Ever dreamed of exploring the bottom of the oceans deepest depths? Sounds like a Jules Verne novel, no more, today’s Google Earth 5.0 allows visitors to dive the oceans, track marine life and explore marine wrecks of yesterday. Explorers can sit in the comfort of their living room or office and explore the oceans that cover almost three-quarters of the planet. 3D views of the oceans floor now provide views that only experienced scientist and researchers have seen.
To begin, these underwater exploration users must visit, http://earth.google.com/ download Google Earth 5.0 to their computers. Travelers need to ensure their computers meet the minimum requirements and both PC and Mac downloads are available. Google a host of support articles and forums for those whom may experience any issues or have questions before downloading.
As users begin their explorations they can select from a variety of layers to be displayed on the screen. By selecting Shipwrecks, one can view locations of wrecks. Many of these sites offer even more detail of the wreck with YouTube video or hyperlinks to Shipwreckcentral.com the latest information. Animal Tracking is another unique option that allows users to see where creatures such as great white sharks, whales or sea lions have been located, and their routes of travel. Further details provide the type of tag used on the animal and facts such as range and habitat.
Contour of the oceans bottom can be viewed with high resolution detail of underwater mountains, valleys, plateaus and trenches. Sea surface temperature can also be selected; this option provides a colorized overlay of the oceans indicating the average temperature of the surface water. This information is provided by the U.S. Navy date from NOAA, NASA and European weather satellites. Ocean observations can be enhanced to show real-time date of factors such as air temperature, water temperature and wind direction for sites around the world.
Conservationist will find tools that provide information on the state of health of the oceans. Options provide information on local sea life that is harvested for human consumption as well as dead zones. These area areas do not have enough oxygen to sustain marine life, users can obtain more information from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science these icons. A global map showing the impacts of humans on marine ecosystems can be overlaid. This information shows the cumulative impact of 17 different stressors associated with human activities. These activities range from fishing to pollution and their impact on 20 different marine ecosystems.
According to the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis as outlined in the Google announcement, 41% of the world’s oceans are heavily impacted and no single spot on the planet is untouched by human activities.
No longer are the mysteries of the oceans reserved for the scientist and researchers of the deep. Today Google has provided a tool for arm chair marine explorers to venture to the depths of the planets oceans and explore our world beneath the waves. Our oceans our one of our most valuable resources and the conservation of its bounty is everyone’s responsibility.
