Google and the ocean
9th February 2009
A team from PML has been working with Google to help populate
the new version of Google Earth (v5.0 beta), which contains ocean
floor, column and surface data from marine experts around the
world. PML’s contribution to “Ocean in Google Earth” was based
around research expeditions to portray the exciting, challenging
and fascinating life of a marine scientist at sea.
Using blog posts and media produced on the recently completed
Atlantic Meridional Transect, PML created a dedicated blog that was
then linked by Geo-RSS feed to Google Earth, allowing visitors to
follow the research in near real-time and really get a taste of
life on board a research vessel.
Ocean in Google Earth combines underwater terrain and expert
content to enable users to explore some of the most
difficult-to-reach parts of the world. Virtual travellers can swim
around underwater volcanoes, watch videos about exotic marine life,
read about nearby shipwrecks and contribute photos and videos of
favourite surf and dive spots.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt commented: "In discussions about climate
change, the world's oceans are often overlooked despite being an
integral part of the issue. About one-third of the carbon dioxide
that we emit into the atmosphere ends up in the oceans.
Furthermore, biodiversity loss in our oceans in the next 20-30
years will be roughly equivalent to losing an entire Amazon
rainforest, but this goes unnoticed because we can't see it. This
is why today's launch of Google Earth 5.0 is so important - it
gives us an opportunity to change everyone's perspective."
Dr Stephen de Mora, PML’s Chief Executive, stated: “Working with
Google has been a pleasure and an honour. We look forward to using
this application as well as continuing to post research expedition
blogs, helping to build a comprehensive overview of the research
being undertaken around our planet’s oceans.”
The next PML expedition, to be uploaded to Ocean at Google
Earth, will be the ICON cruise from Tenerife on 13th May to 24th
June. The aim of this research cruise is to determine the
hydrodynamics of an upwelling plume off the NW African coast, in
order to characterise its impact upon the physical, photochemical
and microbiological processes, contributing to ocean-atmosphere
exchange of biogenic gases.