The water was the kind of blue usually reserved for color saturated photographs that hang on the walls of natural history museums; so deep and perfect that one would swear it was fantasy. All around us we could sense the mighty creatures even before they appeared out of the abyss. At first a faint shimmering of shadow alerted us to their presence until shadow gave way to form and first one, then two then eight graceful giants slowly emerged from the depths, their unmistakable form as familiar as any...humpback whales! Silently rising up from a deep dive, easily 50 feet long and over 40 tons each, their effortless ascent towards us is a sight not easily forgotten. While there is no way to know what they were thinking as they passed within a few yards away of my sister Alexandra and me, I like to think that they were as curious about us as we were about them. Regardless, coming face to face with a pod of humpback whales is a magnificent site that is at once both thrilling and humbling. I have traveled the world, from the frigid waters of the Arctic to the tropical paradise of the South Pacific and have been lucky to grow up witness to countless such wonders.
My grandfather was Jacques Cousteau, a pioneer of ocean exploration and the co-inventor of scuba diving. Back in the 1940's when he tested out his invention which allowed humans to swim freely in the ocean with a portable air source for the first time in history, very little of the ocean had been explored let alone captured on film. I remember growing up with his stories, about when he took his first breath underwater off the coast of southern France and how stunned he was by the raw beauty that surrounded him. However, I was also told of how devastated he was by what has happened to those very same reefs which have crumbled and virtually disappeared. The work of my grandfather and then my father, Philippe Cousteau Sr., over the following 50 years laid the groundwork for most of what we know about the marine world. There is an irony that while we have seen the greatest amount of exploration of our planet in the last 50 years, we have also seen the greatest destruction of it. And the oceans are no exception. Now, we face yet another challenge: ocean acidification.
Ocean acidification is caused by the ocean absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the same carbon dioxide that is the primary cause of global warming, hence the nickname "the other carbon problem." As they do so, the oceans become more acidic with terrible consequences. Scientists have proven a direct link between the excessive carbon we have been spewing into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution and the rise in ocean acidity. Indeed, since that time, the pH of the surface of the ocean has dropped by 0.1 pH units (an approximate 30% increase in acidity in the ocean).
Who cares you might ask? Well, we all should because simply put, ocean acidification could spell the end of oceans as we know them. Since oceans are the life support system of our planet, regulating the climate, providing most of our oxygen and feeding over a billion people; what's bad for oceans is bad for us, very bad. Ocean acidification is often referred to as osteoporosis of the oceans because as acidity rises, shell building creatures such as lobster, oyster, crab, shrimp, and coral are unable to extract the calcium carbonate from the water that they need to build their shells and are thus unable to survive. But it isn't just the large creatures like lobster which are in peril. The tiny ones like pterapods and krill build shells too. These smaller creatures are the basis of most marine food chains, and as they disappear so too will all those animals that feed upon them, including the great baleen whales like the majestic humpback that so awed me in Hawaii.
I wrote earlier that the last 50 yrs have seen the greatest amount of damage to our environment. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is the next 50 that will define the course of human history and decide our fate. If we are to build the just and sustainable world we all dream of we must act now. As the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "we have no time for the tranquilizing drug of gradualism." The next 50, those are our years and we have the power to change course, to stop our abuse of this planet, to fight for clean energy, healthy food, and the protection and restoration of nature. Only then will we be able to pass on to our children the hope of a better world.
Special thanks to Elliott Norse, John Guinotte and Lance Morgan of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) for their support and research.
Learn more all month long as my sister Alexandra and I co-host the exciting programming event BLUE AUGUST on Planet Green Channel which includes a special world premiere of the documentary Acid Test, hosted by Sigourney Weaver who explores ocean acidification and what can be done about it at 10:30PM ET/PT on August 12. To learn more about BLUE AUGUST, visit www.planetgreen.com/blueaugust.
Follow Philippe Cousteau on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@pcousteau
Philippe Cousteau: Video Games Can Change the Conservation Game
I believe that the solution to many of our environmental challenges will come from an unexpected place: video games.
As a little boy growing up in Nicaragua, your grandfather's shows were a must see. I used to watch them with my father and I remember how magical they were. Sea exploration was a fascinating thing to a young boy. I'm very happy to see both you and your sister are carrying the family tradition. I agree 100% with your sense of urgency and will support you.
What a sad, lonley world that would be!
Major loss to the planet on a whole.
Such a unique and quintessential species!
Once Cetacea ar gone; there is no return.
Well, I will continue to do my best so THAT doesn't happen.
Knowledge, information and unity are key.
The Walking Whale's Tale© will get out there to do its' part.
There must always be whales in the seas!
" If we all work together, the whales can be saved. "
Not right and very un-symbiotic!
Well, I think I'll keep working to have them stay here!!!
Knowledge, information and teamwork is key.
My family had the enormous pleasure of viewing, up close, a pod of humpbacks off the coast of Maui a few months ago. Watching a mother nurse her calf is an experience we shall never forget.
Again, thank you for spreading the word. I hope we hear more from you!
There is reason for concern that the oceans' ecology is stressed due to overharvesting and pollutants and who knows what else, but among the cadidates are exotic invaders brought to new waters by our activities.
I am not sure as to acidification. It seems to me that the data is lacking and our understanding of how effective the oceans total buffering capacity is not well known , but even if the CO2 were somehow actually improving the oceans, I would still wish to see the restult of our activities managed to conserve the ocean's resources and its habitat especially the inter-tidal and coastal regions.
All the more reason, in my estimation, to continue our civilization's work towards establishing human industrial presence in space beginning with space-based solar power.
The migration of humans from rural areas to urban ares is continuing at a rapid clip which is helping in some ways, with lower birth rates and reduced dependence by rural people on their local ecosystems, which are already stressed to the breaking point.
Keep up the good work!
Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Cousteau, merci beaucoup!
Your imagery is beautiful! It reminds me of your grandfather's show I watched as a little girl. Like your grandfather, you have and are making such an incredible difference to our world. Thank you for carrying on your family's work. It is such an important job. It is time all of us to help even with small changes... buy recycled, less dinner-in-a-box, etc.
Your experience with your sister sounds very similar to a video I have watched MANY times with my son, Noah. Last year, while he was in the hospital undergoing his 4th open heart sugery, he and I spent many hours talking about diving "just like Jacques Cousteau" and what ocean we would visit, what whales, creatures, we would see. The dream of being able to take Noah to the ocean and for Noah, the idea of the ocean and being in the ocean, has helped strengthen him and given Noah and I a goal for his future. It saddens me to think in just such a short amount of time, there has been such destruction and it will continue on until we stop it. Thank you for making such a difference in the lives of so many...I know that Noah also appreciates your hard work. I have watched a humpback breach out and am looking forward to Noah experiencing that as well.
Have you ever considered writing a book?
This article is terrific and I know will touch many. Thank you.
We have a special "someday" book we put our really special pictures and articles of the ocean that we'll visit and a You Tube account that we save diving videos on to view. The few things he's written I have in that book - as it is difficult for him to write...I'm hoping he'll write on the computer as he becomes a faster typer.
Given your unique background and opportunities, I appreciate your willingness to get involved. It's important that those who are able to engage at such an intimate level share their experiences so that those of us who do not have such opportunities can still participate in some way, if only vicariously!
Will it mean the end of all forms of ocean life as we know it? Recent experiments have demonstrated increases in the size of fish ear bones with increasing acidity, the opposite of what might be expected. This may be an adaptive response that allows these fish to function normally under what limits? While one species may be able to tolerate changes in ocean chemistry, others will not.
How fast can ocean ecosystems evolve to keep up with the changes we are creating? There are no easy answers. That's why it's so important that the public is continually reminded of what's at stake.
We are rolling the dice and altering the systems on which humans have depended for breathable oxygen, food, a habitable climate, and unparalleled beauty and inspiration. It's human survival that's at stake, along with all that we hold dear about the world ocean.
As with all consequences of human-caused climate change, there will be winners and losers. Are we willing to take that risk with the future of the ocean and human survival?