TUNE IN!…to a live interview with National Geographic Explorer-in Residence Enric Sala on NG’s Facebook
page tomorrow, March 28 at 2:30pm ET.

Facebook Live Special Event: Your Questions for a Deep-Sea Explorer
For
the first time ever, National Geographic Facebook Live will host their weekly
interview not from National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C.,
but from the remote Pitcairn Islands nestled in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean. Miles from any other inhabited island,
Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala will join us by satellite phone to
give an update on a month-long expedition to Pitcairn and reveal
stunning photographs–straight from the field–of the island’s rich
biodiversity.

We first announced the Pitcairn Expedition to the Nat Geo Education Blog audience in early March. At that time, we asked students to submit their questions for Enric and his team, which also includes National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay. The team has agreed to answer at least one of the student questions during the live chat on March 28. Keep reading below to see some of the questions our readers submitted!

Marine ecologist Enric Sala (foreground) examines an enormous lobe
coral on Kingman Reef in the South Pacific’s remote Line Islands. This
coral is 500 years old, but the species was unknown to science before
Sala’s discovery. Such finds aren’t shocking at Kingman, which is one
of the world’s most pristine reef ecosystems. The site shows scientists
how much has been lost at reefs found closer to human habitation. Photo by Brian J. Skerry.

Sample student questions:

• What was the most scariest part of your expedition?

• What is the most exciting thing that you have seen while diving on this expedition so far?

• What do you hope to discover on this expedition?

• Why did you choose to explore Pitcairn?

• How is the coral reef health in the areas around Pitcairn? Is it better or worse than you predicted?

• Have you seen any species of invertebrates or fish for the first time? Is there any particular species that is your favorite? Why? What  species have you seen the most of?

• How do the inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands utilize the marine environment?

• Is there much Eco-tourism in this area? How do residences support the day to day needs of their families?

• Is there a marine protected area in Pitcairn? Are the waters and there marine resources protected by any regulations?

Which of these questions will be answered by Enric and his team? Tune into the chat at 2:30pm ET tomorrow to find out!

A bit of Pitcairn History…
In 1790, nine British seamen laid anchor off the rocky shores of
Pitcairn. They were members of the crew of H.M.S. Bounty, the ship
that saw the most famous mutiny in naval history. After having spent
months in Tahiti on a trade voyage, a handful of seamen decided never to
return to England, and instead sought refuge on a small deserted island,
along with six Tahitian men and 11 women. It’s been fifty-five years
since the last National Geographic explorer ventured to the island. Now,
Enric returns for an even more pressing issue: to help save on of the
last pristine stretches of water left on Earth.

Enric Sala (photographed here searching for monk seals on the
Mediterranean coast of Turkey) is leading the Pristine Seas expeditions.
A National Geographic emerging explorer and fellow, Sala and his team
studied the entire marine ecosystem of the southern Line Islands. Photograph by Zafer Kizilkaya.

As Enric writes, “This expedition is part of our Pristine Seas
project–to explore, survey and help protect the last wild places in
the ocean. It is part of our collaboration with the Global Ocean Legacy
project of the Pew Environment Group. Our goal is to assess the state of
Pitcairn’s marine life, and to propose recommendations to the Pitcairn
community for the conservation of their resources.”

Two grouper emerge form the coral off of Ducie Atoll in the Pitcairn Island Group. Photo by Andrew Howley.

We are
promoting this Facebook Live event across our platforms and invite you to share with
your colleagues, students, friends, and families.  Please join us tomorrow on Facebook
and stay tuned throughout this ocean expedition via the Pitcairn blog and Twitter feed.