Ocean Stories

Dr. Sylvia Earle has penned the intro to the newly released paperback version of James McClintock’s, Lost Antarctica. 
Says Dr. Earle, “but the book is the main thing, a riveting account of changes that have taken place in just a few decades.  It reads like an Indiana Jones adventure. Jim is Indy, Nature is the heroine, we are the villains.”

The bitter cold and three months a year without sunlight make Antarctica virtually uninhabitable for humans. Yet a world of extraordinary wildlife persists in these harsh conditions, including leopard seals, penguins, giant sea spiders and predatory worms, corals, multicolored sea stars, and 50-foot algae.
Now, as temperatures rise and ocean acidification increases, this fragile ecosystem is under attack. In this closely observed account, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Antarctica gives us a highly original, colorful, and distinctive look at a world that we’re losing.…

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle is on a personal mission to save the ocean. Mission Blue – shot over a three year period in numerous locations around the world – traces Sylvia’s remarkable personal journey, from her earliest memories exploring the ocean as a young girl to her days leading a daring undersea mission in the Virgin Islands to her experience as chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and beyond.
The film deftly weaves her unique personal history with the passion which is consuming Sylvia today: creating a national parks system for the ocean which she calls her ‘Hope Spots’. Sylvia passionately believes this ambitious plan is the best way to restore the ocean’s health. But as she travels to points as far reaching as the Gulf of Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, the Coral Sea, and beyond, it becomes clear just how daunting the challenges we are facing truly are.…

SBIFF Review: Opening Night Doc ‘Mission Blue’ Plumbs Depths of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

 
You won’t be ordering fish off the menu soon after viewing Fisher Stevens’ new documentary “Mission Blue,” which world premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday night. 
Both a profile of the life’s work of renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle and a call to reconsider our treatment of the deep seas she has dedicated her life to, the film will appeal to fans of “Blackfish” and the documentary work of James Cameron, who makes a few appearances here. (Press interview with director Fisher Stevens below.)
“Mission” toggles focus between Sylvia Earle’s trailblazing past as a kind of Sally Ride of the seas, as Earle was the first woman to dive to such depths in the ’60s, in a time where men like filmmaker Jacques Cousteau (a hero of Earle’s) dominated the underwaters.…

Today, Dr. Sylvia Earle delivered a keynote at the United Nations Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, along with fellow Benchley Award winner Dr. Jane Lubchenco.
With a first premise that the ocean is essential for planetary survival, the bottom line is that all of the world’s population must start to really care about the ocean. The goal is to become ocean stewards, protecting its vital role in sustaining life on Earth, while at the same time promoting ‘blue growth’ to achieve prosperous and resilient communities.
The webcast is available in it’s entirety at the United Nations Web TV site.  Dr. Earle speaks during the second hour. 

 
All photos courtesy of Dr. Sylvia A. Earle…

On Sunday morning I had the privilege of joining Dr. Sylvia Earle and director Kip Evans on a scientific aerial survey over Las Baulas National Marine Park and surrounding areas. The Lighthawk team did an amazing job during the flight giving us the opportunity of filming some great aerial footage.
We were looking for sea turtles swimming near the Marine Park, or perhaps their tracks on the sand, left the previous night after they had nested – lonely impressions on the sand showcasing the resilience of these marvelous creatures.

During the afternoon we switched our mode of transportation hoping to find them in the water. Dr. George Shillinger joined us aboard the Boos Adventures boat, providing valuable knowledge on sea turtle behavior.…

This weekend our expedition team, including Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Erick Ross, Dr. George Schillinger and Kip Evans visited the turtles at the Leatherback Trust hatchery in Costa Rica.
The hatchery serves to give leatherbacks a better chance at overall survival. It begins by protecting the iconic creature’s eggs from predators, after which on-site biologists monitor the nests, checking nest temperatures which determine the sex of the turtles. When the turtles have matured, they are released to begin their migration offshore to the Central American Dome. 
Successful protection of 99% of the nests started in 1993 and the hatchery started to operate in 1998-99. Although at present, population numbers are decreasing, we can expect to see numbers of leatherbacks increasing in the next few years.…

Tourists from all over the world come to the beaches of Playa Grande in Costa Rica to have the awe-inspiring experience of watching giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs after returning to the coast from waters of the Central American Dome Hope Spot offshore.
In addition to the undeniable value of the leatherback within the marine ecosystem, this critically endangered species holds promise as a focal point for sustainable development in the coastal communities surrounding their nesting beaches.
Local leaders have created a Community Association training locals to greet visitors to Marino las Baulas National Park, share a brief educational presentation, and ensure that visitors have a minimal impact on this critical leatherback habitat.
The volunteers reminisced about the old times when “one could barely walk on the beach,” due to the large number of nesting leatherbacks.…

High seas ecosystems are intricately linked to those in the coastal regions. The Central American Dome Expedition mini documentary will highlight the need for more conservation policies in international waters and how they work alongside protection efforts on the coast.

Our focus is the largest sea turtle on earth, the leatherback.  These leviathans travel from Playa Grande in Costa Rica, out into the Central Pacific Dome region and continue their migratory route to South America. Ocean currents also transport leatherback hatchlings through the area.
Day 1:
Critically endangered, leatherbacks are priceless in the marine ecosystem. Egg harvesting and fisheries by-catch have drastically reduced their population during the past two decades.
We visited The Leatherback Trust’s team at Baulas National Park in Guanacaste to learn about conservation measures being worked on with local authorities.…

This week,  MarViva and Mission Blue are launching a film expedition with Dr. Sylvia Earle to highlight our Central American Dome Hope Spot.  Partners supporting the expedition are LightHawk, The Baum Foundation, Bula Bula and National Geographic. The ecological and commercial value of the Dome’s resources will be documented to raise awareness and support for the protection of its species and habitats.
“The term dome refers to an oceanographic feature that results from cold, deep ocean water rising near the surface,” says Lance Morgan of The Marine Conservation Institute.
“The water itself doesn’t dome, but a cold water band shaped like a dome comes up from the bottom. As this nutrient-rich water enters depths where sunlight can penetrate it unleashes enormous plankton blooms, fueling the entire ecosystem. …

We hope that you will join us in celebrating this milestone for our partners at the Ocean Foundation!
Mission Blue founder, Dr. Sylvia Earle appears in this inspiring video along side Alexandra Cousteau, Dr. Nancy Knowlton, and our Board Director, Ann Luskey to help The Ocean Foundation celebrate ten years of making a difference!  …