Ocean Wonders: 9 Inspired TED Talks on the World Beneath the Waves

November 14, 2012

TED announced that its cumulative talk views have surpassed one billion views. Known for “Ideas Worth Spreading,” the non-profit TED makes more than 1,400 videos available for free, each exploring a single idea in 18 minutes or less. Today, reports show that TED Talks are viewed more than 1.5 million times every day — that’s 17 new viewings commencing every second.

“The fact that TED Talks have been shared so extensively shows us that people are eager to learn and be inspired,” said TED Curator Chris Anderson. “The spread of these talks across languages and borders suggests that intellectual curiosity is demonstrably alive and well. Maybe the Internet isn’t dumbing us down after all.”

TED Talk video topics range from distant galaxies to body language, from global challenges to ocean life. In honor of the billion views milestone, below Mission Blue offers a collection of talks focused on Ocean Wonders. Included below is Sylvia Earle’s 2009 TED Prize Talk, which inspired people around the globe, led to an expedition to the Galapagos involving 100 ocean leaders, and resulted in the creation of Mission Blue, as we know it today!

Dive into the unexplored universe beneath the waves with these incredible TED talks: experience the beautiful, fragile (and sometimes frightening) world of the ocean!

1. Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean — and shocking stats about its rapid decline — as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

2. Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life above and below the waves — as he puts it, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change.

3. David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including color-shifting cuttlefish, a perfectly camouflaged octopus and a Times Square’s worth of neon light displays from fish who live in the blackest depths of the ocean.

4. Marine biologist Tierney Thys asks us to step into the water to visit the world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open sea.

5. Underwater filmmaker Mike deGruy has spent decades looking intimately at the ocean. A consummate storyteller, he takes the stage at Mission Blue to share his awe and excitement — and his fears — about the blue heart of our planet.

6. In the deep, dark ocean, many sea creatures make their own light for hunting, mating and self-defense. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder was one of the first to film this glimmering world. In this talk, she brings some of her glowing friends onstage, and shows astonishing footage of glowing undersea life.

7. Science writer Margaret Wertheim re-creates the creatures of the coral reefs using a technique invented by a mathematician — simultaneously celebrating the amazements of the reef, and deep-diving into the hyperbolic underpinnings of coral creation.

8. Ocean explorer Robert Ballard takes us on a mindbending trip to hidden worlds underwater, where he and other researchers are finding unexpected life, resources, and even new mountains. He makes a case for serious exploration and mapping.

9. Oceanographer John Delaney is leading the team that is building an underwater network of high-definition cameras and sensors that will turn our ocean into a global interactive lab — sparking an explosion of rich data about the world below.