Sylvia Earle
Oceanographer & Founder, Mission Blue
Known as "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times and a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer committed to research through personal exploration. She has spent more than 6,000 hours underwater on more than 50 expeditions worldwide. In 1979, Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. In the 1980s she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies to design and build undersea vehicles that allowed scientists to work at previously inaccessible depths. In the early 1990s, Earle served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Currently she is the explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society. Earle remains a dedicated advocate for the world's oceans and the creatures that live in them. Her latest endeavor, Mission Blue, seeks to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas and hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean.
A “Fabric of Knowledge” To Save Our Seas
The information revolution may turn everyday people into ocean conservationists.
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3 min
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What You Can Do For Our Oceans
As the oil spill continues to plague the Gulf, the deep-sea explorer makes a passionate case for saving ocean life.
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8 min
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Touched by a Lobster
You may like the taste, but is your dinner worth its cost to our ecosystem?
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4 min
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Thinking, Sensing, and Feeling Like a Fish
Some sea life may think, sense and feel in ways that are beyond our comprehension.
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5 min
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If The Oceans Are in Trouble, We’re in Trouble
Sharks are scary, but an ecosystem without them is even scarier.
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3 min
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Swimming With Singing Whales
Sylvia Earle describes an intimate encounter with a 40-foot-long humpback whale.
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7 min
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An Ancient World Beneath the Waves
The ocean’s depths are home to organisms that have been around for nearly half a billion years.
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5 min
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The Dangers of Deep Sea Diving
Forget sharks and predatory animals—the most dangerous aspect of diving is oxygen.
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5 min
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Who’s Looking At Who?
A young Sylvia Earle realized that some sea creatures were as interested in her as she was in them.
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3 min
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Why We Explore the Oceans
97% of Earth’s water is ocean. Without the ocean, Earth would be much like Mars: a bleak, barren, inhospitable place.
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3 min
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Big Think Interview With Sylvia Earle
A conversation with the oceanographer and founder of Mission Blue.
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43 min
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