In 1934, far beneath the waters off Bermuda, pioneering oceanographer William Beebe came face to face with the true depth of the sea's mystery. According to writer William Broad, as Beebe's submersible bathysphere neared a half mile down, its dim light illuminated "a wall of alien flesh moving silently through dark water." Whatever it was had no color, no texture, and was well over 20 feet long. It vanished without revealing head or tail, and to this day no one has any idea what Beebe saw plying the deep.
That strange encounter is worth mentioning as summer begins, because many of us are planning to spend time at the shore. As we contemplate the ocean's vast beauty, we should think about just how imperiled the secrets of the seas have become.
This week, for example, at a conference in Vancouver, researchers working on the international Census of Marine Life will unveil a fascinating new historical analysis: There were once 10 times more fish and mammals in the world's seas, and the average aquatic creature was often much larger than any pulled from the waters today.
Overfishing, which scientists say began in the Stone Age, is just one factor in this tremendous biological loss. Another more modern cause is climate change, which is slowly acidifying our oceans as they absorb increasing amounts of the carbon dioxide we're adding to the atmosphere. That's the subject of A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish, the first documentary on ocean acidification. The film, which premiers June 1st at the Seattle International Film Festival, explores the many impacts of an acidic sea, most of which we can't see or appreciate from our perch upon its shore.
Covering over 70% of the Earth's surface, oceans are places of extraordinary superlatives. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says they produce 50% of the air we breathe. They also contain nearly 50% of all species on Earth, and they hold more diversity than land-based ecosystems. According to National Geographic, there are twice as many phyla (broad taxonomic groupings of related life forms) in the sea than there are on land.
When we lose any portion of this incredible biodiversity, we really have no idea what we've lost at all. That's because only 5% of the ocean has been explored by human eyes or touched by human hands. We've seen much more of outer space than we have of our planet's own final frontier, and all indications suggest that when we finally get there, what we've not yet seen will dwarf what we already know. Scientists today, for example, are scouting the sea for new medicines that may one day cure diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and asthma.
And then there is whatever greeted William Beebe. We can't yet say what it was or is, only that it's worth protecting, as are all the mysteries waiting for us in the briny deep. At the start of summer's annual pilgrimage to our continent's watery edges, an appreciation for the irreplaceable gifts of the sea is the most important thing we can remember to bring. Our oceans are fun to play in, but they hold much more than simple entertainment. They hold our future. And we would be wise to protect it.
The good news is oceans are much more resilient than terrestrial ecosystems. If we give them the chance, they can recover from almost any abuse. For more information about what you can do this summer to help the seas enjoy smoother sailing, dive into the work being done at Greenpeace USA, swim on over to Oceana, and make some waves with the Ocean Conservancy.
