The ocean is our planet’s life support system. It covers over 70 percent of Earth’s surface, supplies over half its oxygen, and shelters an incredible diversity of life. To gear up to celebrate Earth Day, the National Geographic Society hosted a virtual field trip on April 21 at 1 p.m. ET. The program is now available to watch on-demand on YouTube!
In this virtual field trip, dive into learning about what whale history and culture can teach us, how remotely operated vehicles give us an unprecedented view of seamounts in the Galápagos Islands, and how eco-journalism inspires change.
You’ll meet National Geographic Explorers who illuminate, celebrate, and protect the beating blue heart of our planet, including:
- Brian Skerry | Brian is a photojournalist who specializes in marine wildlife and underwater environments. He has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater exploring the world’s oceans. His most recent project has taken him diving all over the world to document the cultures of various whale species.
- Salomé Buglass | Salomé is a marine ecologist with a deep passion for exploration and ocean conservation. Working with the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, Salomé uses remotely operated vehicles to survey and sample seamounts—large geologic landforms that rise from the ocean floor.
- Sruthi Gurudev | Young Explorer Sruthi Gurudev is an eco-journalist with two clear missions: providing ocean solutions and building a network of empowered youth through writing and editing her online magazine, An Hour in the Deep.
“If you look at a picture of Earth from space, you instantly see two things: We live on this very beautiful blue jewel floating out in the darkness of space, but you can also instantly see that we live on a water planet.”
– Brian Skerry
For more opportunities to celebrate Earth Day and our blue planet follow @NatGeoEducation on Twitter and Facebook!
This Virtual Field Trip is in partnership with the DC Collaborative. For more Washington, DC arts and humanities educational programs, check out the DC Collaborative.
Feature image by Brian Skerry