Cochrane Ideas will kick off its 2020 program on Friday, Jan. 10 with the fascinating story of the discovery in Arctic waters by two Calgary-based researchers of a sunken whaling ship from 118 years ago.

Dr. Michael Moloney and Dr. Matthew Ayre, both members of the Arctic Institute of North America at the University of Calgary, will make a presentation on the challenges and implications of their recent exploration of the Scottish whaling vessel, called the Nova Zembla, wrecked off the coast of Baffin Island in 1902.

On Aug. 31, 2018, the pair discovered the vessel in just eight hours using drone footage and SONAR imaging deployed on a remote-operated underwater vehicle in a targeted five-square-kilometre search area identified through months of historical research.

The powerpoint presentation will take place at King Solomon Lodge, 120 Centre Ave. starting at 7 p.m. Friday. Any interested people are welcome to attend free of charge, although small donations are welcome.

For his doctoral studies in archeology at the University of Calgary, Moloney investigated the application of innovative, computer-based spatial modelling to the examination of shipwrecks and shipboard societies. An adjunct assistant professor at the U of C, Moloney has worked in remote locations around the world, conducting archaeological excavations on land and underwater. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2018 for his explorations of Canadian Arctic history.

Ayre is a historical climatologist at the Arctic Institute. After gaining his undergraduate degree in geography at the University of Sunderland, England, he went on to complete his PhD there, specializing in the extant logbooks from 19th century British Arctic whaling trade, and the climate of Baffin Bay. He continues to work with these rare and interesting documents at the Institute. They are not only providing new insights into the changing Arctic climate but are also identifying much of the undocumented whaling heritage in the Canadian Arctic.

Cochrane Ideas is in its 20th year of organizing presentations and discussions on a wide variety of topics. Its events take place every second Friday of the month and are open to all.

For more information on Ideas, visit their website here or contact Andy at marshallca97@gmail.com or 403-932-6580.