Dr. Sylvia Earle — also known as “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and the New York Times — is a marine biologist, ocean explorer, conservationist, and author. Her storied career has seen accomplishments such as leading the first all female underwater expedition called Tektite II, becoming the first woman appointed head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and earning the TED Prize in 2009. Her most recent initiative Mission Blue seeks to create Hope Spots around the world to create a global network of marine protected areas. With over 7,000 hours exploring the depths of our oceans, Dr. Earle shares her unique firsthand perspective on the need to preserve underwater habitats and the importance of storytelling in the endeavor to protect our waters.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during the show:
- Learn more about Dr. Earle’s latest endeavor Mission Blue on their official website and watch the TED talk that launched the mission
- If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you can watch Mission Blue the documentary to learn more about Dr. Earle’s life and for some stunning footage of her time underwater
- Dr. Earle was at Rockefeller University to accept the Lewis Thomas Prize for Science Writing. Some of her books include The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One and Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans
- Check out some of the photography of one of Dr. Earle’s favorite photographers, Brian Skerry, on Nikon’s blog here
This episode was recorded on March 6, 2017 at the AAAS Annual Meeting. Special thanks to the Lewis Thomas Prize coordinators and to Visager for music. Photo credit goes to TEDx Woods Hole.