A Conversation Worth Sharing

July 16, 2012

Today, aquanauts living and working 60 feet underwater in Aquarius, the world’s only functioning underwater laboratory, joined a conversation with a community of ocean lovers, educators, explorers and interested members of the public via a Google+ Hangout.

As well as answering questions, during the Hangout, the 4 aquanauts also showed participants, their home for the week and talked about their research projects.

The overall mood was light-hearted — Mission Blue founder and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, Dr. Sylvia Earle teased divers swimming around outside of Aquarius, while those leading the hangout also superimposed masks and snorkels on those participating in the hangout.  The humor, though, did not denote the seriousness of the event’s underlying message— save Aquarius.

Indeed, the current mission, dubbed Mission Aquarius, may very well be the last for this two-decade old underwater lab. Like many crucial federal programs, Aquarius’s funding has been slashed. Without additional funding Aquarius might very well have to shut down,  ending what’s been a valuable brain trust on ocean research and issues.

If you missed video chatting with the aquanauts, watch a full replay of the Google+ Hangout below.

Top photo: Mark Patterson