To quiet the world’s waters, though, we all need to raise our voices. That’s what Sonic Sea is all about: increasing awareness of this growing threat and building a worldwide community of citizen advocates to help us turn down the volume on undersea noise.
Beneath the surface of our oceans lies a finely balanced, living world of sound, most of which we never hear topside. But to whales, dolphins, and other marine life, sound is survival, the key to how they navigate, find mates, hunt for food, communicate over vast distances, and protect themselves against predators in waters dark and deep.
Our oceans, though, have become vast junkyards of industrial noise — often louder than a rock concert — from commercial shipping, military sonar, and seismic blasts that test for oil and gas. The seas have become so loud, in places, that these great animals are drowning in noise that threatens their health, their future, and their very lives.
Two years ago this month, officials in Flint, Michigan, flipped the switch on the faulty new water system that led to the tragic lead contamination of the city’s drinking water. Yet Congress has failed to provide the city’s low-income families with the clean water they desperately need.
When Flint, Michigan, switched its water supply on April 25, 2014, it sparked an unprecedented public health crisis. Its residents are still in dire need of help.
The water in Flint, Michigan, is still unsafe to drink — two years after the crisis was set in motion. Badly needed federal assistance has been marooned by a handful of congressional Republicans. And the larger national problem of lead in too much of our drinking water is yet to be addressed.
The tragedy in Flint, and the largely feckless response so far, make for a sorry testament to government’s falling short on this issue at every level — state, local, and federal. These failings, though, are not an excuse for government inaction or a reason to hamstring our national response, as the usual critics of commonsense safeguards have claimed. The situation, instead, calls us to do better going forward. We owe that to the people of Flint. We owe it to Americans everywhere.
It’s Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate than to show you a glimpse of our various efforts to protect and understand our home planet.
We’re able to use the vantage point of space to improve our understanding of the most complex planet we’ve seen yet…EARTH! Our Earth-observing satellites, airborne research and field campaigns are designed to observe our planet’s dynamic systems – oceans, ice sheets, forests and atmosphere – and improve our ability to understand how our planet is changing.
Here are a few of our Earth campaigns that you should know about:
KORUS-AQ (Korea U.S. - Air Quality)
Our KORUS-AQ airborne science experiment taking to the field in South Korea is part of a long-term, international project to take air quality observations from space to the next level and better inform decisions on how to protect the air we breathe. Field missions like KORUS-AQ provide opportunities to test and improve the instruments using simulators that measure above and below aircraft, while helping to infer what people breathe at the surface.
This campaign will assess air quality across urban, rural and coastal South Korea using observations from aircraft, ground sites, ships and satellites to test air quality models and remote sensing methods.
NAAMES (North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study)
Our NAAMES study takes to the sea and air in order to study how the world’s largest plankton bloom gives rise to small organic particles that influence clouds and climate. This study will collect data during ship and aircraft measurement campaigns and combine the data with continuous satellite and ocean sensor readings.
IceBridge
Operation IceBridge is our survey of polar ice, and is kicking off its eighth spring Arctic campaign. This mission has gathered large volumes of data on changes in the elevation of the ice sheet and its internal structure. It’s readings of the thickness of sea ice and its snow cover have helped scientists improve forecasts for the summer melt season and have enhanced the understanding of variations in ice thickness distribution from year to year.
GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement)
GPM is an international satellite mission to provide next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours. We launched this mission with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2014. GPM contributes to advancing our understanding of Earth’s water and energy cycles, improves forecasting of extreme events and extends current capabilities of using satellite precipitation information to directly benefit society.
Find information about all of our Earth-studying missions HERE.
Do you ever consider the journey your food takes from farm to fridge? It may make you think twice about wasting it.
40% of food in America ends up wasted. Food waste is the single largest contributor to landfills in the U.S.—not to mention that it wastes water, labor, fuel, money, & love!
Visit SaveTheFood.com to learn how you can help stop food waste.
40% of food in America ends up wasted. Food waste is the single largest contributor to landfills in the U.S.—not to mention that it wastes water, labor, fuel, money, & love! Visit SaveTheFood.com to learn how you can help stop food waste.
“Today we’re speaking with one voice, 170 nations strong, to say enough is enough. This is where we turn the promise of Paris into the action we need to fight the central environmental challenge of our time.
“We won’t beat climate change with a piece of paper. Today marks a beginning, a historic start. We’re leaving the age of Jurassic fuels behind - for good - and moving to cleaner, smarter ways to power our future. The world is watching. We’ll hold our leaders to account. We’ll hold each other to account. And we’ll cut the global carbon footprint today so climate chaos doesn’t overwhelm our kids tomorrow.”