fbpixel Dr. Sylvia Earle Archives - Page 19 of 24 - Mission Blue

Blog Archives
Treehugger Names Dr. Earle’s ‘Hope Spots’ ~ Best Ocean Conservation Initiative for 2012

(c) Kip Evans Photography

Treehugger.com has again chosen to honor Dr. Sylvia Earle, this time with a “Best of Green Award” for her ‘Hope Spots’ initiative.  In 2010, ‘Her Deepness’ received Treehugger’s “Person of the Year” award not only for her lifetime of accomplishments, but specifically for her achievements during 2010, from her work during the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to her Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos, inspiring individuals globally to take action on behalf of the ocean.

Dr. Earle’s Hope Spots are a targeted approach to ocean conservation – a scientifically sound way of bringing attention to crucial areas of our ocean planet. Faced with relentless pressure from overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution, the ocean is increasingly threatened on many fronts.…

Posted in Awards, Dr. Sylvia Earle, hope spots, Treehugger |

Leave a comment
Join Dr. Sylvia Earle on an extraordinary ocean adventure

(c) Kip Evans Photography

We invite you to join Dr. Sylvia Earle and Eleanor Phillips of The Nature Conservancy for a Mission Blue™ expedition aboard the M/Y Sirenuse to visit a critical Hope Spot, the Bahamas.Dr. Earle’s foundation, the Sylvia Earle Alliance (SEA) launched a global initiative, called Mission Blue in response to Sylvia’s 2009 TED Prize wish, where she urged people “to use all means at your disposal — films, expeditions, the web, new submarines — to create a campaign to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas; Hope Spots large enough to save and restore the blue heart of the planet.”An international coalition of partners dedicated to ocean conservation, research, exploration, policy, technology and communication have coalesced around Mission Blue.…

Posted in Bahamas, Dr. Sylvia Earle, The Nature Conservancy |

3 Comments
Google Science Fair – Win a trip to the Galapagos!

Mountain View, CA
Everyone has a question. What’s yours?  Have you asked a question today? What did you do with it? Did it take you somewhere new? The Google Science Fair is an online science competition seeking curious minds from the four corners of the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea. Entries taken until April 1st.
To learn more, or to enter the competition, visit the GoogleScience Fair site. The grand-prize winner will receive a National Geographic expedition to the Galapagos Islands, a $50,000 scholarship from Google, a learning experience of their choice at Lego, Google, or CERN, a personalized Lego prize, and one year of digital access to Scientific American’s archives for their school.…

Posted in Dr. Sylvia Earle, Google Science Fair |

Leave a comment
Dr. Earle wants YOU to protect the Arctic!

“It isn’t just about polar bears,” says Dr. Sylvia Earle. Although they are the Arctic’s biggest predator and cutest mascot, there is much more at stake in this rich and largely unexplored ecosystem than you’d think.On April 20th, in select theaters, our partner One World One Ocean  will premiere their groundbreaking new IMAX film, “To the Arctic.”

To see the trailer of the film, narrated by Meryl Streep, click here. We cannot wait to see it!…

Posted in Arctic, Dr. Sylvia Earle, One World One Ocean |

1 Comment
Life in the Ocean – The Story of Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle

Washington PostMarch 13, 2012By Abby McGanney Nolan

On the cover of Claire Nivola’s picture-book biography of Sylvia Earle, a small figure in a wet suit swims with a large school of fish in an expanse of blue. As the book goes on to make clear, this pioneering oceanographer has long been immersed in her work. Even as a child, Earle felt at home in nature, scrutinizing the flora and fauna on her country farm. When she moved to the Gulf Coast at the age of 12, the ocean world opened up for her. With wonderful details and color, the book follows her quest, starting with just a pair of goggles, to explore more and more of the sea.
One highlight involves spending two weeks in a deep-sea laboratory, swimming among ocean creatures for up to 12 hours a day.…

Posted in Claire Nivola, Dr. Sylvia Earle |

Leave a comment
The Public Sides With Point Reyes Wilderness

Huffington Post
March 14, 2012By Dr. Sylvia Earle

(c) Kip F. Evans – Mission Blue

This month, the National Park Service released the results of its final public input process that will inform its upcoming decision on the fate of wilderness protection at Drakes Estero, within the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. The outcome is good news for the Seashore, its marine plants and wildlife, and for the tens of thousands of people throughout California and the nation who support achieving the historic objective for the Estero as the first protected marine wilderness on the West Coast.

An overwhelming majority — 92% of the over 52,000 public comments submitted — were in favor of full wilderness protection. This response is compatible with the 1976 Point Reyes Wilderness Act, which conferred full wilderness protection for Drakes Estero starting in 2012, when an existing oyster company’s lease expires.…

Posted in Dr. Sylvia Earle |

3 Comments
Adios Coiba, Until we meet again

© Kip F. Evans – Mission Blue

The Minister of Science and Technology (SENACYT), for the country of Panama, Ruben Berrocal joined us to learn more about our underwater observations in Coiba National Park and shared with us his scientific vision and plans for developing a research station on Coiba. He was interested in learning more about the Hannibal bank expedition, and Smithsonian Director Biff Bermingham and Sylvia Earle described the life they’d seen.

© Kip F. Evans – Mission Blue

We also toured Jean Pigozzi’s Liquid Jungle Lab (http://www.liquidjunglelab.com/) and heard about some of the research that has been done by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Jean has worked to develop an excellent research lab facility for researchers to better understand the surrounding ecosystem.…

Posted in Coiba National Park, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |

Leave a comment
Onward and Downward!

Dr. Sylvia Earle © Kip F. Evans – Mission Blue

Today, the wind picked up making the waters quite choppy. The Sea Hunter delayed heading out to Hannibal bank but once there was able to achieve one spectacular survey, despite the weather.
STRI Director Biff Bermingham and Sylvia Earle led the rest of the Mission Blue team on two dives today. “Washing Machine” was the name of the first site and was a set of submerged rock peaks off Isla Jicaron. Before we descended, we saw what looked to be 6 recreational fishing vessels within the park. How can the few fish schools that remain (as far as what we’ve seen) have much of a chance against such pressure?
As we descended into the deep, Philippe rang a bell of sorts by clanging a whistle to get our attention.…

Posted in Coiba National Park, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Google Ocean, mission blue, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |

Leave a comment
We All Live in a Yellow Submarine

Ricardo Cisneros and I joined Hector Guzman’s science team over at the Sea Hunter ship just in time to see them pull up the collected specimens from the morning science exploration dive. Collected by a manipulator arm around 200 meters depth, Hector placed the specimens into white trays for further analysis. There were corals, tube worms, black coral, a sea pen, bryozoans, pink stylaster coral, a brittle star, and a black solitary cup coral. 

After sub dive training and a review of a 3-d terrain model of Hannibal Bank, where Hector pointed out what we’d next be first exploring ever, Ricardo and I donned our jumpsuits and prepared to get in the sub. Ricardo was filled with great enthusiasm, as it was his first sub dive ever and he never thought he’d get to be a real aquanaut!…

Posted in Coiba, Dr. Sylvia Earle, national geographic, Panama, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |

1 Comment
Coiba Expedition Blog – First Dives

Coiba, Panama
March 5, 2012

© Kip F. Evans – Mission Blue

We awoke eager to go diving but were delayed as the dive boat was held up helping our companion ship, the Sea Hunter, to launch their DeepSee submersible.  Biff Bermingham, Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute here in Panama, showed Sylvia a map of the current Isla Coiba marine park, highlighting which areas are protected, as well as where fishing is still allowed. Local people hope to get support to protect more of the ocean in the surrounding area.

Finally around noon, I took my first dive at Coiba off  “Desert island” with Sylvia Earle, Kip Evans, David Shaw, Shari Sant Plummer and Beverley. When I first got into the water, I saw a large silver plate-shaped permit swim away followed by other big fish with jack like shapes, and long tail fins with rainbow colors.…

Posted in Coiba National Park, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |

4 Comments