The way that we have historically interacted with
the ocean under the category of exploration has been through
the lens of science. The questions of modern science,
the tools and techniques of modern science. Today's view of
ocean science has been very strongly influenced by the
voyage of the HMS Challenger, which happened 150 years ago
and is understood to have been the first oceanographic voyage.
We're able to stand on the shoulders of other explorers
and pioneers that came before us. They used different
technology. We're a little bit more advanced, but the same
spirit is there. The Challenger produced 50 volumes of reports
which absolutely laid the foundation of ocean knowledge
on which today's ocean exploration continues to build.
As Americans, we've always been looking beyond the frontier,
always exploring, having an eye towards new discoveries. Pilot
has control, cool descent. We're uncovering so many new
things that are really alien to us, but all of those are just
stepping stones, building blocks to be able to gain a
better understanding of the ocean and you need those
building blocks if we're going to be able to make the
right decisions on how to interact with the ocean in the
future, how we're going to manage our resources. We have
climate change, we have ocean acidification, all of those
things that scientists tell us about. Just as much as
we see change on a climate scale here on the surface, all
of that's happening underwater as well.
It's not a quiet place. It's not a still place. There's
currents that rip around these areas on the bottom of the
ocean that are driving the circulation throughout the
whole globe. To gain a better understanding of that is super
important. Exploration should never just be centered on
scientists. We should always center our exploration in a
broader context. We should be able to take that exploration
and translate it for the public, to give it to the public for
them to be able to understand. And that's how we get the
public excited about exploration; that's how we get
the public excited about what lives on the deep ocean, and
that's how we get that next generation of scientists. Pilot
dive super. Go ahead dive super. Let's just send at 15
meters a minute. Hold at fifty. Good copy.
The history of science as a field used to only study people
who were considered scientists, who considered themselves to be
scientists, and there's now a recognition that it's important
to make that lens a bit wider. We look at the ocean one way,
but you don't have to go too far working with different
coastal communities where they see the ocean in a completely
different way. <> As a coastal Chumash person,
everything in my culture includes the ocean. Means waves
come in. The waves go out. The ocean was doing that before I
was born. The ocean will continue to do that when I'm
gone. We can't live without the ocean but without us, she will
go on. The ocean is absolutely essential to create the
conditions for life on earth and it is up to us to take care
of it and learn about it so that we can take better care of
it and we should do that in our own interest.