About Oceanites

Who We Are

Oceanites (“ocean-eye-tees”) is the world’s only publicly supported non-profit §501(c)(3) Antarctic research program — monitoring the vastly warmed Antarctic Peninsula. We are based in Washington, D.C. operating internationally with the central mission of assisting science-based conservation recommendations in Antarctica and increasing the awareness of climate change worldwide.

What We Do

Oceanites serves as an independent, non-governmental observer at meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which oversees and regulates fishing activities in Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty system (54 countries) relies upon the scientific data provided by Oceanites, including Oceanites’ annual State of Antarctic Penguins reports (“SOAP”).

Oceanites’ values are grounded in science, education, stewardship, and transparency. Ongoing scientific work is the springboard for Oceanites’ climate change outreach, which uses penguins as avatars to explain how we humans, like all biological creatures, may or may not adapt when the warming of the planet comes our way.

For more than two decades Oceanites has worked to protect the Antarctic environment, generating more than a quarter-century of penguin and seabird data collected in its Antarctic Site Inventory project, which are collated uniquely with all other Antarctic penguin data in its continent-wide, freely available database known as MAPPPD. These data underpin environmental protection and conservation measures for the 10% of our planet dedicated to peace and science under the 1961 Antarctic Treaty. 

Where We Work

Over the past 27 years, Oceanites has made more than 2,100 site visits and collected data from more than 250 different Antarctic locations. The work takes place on the “frontlines” of climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula, where it’s warmed faster than almost anywhere else — by an enormous 3˚C./ 5˚F. year-round and by 5˚C./ 9˚F. in winter — and where Adélie and Chinstrap penguin populations have dramatically plunged, while the Gentoo penguin population has soared.

And of course, we work in the great Seventh Continent, Antarctica, whose many secrets help us better understand how our planet is changing.

 

Purpose

With climate-change as our focus and science as our foundation, we collaborate with others to understand and protect the planet we share.

Mission

We conduct and evaluate vital research on Antarctic penguin populations in support of climate science, while inspiring key stakeholders to understand and act. To this end we do outreach and education, including virtual and in-person presentations. Our penguin friends in Antarctica serve as avatars for the more hopeful message of climate adaptation.

Values

These are our primary values at Oceanites.

Discovery

We believe in the importance of analyzing the impact of climate change through science.

Education

We support enlightening experiences that provide climate change insights and awareness-building instruction to people of all ages, interests, backgrounds and locations.

Inclusion

We welcome collaboration and invite others to participate in our work, understanding that there is value in diversity of approach and views.

Relevance

We will remain on the leading edge of climate science understanding that by doing so we will inspire others to know, understand and act.

Science

Truth and fact are at the heart of the work we do, and we will not be distracted by unsupported claims, political motivations or emotional tendencies.

Stewardship

We support the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being.

Transparency

We believe that trust, respect, understanding, alignment, productive relationships, and successful outcomes result from open, consistent, timely, and honest communication.

Ron Naveen,
Founder of Oceanites

Ron Naveen is the founder and CEO of Oceanites, Inc. and has been working in Antarctica for over 30 years — what amounts to more than six years in real time. He manages Oceanites’ 25-year-old Antarctic Site Inventory project and represents Oceanites as an independent, expert observer at annual Antarctic fishing meetings.

He’s the lead author and photographer of: Wild Ice: Antarctic Journeys (Smithsonian Press, 1990); and the author of Antarctica: A Biology Reader (Carolina Biological Supply Company, 1992); Waiting To Fly: My Escapades with The Penguins Of Antarctica (William Morrow & Company, 1999); The Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula, 2nd edition (Oceanites, 2005); and the coauthor of the Antarctic Peninsula Compendium, 3rd edition (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 2011).

Our Penguin Counters

  • Melissa Rider

    Bio
  • Noah Stryker

    Bio
  • Steven Forrest

    Bio
  • Dr. Grant Humphries

    Bio
  • Ron Naveen

    Bio
  • Alastair Wilson

    Bio
  • Dr. Alex Robbins

    Bio
  • Wayne Humphries

    Bio

Board of Directors

  • Grant Ferrier, Chair

    Bio
  • Catherine Nicholson, Vice Chair

    Bio
  • Ron Naveen, President

    Bio
  • Sheldon Harris, Esquire

    Bio
  • Heidi Richardson

    Bio
  • R. Tucker Scully

    Bio
  • Ford Nicholson

    Bio
  • Thom Gilligan

    Bio
  • Jeff Adams

    Bio
  • Dylan Ogline

    Dylan Ogline

    Bio
  • Dr. Grant Humphries

    Bio
  • Steven Forrest

    Bio

Board of Advisors

  • Scott Deitz, Special Advisor

    Bio
  • Peter Carey

    Bio
  • Peter Getzels

    Bio
  • Harriet Gordon Getzels

    Bio
  • Bob Hofman

    Bio
  • Lois Ingram

    Bio
  • Rocky Kistner

    Bio
  • Louis Naiman

    Bio
  • Paul Rodhouse

    Bio
  • John Van Oudenaren

    Bio
  • Mark David Iden

    Bio
  • Saskia Hostetler Lippy

    Bio
  • Ray Arnaudo

Scientific Colleagues

  • Dr. Grant Humphries

    Oceanites Director of Science
    Black Bawks Data Science (Scotland, UK)

    Bio
  • Dr. Tom Hart

    University of Oxford
    Penguin Lifelines (UK)

MAPPPD External Advisory Board

  • Dr. Phil Trathan

  • Dr. Jefferson Hinke

  • Dr. Mark Hindell

  • Dr. Akinori Takahashi

  • Dr. Grant Humphries

    Bio

Accomplishments

To date, Oceanites has achieved much:

  • On a regular basis we publish State of Antarctic Penguins (SOAP) reports describing changes in Antarctic penguin populations

  • Published the first Antarctic Traveler’s Code, which became the model for visitors’ guidance adopted by Antarctic Treaty countries that now pertains to all Antarctic visitors

  • Operates and maintains the seminal Antarctic Site Inventory project (ASI), which, since 1994 and for 27 consecutive field seasons, has singularly been monitoring the entirety of the vastly warmed Antarctic Peninsula

  • Maintains the Antarctic continent-wide penguin database known as MAPPPD (Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics), which has become the ‘go to’ repository for all Antarctic penguin data, and is relied upon by all Antarctic scientists and researchers examining climate change vs. human impacts in the Antarctic

  • As requested by the UK government, drafted the first ten site visitor guidelines adopted by Antarctic Treaty countries, which have served as the models for what are now more than 40 such guidelines used by all Antarctic visitors

  • Has published two editions of The Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula and three editions of the Antarctic Peninsula Compendium, describing the Antarctic Site Inventory and the particulars of various visitor sites.

  • Spreading climate awareness through distribution of the children’s e-book Ron Counts Penguins classroom webinars, zoo and aquarium appearances (e.g., Cincinnati, Baltimore, St. Louis), as well as public programs (e.g., Library of Congress Young Reader’s Program).