This winter, a group of researchers from Israel joined an international science expedition in the Pacific Ocean that was led by women – a rare occasion in the world of oceanography.

The expedition, which left San Diego, California, crossed the equator before heading back north and ending its journey in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Its aim was to study the biological mechanisms that dictate the structures of biological populations at different latitudes and under varying environmental conditions.

The team from Israel, with researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, focused on the role of viruses in those places and conditions.

“This was a very special journey in the context of women in science, as 19 out of 34 research team members, including all the principal researchers on board, were women,” says Prof. Debbie Lindell, who led the Technion team.

“This is very rare in the world of oceanography, and I hope it will inspire young women who aspire to enter this field.”

The expedition also included groups from the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, the University of Hawaii, the University of Southern California and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The expedition traveled the Pacific Ocean onboard the research ship Thomas G. Thompson, which belongs to the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research and is equipped with advanced systems for sensing, collecting water and measurement taking.