I have been exploring the ocean as a scientist since the 1950s, and have tried every way I know how to explain what I see and convey to others the profound sense of urgency I feel about the changes that are taking place. I have tried with talks, films, interviews, magazine stories, and books to show that the ocean is fundamental to human prosperity, health, security, and the existence of life itself. And I have tried to alert the world to what I have come to understand. The ocean is in trouble, and therefore, so are we.
Now, with the new version of Google Earth, people can see within a few hours what it has taken me a lifetime to understand. Anyone can fly to Hawaii vicariously and see the real Hawaiian islands, not just the mountain tops that poke through the ocean’s surface. You can swim with whales, inspect coral reefs, or see the impacts of destructive fishing. Anyone now can slip into the sea and find hundreds of images of creatures and see them on their own terms, underwater. Now, you can dive to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench, where only two people have ever actually been – in 1960.
Open the "Ocean" folder in the Layers panel to explore the 20 content layers from over 100 partners. Double click on the “Explore the Ocean” layer and it will fly you to my Ocean Overview video and ten focus areas with National Geographic video clips. Other layers include dynamic sea surface temperature, Census of Marine Life data, Marine Protected Areas, shipwrecks, dive and surf sites, Arkive images, Planet Earth footage from the BBC, and much more. You can even visit a 3D model of the undersea laboratory Aquarius and fly to the Titanic and follow the expedition that discovered it.
The launching of the Ocean in Google Earth has instilled in me a new sense of optimism and hope because it provides, in a stroke, a whole new way of understanding the nature of the world and our place in it. Knowing is the key. With knowing comes caring, and with caring there is hope that we can – and will —find an enduring place for ourselves within the mostly blue planet that sustains us.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Follow
No comments :
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.