In Sylvia´s own words…

“We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.

I hope for your help to explore and protect the wild ocean in ways that will restore the health and in so doing, secure hope for humankind. Health to the ocean means health for us.  No water, no life. No blue, no green.

With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you´re connected to the sea, no matter where on earth you live. Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere is generated by the sea.
Earth as an ecosystem stands out in all the universe. There´s no place that we know about that can support life as we know it, not even our sister planet. Mars, where we might set up housekeeping someday, but at great effort and trouble we will have to recreate the things we take for granted here.”

 

National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend  by the Library of Congress, and  first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for corporate and non-profit organizations.

Formerly Chief Scientist of NOAA, Dr. Earle is the Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc., Founder of Mission Blue and The Sylvia Earle Alliance,  Chair of the Advisory Council of the Harte Research Institute, the Ocean in Google Earth, and leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions.  She has a B.S. degree from Florida State University, M.S. and PhD. from Duke University, 22 honorary degrees and has authored more than 180 scientific, technical and popular publications, lectured in more than 70 countries, and appeared in hundreds of radio and  television productions.

She has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7000 hours underwater including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970, participating in ten saturation dives, most recently in July, 2012, and setting a record for solo diving in 1000 meters depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.

Her special focus is on developing a global network of areas on the land and in the ocean, “Hope Spots,” to safeguard the living systems that provide the underpinnings of global processes, from maintaining biodiversity and yielding basic life support services  to providing stability and resiliency in response to accelerating climate change.

Her more than 100 national and international honors include the 2011 Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal,  2011 Medal of Honor from the Dominican Republic, 2009 TED Prize, Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, Australia’s International Banksia Award, Italy’s Artiglio Award, the International Seakeepers Award, the International Women’s Forum,  the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Academy of Achievement, Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year,  UN Global 500,  and medals from the Explorers Club, the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, Lindbergh Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Sigma Xi, Barnard College, and the Society of Women Geographers.

 

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