Innovative
Technology for the Protection of Our Oceans
By: Kailee Brown
In September of 2012, Google
officially launched its new program, Google Underwater Street View, available at maps.google.com/oceans. With the help of
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) among other partners, Google is mapping the
floor of the ocean up to 100 feet deep with picturesque 360 degree views.
Ocean coral reef bleaching
With parts of the Great Barrier
Reef, the Philippines and Hawaii already on the underwater map, Google is
working hard to collaborate on bigger issues facing the world's oceans. Issues
such as ocean acidification, whale protection and coral reef bleaching are
among the top concerns for today's oceans. NOAA estimates that roughly 95% of
the ocean floor is still unexplored in Google's program but they are working
hard to "... bring people on this journey with scientists," said Ove
Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the Global Change Institute at the University of
Queensland.
One partner, the Catlin Seaview
Survey team, is a specialized group of scientists who survey the ocean floor to
“analyzing the health of the reef in terms of species
distribution, and mapping that against the structure of the reefs to discover
what reefs are important."
On a recent ocean survey, the team
found that the Great Barrier Reef is half the reef it once was in 1985. This
coral depletion mainly caused by coral bleaching, storm damage and an out of control
population of starfish from mainland fertilizer runoff.
Catlin Seaview's survey technology to view the ocean in 3D
With over 50 partners from around
the world, Google has the right idea by involving numerous people in this
project to make the largest impact on the protection of Earth's vital natural
resources. This new technology opens up doors in understanding how to care for
our plant's salt waters that are continuing to be threatened by global warming
and the rise in green house gasses.
References
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/world/google-maps-street-view-underwater-interactive-ocean-panorama-feature-gets-big-buzz
No comments:
Post a Comment