Latest news with #MissionBlue
The National
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Scottish museum showcases importance of underwater archaeology
The Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine is hosting the Beneath The Waves exhibition until September. It is the result of a collaboration between maritime explorer Graeme Bruce, underwater photographer Lawson Wood and underwater artist Christina Riley. James McLean, senior curator at the museum, said: 'Eva Bukowska, our exhibition and events officer, organised it all. We have a rolling schedule of exhibitions, and this idea came together to highlight importance of underwater archaeology to Scotland. 'It shows the amazing marine life Scotland has to offer and you get a taste if you come down to the museum. We have such wonderful natural landscapes here and it really is something to be celebrated.' READ MORE: I tried to go to 10 Fringe shows in one day. Here's what happened McLean said working alongside the experts has paid off. He said: 'It was totally essential to work with them. We would do our own research and use some of our own material but we knew we wanted to speak to the experts in the field and highlight their work.' Among the main attractions are two rare ceramic bowls by Glasgow-based Bell's Pottery that were recovered from an 1857 iron steamship SS Eagle off Lamlash Bay in Arran by Graeme Bruce and his team in 2024. The ship sank in November 1859 after colliding with a sailing boat and it resulted in the loss of 11 lives. McLean said: 'It has also been popular due to Graeme Bruce allowing us to be the first place to show off his findings and people have wanted to come see them.' Photographer Wood has 60 years of underwater experience and more than 54 books published. Much of his work is on display at the exhibition and helps to reveal the world of marine life such as colourful tropical fish, seals and corals. Wood said: 'Eva came across me on Instagram, got in touch and asked me to submit photographs from our local waters to be a part of the exhibition. It was a delight and an honour to be invited to be a part of it.' Riley is an underwater artist who had already partnered with the museum through her permanent residence for her Nature Library that is open to public every Sunday to come see the themed books she has on offer. In 2022, she spent two weekends in residence at the Argyll Hope Spot which is a protected place that is a part of a global initiative by Mission Blue that highlights areas critical to the health of the ocean. She has written a book about her experience that will be out in November. Riley said: 'Eva and the team have put together this incredible exhibition together, it feels like you're walking underwater. 'It is fantastic, they are really celebrating how exciting the ocean is and that is the theme that I really want to focus on.' The museum said the exhibition has been received well, with many visitors excited to see a world they did not know much about. McLean said: 'The reception has been really positive, people have been really enjoying it. 'It's really popular, which has been helped by how much the local community has been interested in it. READ MORE: Flights cancelled and planes diverted at Scottish airport 'There is so much for people to see. I think people from looking at our photographs would have an awakening to the weird and wonderful colours of marine life around our shores.' Riley added: 'You never know what it could introduce you to because there is something for everyone. I just hope that people see something that they have never seen before or look at the ocean in a new way.' 'Here is another world of amazing creatures and colours, you don't have to go to warm tropical seas to get the amazing colours of marine life we have here. It is here for everybody to enjoy,' Woods said. Beneath the Waves also features artefacts from the museum's national maritime heritage collection and exhibits on loan from North Ayrshire Heritage Trust. Visitors can learn more about free diving and how it has advanced our understanding of marine archaeology and conservation. Riley added: 'Having these spaces where these things can be brought together and the public can see is great. People get to see something new, beautiful and exciting.' Entry to the exhibition is part of admission to the museum which is open daily from 10am-5pm. The exhibition runs until September 13.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Ignorance' Is Most Pressing Issue Facing Ocean Conservation, Says Sylvia Earle
Credit - Erika Larsen Marine biologist Sylvia Earle could easily rest on her laurels. In a career that began in the 1950s, she has become a pioneer in ocean exploration and conservation. She holds the record for the deepest walk under the sea and was the first female chief scientist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But on the cusp of her 90th birthday this August, she has no plans to slow down—and believes that the problems currently facing our oceans now have never been more urgent. Her most recent venture, Mission Blue, aims to create a worldwide network of marine protected areas known as 'Hope Spots.' As of June 2, this includes the Chesapeake Bay. TIME spoke to Earle in May after a dive she made in the country's largest estuary. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read more: Fishing Communities in the Philippines Are Fighting for their Future as Waters Rise TIME: You have been involved in ocean conservation work for decades. What changes have you noticed since you first started this work? EARLE: We have learned more about the nature of the ocean, of the planet as a whole, and even about ourselves. When I was a child, no one had been to the moon, no one had been to the deepest part of the sea. The internet did not exist. Think about the things we did not know, even about the microbial world, and how influential that is on everything and every one. That was just missing in our understanding of how the world functions. [We've learned more about] the magnitude of our climate and what our role has been in bringing about change. In many cases, we've lost more than during all preceding history. What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing our oceans now? Ignorance, complacency, lack of awareness that the ocean is essential to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, we are connected to the ocean. Our very existence depends not just on the existence of rocks and water. 97% of Earth's water is ocean, and ocean is essential to life, but what really matters is that the ocean has populated with creatures who preceded us, not just by centuries or millennia, but hundreds of billions of years, fine tuning rocks and water into a habitable planet. It just seems perverse that we take so much for granted and are so casual about consuming nature [when] you realize how long it has taken for the natural systems to come to a state where we actually can not just survive here, but thrive here. We know what to do. We just need, in this really critical crossroads in time, to use the knowledge we have and to come together. Everybody is, without exception, vulnerable to the state of the planet, the habitability of Earth. If you can't breathe, nothing else quite matters. Or if you don't have water, if you don't have food. All of the basics anchor back to [the idea that] we've got to take care of what keeps Earth, our home, safe in a universe that is really inhospitable. For those who want to go to Mars and set up housekeeping, I say, good luck. It's a great vision. I think we'll get there for a small number of people, for small periods of time, but it's not an alternative to Earth. We are of the Earth. Actually, we are of the ocean, because it's the ocean that makes our existence possible. As someone who has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, what's one thing you wished more people knew about our oceans? I wish people could understand [that the ocean] is not just a massive amount of salt water, but rather it's a living system. What we put into the ocean changes the chemistry of not just the ocean, but of the planetary functions as a whole. The consequences to planetary chemistry, to planetary security, are right now facing us with the prospect of the sharp changes that we won't be able to control if they get to that tipping point. The good news through all of this, I think, is that the world has not tipped yet into a state from which we cannot recover. We've got all the warning signs, the rapid increase temperature, the rapid increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the rapid loss of forests on the land, and the consequences of clear cutting forests, disrupting the carbon cycle, clear cutting the ocean of fish, of squid, of krill from Antarctica, all of this. We know what we need to do. A big part of Mission Blue's work is identifying 'Hope Spots' in the ocean. When much of our ecosystems are under threat, why is it important to you to highlight these areas? The real purpose underlying the Hope Spot concept is to ignite public awareness and support for protecting nature. The Hope Spot is a means to a broader end, to get people to be aware of why the ocean in particular matters. Land and sea together, the whole world is one big, mostly blue hope spot, but [we want to] energize individual champions, communities, institutions, to come together with a common purpose of protecting a place that they know and love. And this is meant to highlight and enforce and support everybody else who's trying to do something to turn from declined to recovery, one hope spot, one community, one champion at a time. And it is contagious. People want to know, what can I do to make a difference? You are almost 90 years old—what keeps you diving? Why not? I think it's important to keep doing the things you love as long as you can. How can I resist when most of the areas on Earth where life exists have yet to be explored. I want to keep doing it as long as I can breathe. Don't you want to do the same thing? Read more from TIME's Ocean Issue The World Isn't Valuing Oceans Properly Meet the Marine Biologist Working to Protect Our Oceans from Deep-Sea Mining Geopolitical Tensions are Shaping the Future of our Oceans Write to Simmone Shah at
