Saturday, May 22, 2010

How Big is the Ocean ?

If you go to the beach this summer and gaze out at the ocean it will probably seem very BIG!
70% of our earth's surface is covered by it!
There are depths of the ocean yet unexplored.
Life forms exist deep in the ocean undiscovered and unimaginable!

My family and I love to scuba dive .The beauty of the vast ocean is beyond description . Two years ago we dove over the edge of the "Tongue of the Ocean",a trench over 6000 feet deep!
Hovering in the water looking down,down into the endless depths was awe inspiring .
I have always thought of the ocean as being very large.
Turns out I'm wrong !

In many important ways the ocean is very small.
Our trash has spread over it.Much of the garbage we discard endangers our sea dwelling brothers. My family visited the Turtle hospital in the Florida Keys and saw first hand the devastation caused by ordinary plastic bags.
http://www.turtlehospital.org/blog/

Our pollution spreads it's toxin throughout the seas. The recent oil spill is seeping into ocean currents . These will spread it even further. The currents will spread oil over precious coral reefs and throughout delicate and important ecosystems .
When my family visits Looe Key reef this summer, will the oil be there before us?
Will my grandchildren be able to share with their children the magic of living coral reef?

When you stand on the beach the ocean does look very ,very BIG
But, we must remember it is, in many ways, very very small.

Be sure to recycle those plastic bags your beads come in
and
Bead Happy , m.e :)

1 comment:

  1. The current oil spill is devastating and it's because of greedy corporate businesses. It's a shame we no one will force the consumption of oil aside for cleaner technology. I too wonder what will my grandchildren be left with.

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