wider, and longer than the Grand
Canyon, undersea rivers, and even
undersea waterfalls (the greatest
waterfall on earth is at the bottom
of the Atlantic between Iceland and
Greenland). In some of the sea’s
most hostile parts, where we were
sure we would find no life at all,
we find robust communities of life
that in some cases rival the tropical
rainforests in diversity and density.
So what’s in the other unexplored
95 percent of the ocean? Is it possible that by some chance we’ve already found all of the exciting stuff,
or is the ocean full of surprises?
No matter where you live on
planet earth, the oceans have an
impact on your everyday life and no
matter where you live; your activities have an impact on the oceans.
Floods, drought, weather patterns,
tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons,
rogue waves, all get their energy
from the sea waters or from the sea
floor beneath. Conversely whatever
you put on the ground or in the air
stands a very good chance of mak-
MORE ON
TED WEEKENDS
PROTECTING
EARTH’S FINAL
FRONTIER
HUFFINGTON
06.09.13
DAVID
GALLO
Voices
A GRAND COSMIC
EVOLUTION
ing its way out to the sea.
If you look at Earth from space,
it’s tough to see the 7 billion people who call this planet home.
We are almost like a virus on this
planet and just like a virus we
have managed to make the planet
“sick.” It may be difficult to believe
but our activities over time have
changed the temperature and the
chemistry of the global ocean. Anyone with an aquarium knows that
if you change the temperature and
chemistry of the water, you’re askin g for trouble... big trouble. We
can thank the ocean for the air we
breathe, the food we eat, and the
water we drink. It’s always been
that way in the past, but the future
might be quite different if we don’t
change our habits.
Yes, the oceans are changing rapidly, but they are not beyond understanding. The keys to our past, and
the clues to our future are
in Neptune’s hands.
David Gallo is an oceanographer.
A selection of the week’s related blogs
HEADLINES TO VIEW BLOGS ABOUT THIS WEEK’S THEME
RESTORING
THE BLUE
ONE OCEAN
WORLD AMONG
MANY
THE LAST CORAL
WILDERNESS
ON EARTH