make a global study of marine plankton, a form of sea life that includes organisms as small as viruses and bacterias, and as big as medusas. Our goal is to better understand planktonic ecosystems by exploring the countless species, learning about interactions among them and with their environment. Marine plankton is the only ecosystem that is almost continuous over the surface of the Earth. Studying plankton is like taking the pulse of our planet. Recently, scientists have discovered the great importance of plankton for the climate: populations of plankton are affected very rapidly by variations in climate. But in turn they can influence the climate by modifying the absorption of carbon. In a context of rapid physico-chemical changes, for example the acidification observed today in the world's oceans, it is urgent to understand and predict the evolution of these particular ecosystems. Finally, plankton is an astonishing way of going back in time ? a prime source of fossils. Over the eons, plankton has created several hundred meters of sediment on the ocean floors. This allows us to go back in time, to the first oceans on Earth, and better understand the history of our biosphere. More than 12 fields of research are involved in the project, which will bring together an international team of oceanographers, ecologists, biologists, geneticists, and physicists from prestigious laboratories headed by Eric Karsenti of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Galapagos