Students and community members got a first-hand account of today's oceans at a lecture by oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle Monday night, part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate's Distinguished Lecture Series.
Earle, an influential advocate for ocean protection, spoke about her experiences as an explorer and her hopes for the future of earth's oceans.
Earle said that through the negative effects humans have had on the oceans, scientists now know people have the capacity to alter them. The good news, she said, is that through our understanding, we can change them for the better.
Earle, while taking questions from the audience, said the best way for
ormal"" people to effect change on our oceans is to stay as informed as possible so they can better make personal choices.
Earle said the best way to save our oceans, and the life they contain, is to set up protected areas, analogous to this country's national parks.
""The same strategy that has been applied to land, identifying hot spots, we need to do everything we can as soon as we can to protect them or they will be lost forever,"" Earle said.
The lecture was an opportunity for those outside the science fields to gain a better understanding of what is going on in today's oceans.
Fellow UW-Madison sophomore Nicole Hayes agreed and said the lecture was an eye-opener for her, especially after hearing about topics that affected Wisconsin such as how the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico.
Students also said they were affected by the National Geographic video clips Earle used as a powerful tool to convey her message.
""You hear sometimes that a picture's worth a thousand words, [but] an experience is worth a thousand pictures, and if I could, I would take everybody here out and jump into the ocean,"" Earle said.
Earle said she was very impressed with the knowledge base of those in the audience who asked questions.
""Usually the first question I get is, 'Have you ever seen a shark?' and this group went way beyond that,"" she said.
