28,000miles around the Atlantic

[Atlantic Rising]

Fifteen months, 28,000miles, and 21 countries later the Atlantic Rising expedition is returning to the UK.

Tim Bromfield, Lynn Morris, both 30, and Will Lorimer, 29, won a bursary from the Royal Geographical Society in 2009 which included the use of a Land Rover Defender 110. The mission was to travel around the Atlantic along the one meter contour line – the level scientists predict that sea level will have risen to by 2100.

Along the way the team got stuck in the mud in the Sahara Desert in Mauritania, shipwrecked in Guinea Bissau, fell into rebel hands in Cote d’Ivoire, travelled hundreds of miles up the Amazon in Brazil, contracted Dengue fever in Venezuela and encountered rattle snakes in America.

Lynn said: “It has been a bit of an adventure. The idea behind the journey was to explore what could be lost if the sea level continues to rise and we have seen some horrifying examples of how climate change is already affecting people around the edge of the Atlantic. We have also seen some inspirational projects tackling climate change.”

Atlantic Rising has created a network between 5,000 students in low-lying communities around the edge of the Atlantic Ocean putting students in the UK in touch with their peers around the water’s edge.

The team travelled through Europe, Africa, crossed the ocean by container ship to Brazil, then drove north to Colombia. From Colombia they shipped themselves and their car to Mexico, then drove up the east coast of the US to Boston.

They crossed the ocean by cargo ship along the way launch a giant message in a bottle containing letters from school children. You can follow the progress of this bottle, which is equipped with a satellite tracker, on the website.

You can find out more about the education project and see lots of photos of the journey on the website www.atlanticrising.org.