Hitting milestones: 5-year partnership continues to support ocean research
As part of World Ocean’s Week in June, Beyondly and the National Oceanography Centre celebrated our five-year ocean plastic partnership and reflecting on the successes it has had so far.
Beyondly have supported NOC’s ocean research for three years and this ocean plastics project, launched in 2025, highlights the power of citizen scientists and the positive impact individuals can have on marine environments. Beyondly’s funding has supported NOC and empowered yacht owners to participate in ocean research as they travel across the globe, collecting vital water samples which will then be analysed by NOC’s leading microplastics team.
Citizen Scientist returns from Record Breaking journey
According to NOC, lack of global data is a huge barrier to advancing our understanding of ocean plastic. This data would take decades to collect from large research ships, which are unable to reach more remote areas.
That is why this year, Adventurer, NOC Ambassador and Citizen Scientist, James Ketchell, has been supporting this exciting plastics project as he embarked on his sailing journey round the world. Since June 2025, James has collected vital water samples from the under-sampled Indian and Pacific Ocean which are now being analysed by leading ocean plastics researchers at NOC. The important data collected from this project will be added to international databases to create a global picture of the impact of plastic on our ocean.
On Saturday 13th June, James completed his mammoth journey and as a result became the first person to have circumnavigated the earth by land, air and sea – securing a world record. The crucial work James completed as just one of his missions on this voyage will contribute greatly to Ocean research and Beyondly are proud to have been a small part of this mission to protect these diverse environments.
Well done, James!
The samples collected will now be analysed by NOC’s plastics research team in our state-of-the-art, air-controlled plastics laboratory, using infrared spectroscopy. Data collected from this project will be added to existing global data to create a data map, identifying microplastic ‘hotspots’ and demonstrating how plastic is travelling through our ocean and into its delicate ecosystems.
Looking towards the future of Citizen Scientists
Even though James’ adventure has ended, the work Beyondly is supporting at the NOC continues.
Karen Angle is a citizen scientist who has also joined the project for 2026. Karen is an avid sailor and passionate ocean advocate, and she was inspired to take part in this research project during her journey across the Pacific. Karen reached French Polynesia in May after sailing for 29 days across the Pacific Ocean from Panama. Like James, samples from the remote areas Karen has travelled are rare and valuable for collating a wider picture of the true reach of ocean plastic and the impact it is having on life in the ocean.
At Beyondly, we recognise the importance of being involved in projects that have a positive and lasting impact and that help towards increasing our understanding of how our actions impact the delicate environments in our oceans. We are excited to continue sharing updates on our collaboration with NOC, as the projects continue to progress over the coming years, and see how our partnership can continue to have a positive impact on our planet.
