Google Oceans: Our blue planet revealed

Google has just announced a new tool that allows viewers to take a glimpse under the sea, which goes a long way to addressing our “out of sight – out of mind mentality” currently plaguing marine conservation efforts.

Having just rolled out google sky following the ever-popular google earth, google is now giving us a chance to dive into an area that occupies 2/3 of earth’s surface.

Although much of the sea floor surrounding New Zealand is yet unavailable in a high-resolution, it is hoped that with time we will be able to see the mountains, coral reefs and shelves that lie under our sea.

And with many more eyes on our quickly deteriorating coral reefs (a side effect of ocean acidification), this tool may have the power to open people’s eyes to the effects of climate change on our oceans

The media are abuzz with excitement over google oceans, and conservationists too are joining the chorus of cheers. No doubt this is a powerful tool for sharing information about our oceans, and soon it will be populated with tags, notes, photos & videos from scuba divers, scientists, snorkelers and fishers from across the globe.

So have a look for yourself. (http://earth.google.com/ocean/). In what ways do you think that Forest & Bird can use this tool to protect our marine habitats & species?