Walter Munk Foundation For The Oceans

Walter munk visited altaussee, austria in august 2018 to arrange for an expedition to study lake altaussee in the spring of 2019. It was his way of giving back to his boyhood community he loved, by providing information on the lake that would allow the community to preserve its pristine alpine treasure. It was a multi-disciplinary research effort to obtain a better scientic understanding of lake altaussee in terms of its cultural, ecological, and geological signicance. Over the past four years, the study has expanded to include 28 scientists, researchers, phd and masters students. Erwin heine, ph.d., university of natural resources and applied life science in vienna is the pi for the expeditions. Dimitri deheyn, ph.d., from scripps institution of oceanography joined us to work with the local high school students to further his study of plastics and their impact in the lake and the surrounding area. We are arranging a student exchange program that will provide an opportunity for internships in dimitri deheyn's lab at scripps.

Wmfo supports conservation efforts for the mobula munkiana, walter's namesake, the smallest of the manta rays, found in warm and temperate seas. It is considered vulnerable due to fishing bycatch pressure and habitat loss. The foundation supports scientists and organizations conducting mobula munkiana research, conservation and education activities. The goal is to find effective conservation measures to protect critical habitat.