At their current rate of decline, we will lose these incredible whales in less than 20 years. There are only 450 North Atlantic right whales remaining on earth. Their lifetimes have shrunk, and they’re producing calves far less often than they used to. And their habitat is shifting because of climate change and in a way that is heightening the conflict between these beloved animals and the ways humans use our ocean. We need lasting protections, quickly, from the things causing the most harm as well as a concerted effort to shift towards ‘ropeless’ fishing technology, which will likely reverse their decline.
Jean-Michel Cousteau explains how every one of us is connected to the water system, whether we live up on top of the mountains or along the coastline. There is only one single water system on the planet and we all depend upon the quality of that water. So, he says, if you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.
Working from a combination of satellite records and declassified submarine sonar data, NASA scientists have constructed a 60-year record of Arctic sea ice thickness. Right now, Arctic sea ice is the youngest and thinnest its been since we started keeping records. More than 70 percent of Arctic sea ice is now seasonal, which means it grows in the winter and melts in the summer, but doesn’t last from year to year. This seasonal ice melts faster and breaks up easier, making it much more susceptible to wind and atmospheric conditions.
Music: Galore by Lee Groves [PRS], Peter George Marett [PRS]
This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13089 Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Katy Mersmann
