New Google Earth layer spotlights marine sanctuaries
M. Gitlin
Last week it was a plan to save the world. This week, Google is helping to make people realize why the world needs saving. In the past, we've touched on how Google is using its Google Earth platform to help scientists, whether it be better visualizing their data or better explaining what that data mean to the general public. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Conference, taking place in Barcelona, Spain, it was announced that the IUCN is making use of Google Earth Outreach to launch a new layer to Google Earth that pinpoints the locations of all the protected marine areas on the planet. You can check out the layer online at Protect Planet Ocean, but unfortunately the plugin only works on Windows.
It's a neat tool, although the climate change layers I wrote about recently have more bells and whistles. That said, I applaud the move, and despite the Windows-only nature of the API at the moment, I'm sure that more and more researchers and interest groups will incorporate this kind of technology in their outreach efforts.
It's a good time to highlight the plight of the oceans. The problem of aquatic hypoxia (loss of dissolved oxygen) is both serious and growing. We'd probably take the issue more seriously if similar-size areas on land suddenly didn't have enough oxygen to support life, but that's far from the only crisis facing the oceans.
The IUCN's meeting had more bad news yesterday, with the shocking statistic that one in four mammal species is facing extinction. Of the nearly 5,500 recorded species of mammals, 1,141 of them are in trouble, with nearly 200 listed as critically endangered. The cause for most of these extinctions is due to a loss of habitat or food supply; polar bears in the Arctic being a well-publicized example.
Thankfully, it's not all gloom and doom; there are (admittedly few) examples of careful resource management and conservation efforts paying off. In Africa, the elephant population is making great strides, and in the US the black-footed ferret is doing rather well after being reintroduced to the wild.
Publicizing that good news is one of the more fun aspects of covering conservation and the environment, and science outreach needs to let people know about the successes as well. Google seems to be doing its level best to live up to the company motto, what with its Clean Energy 2030 plan and Google Earth Outreach. I'm almost afraid to find out what else the company has up its sleeve, but based on past form, I think it's worth anticipating.
New Google Earth layer spotlights marine sanctuaries
It's a neat tool, although the climate change layers I wrote about recently have more bells and whistles. That said, I applaud the move, and despite the Windows-only nature of the API at the moment, I'm sure that more and more researchers and interest groups will incorporate this kind of technology in their outreach efforts.
It's a good time to highlight the plight of the oceans. The problem of aquatic hypoxia (loss of dissolved oxygen) is both serious and growing. We'd probably take the issue more seriously if similar-size areas on land suddenly didn't have enough oxygen to support life, but that's far from the only crisis facing the oceans.
The IUCN's meeting had more bad news yesterday, with the shocking statistic that one in four mammal species is facing extinction. Of the nearly 5,500 recorded species of mammals, 1,141 of them are in trouble, with nearly 200 listed as critically endangered. The cause for most of these extinctions is due to a loss of habitat or food supply; polar bears in the Arctic being a well-publicized example.
Thankfully, it's not all gloom and doom; there are (admittedly few) examples of careful resource management and conservation efforts paying off. In Africa, the elephant population is making great strides, and in the US the black-footed ferret is doing rather well after being reintroduced to the wild.
Publicizing that good news is one of the more fun aspects of covering conservation and the environment, and science outreach needs to let people know about the successes as well. Google seems to be doing its level best to live up to the company motto, what with its Clean Energy 2030 plan and Google Earth Outreach. I'm almost afraid to find out what else the company has up its sleeve, but based on past form, I think it's worth anticipating.
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