A group of Stanford University students set sail Friday on a 3,500-mile oceanographic research expedition from Tahiti to Hawaii, according to the university.

The 24 undergraduate and graduate students are learning about the vital ecological role of oceans in supporting life and regulating worldwide climate.

The group will travel with marine biology and ecology instructors aboard the 134-foot, two-masted brigantine Robert C. Seamans, venturing from Tahiti to the Society Islands, the Marquesas Islands and then to Hawaii. The trip is estimated to last 37 days.

The students will conduct oceanographic research projects, such as the role of equatorial currents in the carbon cycle and how ocean acidity affects some invertebrates, and also learn about maritime culture and nautical science.

The trip is part of the Stanford at Sea program, a joint venture between the university and the Sea Education Association, based in Woods Hole, Mass.

— Bay City News Service