Today is United Nations World Oceans Day! This year's theme is "Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean." Celebrate our beautiful and amazing oceans and learn something about how you can keep them healthy and clean.
Future Sea: How to Rescue and Protect the World's Oceans by Deborah Rowan Wright
"[P]roposes that the global marine environment be protected under the precautionary principle. It argues that the policy framework for such protection already exists -- it just needs to be enforced. In a series of case studies, with first-person vignettes woven throughout, Wright encourages us to begin every conversation about ocean policy with the assumption that any extractive or polluting activities in the world's oceans should require special permission. Her argument invokes the Public Trust Doctrine already embedded in many constitutions, and hinges on the Law of the Sea, which was established by the U.N. in 1982 to protect the "high seas," or the remote parts of the ocean considered international waters" -From the Publisher
Reef Life: An Underwater Memoir by Callum Roberts
"A memoir by the world's leading coral reef scientist, revealing the thrill of diving and the vital science and story of these majestic reefs." -From the Catalog
The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species by Terrie Williams
"When a two day-old Hawaiian monk seal pup is attacked and abandoned by his mother on a beach in Kauai, environmental officials must decide if they should save the newborn animal or allow nature to take its course. But as a member of the most endangered marine mammal species in U.S. waters, Kauai Pup 2, or KP2, is too precious to lose, and he embarks on an odyssey that will take him across an ocean to the only qualified caretaker to accept the job, eminent wildlife biologist Dr. Terrie M. Williams." -From the Publisher
Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth by Alanna Mitchell
"We have long lorded over the ocean. But only recently have we become aware of the myriad life-forms beneath its waves. We now know that this delicate ecosystem is our life-support system; it regulates the earth's temperatures and climate and comprises 99 percent of living space on earth. So when we change the chemistry of the whole ocean system, as we are now, life as we know it is threatened. In Seasick, veteran science journalist Alanna Mitchell dives beneath the surface of the world's oceans to give readers a sense of how this watery realm can be managed and preserved, and with it life on earth. Each chapter features a different group of researchers who introduce readers to the importance of ocean currents, the building of coral structures, or the effects of acidification. With Mitchell at the helm, readers submerge 3,000 feet to gather sea sponges that may contribute to cancer care, see firsthand the lava lamp-like dead zone covering 17,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Mexico, and witness the simultaneous spawning of corals under a full moon in Panama. The first book to look at the planetary environmental crisis through the lens of the global ocean, Seasick takes the reader on an emotional journey through a hidden realm of the planet and urges conservation and reverence for the fount from which all life on earth sprang." -From the Publisher
Expedition Deep Ocean: The First Descent to the Bottom of All Five of the World's Oceans by Josh Young
"Expedition Deep Ocean tells the inside story of this exploration of one of the most unforgiving and mysterious places on our planet, including the site of the Titanic wreck and the little-understood Hadal Zone. The expedition pushed technology to the limits, mapped hidden landscapes, discovered previously unknown life forms and began to piece together how life in the deep oceans affects our planet--but it was far from easy." -From the Publisher
Oceans (DVD)
"Features an exhilarating look under the sea through the eyes of those that live there. Incredible state-of-the-art-underwater filmmaking will take viewers breath away as they migrate with whales, swim alongside a great white shark, and race with dolphins at play. Includes first-ever images of elusive deepwater creatures, featurettes, music video, filmmaker annotations, and more." -From the Catalog
Blue planet II (DVD) - [Checkout the book too!]
"David Attenborough returns to the world's oceans in this sequel to the acclaimed documentary filming rare and unusual creatures of the deep, as well as documenting the problems our oceans face." -From the Catalog
Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures (DVD)
"Jean-Michel Cousteau follows in his father's footsteps as he and his team explore dangerous and spectacular places around the world. The multi-part series includes: Voyage to Kure, Sharks at Risk, The Gray Whale Obstacle Course and America's Underwater Treasures. In water and on land, the team meets challenges and makes discoveries in both wild and developed regions. Narration by Robert Redford and Pierce Brosnan."
And check out these ocean themed documentaries through Kanopy and Hoopla:
Revolution: The Fight to Save Our Oceans (Kanopy)
"In this multi-award-winning film, Rob Stewart embarks on a global journey to uncover the grave dangers threatening the world’s oceans -- and ultimately, humanity -- as well as to learn what it will take to reverse the challenges to life on earth. From the coral reefs in Papua New Guinea to the rainforests of Madagascar, Stewart’s travels reveal that our fate is tied to even the smallest of creatures. Stunning scenes of underwater sea life bring viewers face to face with sharks and lemurs, into the microscopic world of the pygmy seahorse, and on the hunt with the deadly flamboyant cuttlefish." -From Kanopy
The Last Reef: A Lush Look at Ocean Reefs (Kanopy)
"Fly across iridescent tropical reefs. Brush through a cloud of countless jellyfish. Visit an alien world where the closer you look, the more you see. We think of reefs as exotic, distant places with little connection to our everyday world. Yet each of them is a hotspot of biodiversity, as vital to life on Earth as the rainforests. Just as the Amazon has its secrets, so too do the reefs." -From Kanopy
Oceans: The Mystery of the Missing Plastic (Kanopy)
"99% of the plastic that should be floating in the oceans is missing. Even accounting for the plastic that washes up on beaches or is trapped in arctic ice, millions of tonnes has simply disappeared. As most plastic never deteriorates, it simply breaks down into smaller and smaller particles that are invisible to the human eye, what happens to this missing ocean plastic is a mystery. In this investigation, scientists embark in search of the micro-plastics. Small, mostly invisible, toxic, they are home to a new ecosystem: the plastisphere. But where are they? Ingested by organisms? Buried under the ocean floor? Degraded by bacteria? And what is the impact of them entering the food chain?" -From Kanopy
Saving the Ocean with Carl Safina (Hoopla)
"From overfishing to pollution to climate change, the world's oceans are under siege. But there's reason for hope. Marine biologist and author Carl Safina offers up a refreshing change to the usual doom-and-gloom "environmental" news in this series that focuses on stories about people and communities around the world who are making a positive difference." -From Hoopla
Discover Planet Ocean: The World Beneath (Hoopla)
"Discover the ocean life, wild life, cultures, climate and its effect on the Great River or current that circulates in the North Pacific Ocean bringing people to Costa Rica, The Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, United States and Canada. Episodes include two World Heritage Sites, The Home of the Humpback Whales in Japan, The Giant Kelp Forest of U.S. West Coast and The Amazing White Sea of Canada and more." -From Hoopla
Oceanography: Exploring Earth's Final Wilderness (Hoopla - Great Courses)
"The Earth's watery realm, the ocean, is a source of wonder, delight, sustenance, economic benefit, and awe in the face of its overwhelming mystery and power. Join a scientific expedition to fathom the ocean's mysteries in 36 intensively illustrated, half-hour lectures delivered by an ocean scientist." -From Hoopla
