Lumina News [Wrightsville, NC]

April 10, 2008

By Jules Norwood

While most people rarely see more than the edge of the ocean, the earth’s oceans are of vital importance to human life, and the attempt to study and understand the ocean has so far only scratched the surface.

Such is the message of Robert Gagosian, president and CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, who delivered the keynote presentation — the “State of the Ocean” address — to kick off the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science’s exhibit, “Ocean: Explore. Discover.” Gagosian spoke on Tuesday evening, April 8, at UNCW’s Lumina Theater, on the importance of the ocean to society and how connecting science, education and advocacy can provide solutions and direction for effective ocean stewardship.

In her introduction prior to Gagosian’s address, museum director Ruth Haas pointed out, “There is only one ocean. We have a lot of work to do to make sure that one ocean is around for years and years to come.”

Gagosian began his presentation by illustrating the disconnect between the importance of the ocean and the general perception of the ocean.

“We tend to view the oceans as a big bathtub off in the corner,” he said. “The oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. If our planet’s surface equaled the floor space of the bathroom in your house, the dry area would be the bathtub, and the rest of the floor space would be covered with water.”

The scale of the ocean increases even more when the depth and volume of the oceans are considered — they represent close to 99 percent of all the living space on the planet.

“When you break out of that ingrained land-based perspective, you begin to view Planet Ocean as it really is. … The essence of Earth is the oceans, but our exploration of Earth has barely begun to scratch the surface,” Gagosian said. “Less than 1 percent of the ocean has been explored. Less than 5 percent of the sea floor has been mapped.”

If this were the Lewis and Clark expedition, he pointed out, we wouldn’t even have left Missouri yet.

Gagosian showed footage of an undersea volcano similar in size to Mount Ranier in Washington or Mount Fuji in Japan; less than a decade ago, scientists were unaware that it existed. The presentation also included footage of the strange and virtually unknown creatures that inhabit the depths of the ocean.

Gagosian outlined the impact of the oceans on the planet, such as the effect of deep ocean currents and global water circulation on climate patterns and the potential of deep-sea organisms to aid in scientific and medical research; as well as the challenges of studying the ocean and the scientific efforts currently being undertaken to expand our understanding.

“I believe that the human race is about to embark on a fantastic odyssey, not necessarily beyond Earth, but deep within it,” Gagosian said.

The world’s population has expanded rapidly, he added, doubling from 3 billion to 6 billion since 1962. In addition, more than 50 percent of the global population lives within 50 miles of the coast.

“The oceans have more impact on humans than ever before, and we humans now have significantly more impact on the oceans — everything from clogged harbors, coastal pollution, toxic red tides, beach erosion and especially
declining fisheries,” he said. “We have a societal imperative to make understanding our oceans a top priority, to make understanding the planet we live on a top priority.”

The “Ocean: Explore. Discover.” exhibit will be on display at the Cape Fear Museum through Jan. 4, 2009. For more information, visit www.capefearmuseum.com or call 798-4350.