Huffington Magazine Issue 52 | Page 32

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