Swiss boat PlanetSolar circumnavigates Lake Titicaca
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Swiss boat PlanetSolar circumnavigates Lake Titicaca
The Swiss solar boat PlanetSolar II has successfully circumnavigated Lake Titicaca in South America, covering some 500km. This feat was accompanied by a scientific expedition that sounded the waters of the lake at 40 locations to determine how best to preserve this ecosystem.
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The boat set off on September 30 from Puno, in southeast Peru, on the shores of the lake, which is more than 3,800 metres above sea level. Between 190km and 200km long, it has a total surface area of 8,340km2. It is the highest navigable freshwater reserve in the world. The tour was completed at the end of the week, the PlanetSolar team said in a press release on Friday.
The analyses and results of the water tests will be cross-referenced with satellite images showing the presence of chlorophyll A, dissolved organic matter and suspended solids. These measurements are being supervised by oceanographer Xavier Lazzaro.
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Drought and pollution
“We have more than 65,000 measurement points and even before we have access to this data, it is already clear that it is possible to convert 80% of the boats sailing here to electric and solar power,” said Raphaël Domjan, eco-explorer and founder of the PlanetSolar Foundation. “There are steam-powered boats: the past. Oil boats: the present. We have brought solar navigation: the future.”
The joint mission by the PlanetSolar Foundation and the Binational Lake Authority (Peru and Bolivia) is supported by the Swiss embassies in Peru and Bolivia.
Lake Titicaca is affected by drought due to climate change and by alarming pollution, particularly from mining waste, human colonisation and navigation using internal combustion engines, the efficiency of which is greatly reduced by altitude.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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