Category: Geography In the News

Geography In the News, Take Action

Live Chat With Enric Sala

TUNE IN!…to a live interview with National Geographic Explorer-in Residence Enric Sala on NG’s Facebook
page tomorrow, March 28 at 2:30pm ET.

Facebook Live Special Event: Your Questions for a Deep-Sea Explorer
For
the first time ever, National Geographic Facebook Live will host their weekly
interview not from National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C.,
but from the remote Pitcairn Islands nestled in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean. Miles from any other inhabited island,
Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala will join us by satellite phone to
give an update on a month-long expedition to Pitcairn and reveal
stunning photographs–straight from the field–of the island’s rich
biodiversity.

We first announced the Pitcairn Expedition to the Nat Geo Education Blog audience in early March. At that time, we asked students to submit their questions for Enric and his team, which also includes National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay. The team has agreed to answer at least one of the student questions during the live chat on March 28. Keep reading below to see some of the questions our readers submitted!

17847.jpgMarine ecologist Enric Sala (foreground) examines an enormous lobe
coral on Kingman Reef in the South Pacific’s remote Line Islands. This
coral is 500 years old, but the species was unknown to science before
Sala’s discovery. Such finds aren’t shocking at Kingman, which is one
of the world’s most pristine reef ecosystems. The site shows scientists
how much has been lost at reefs found closer to human habitation. Photo by Brian J. Skerry.

Continue reading “Live Chat With Enric Sala”

ngeducationinternLeave a comment
Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Celebrate DEEPSEA CHALLENGE with National Geographic Education!

Filmmaker (Titanic, Avatar, Terminator) and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron has become the first person to complete a solo journey to Challenger Deep, the terminus of the Mariana Trench, and the deepest known point on planet Earth at nearly 7 miles below sea level.

Although it’s more like 2 leagues than 20,000, the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE mission has the potential to bring mysteries of deep-ocean worlds to light for scientists, students, and dreamers alike. This incredible moment in the history of modern exploration is being reported by major news organizations around the world today (see stories on the New York Times and CNN), and the National Geographic Education team could not be more excited to share in the fervor.

As the educational outreach arm of the National Geographic Society, the organization sponsoring DEEPSEA CHALLENGE along with Rolex, we have developed a complete suite of materials to help teachers bring this scientific expedition to conduct deep-ocean research into their classrooms.  Here is a quick overview of the Nat Geo Education materials available.

DEEPSEA CHALLENGE - National Geographic Education_IE_crop.jpgNatGeoEd.org/deepsea-challenge
The main DEEPSEA CHALLENGE education hub features maps, multimedia, reference materials, and more.  Below is a list of five favorite resources:

Learn about important milestones in underwater exploration, including the sinking of the Titanic and the inventions of Jacques Cousteau, through photos, illustrations, and maps.

  • Marine Ecosystem Illustrations

Explore the flora and fauna of ocean environments–from coral reefs to the deep sea–with these collections of beautifully detailed illustrations for grades 3-5 and 9-12.

Continue reading “Celebrate DEEPSEA CHALLENGE with National Geographic Education!”

1 Comment
Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News, News from Nat Geo

Touch down! (not “touchdown”)

Doug Levin is the Associate Director for the Center for
Environment and Society at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland,
and is an expert in underwater exploration technology, as well as
designing fun programs that teach complex engineering concepts.

In the narrative below, Doug imagines that he is James Cameron traveling to the bottom of  Challenger Deep, as the famous filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence did yesterday, Sunday,
March 25, 2012. See actual quotes from a press conference with James
Cameron following the successful dive on the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE and the National Geographic Education Twitter feeds.

Cameron_ThumbsUp_01_MM8108_20120326_23547.jpg

Filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron gives two thumbs-up as he emerges from the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible after his successful solo dive to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. The dive was part of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, the National Geographic Society and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research. Photo by Mark Thiessen/National Geographic.

What did it feel like at touch down when Mr. Cameron finally settled into the fine muck at the true bottom of the sea? He landed at the point in the ocean where the drain that empties the world’s ocean could be installed. (Note that I didn’t put an “s” on the end of that [ocean], because all of the oceans are connected).  

So, imagine years of dreaming, designing, and building.  “Test” dives to depths deeper than anyone has ever gone.  Just read the email that Mr. Cameron sent to Don Walsh back on March 7, 2012, to really get a colorful flavor of the operation.  From all that I’ve read, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the euphoria of reaching these ocean depths will be tempered with flashbacks to all of the work and tests that preceded this monumental achievement.  Kind of like entering college in your freshman year, and the final celebration that ensues when you throw your mortarboard into the air at graduation.  The realization of the moment is short-lived, and then it’s time to “get to work.”

Here’s what I imagine from the comfort of my living room, thinking about this while sipping hot tea and looking out my back window. I–James Cameron–climb into the sub and am lowered into the water, sealed up so tightly that outside sounds cannot be heard directly.  Headphones transmit the “whirr” of the crane and the chatter between the crew and divers surrounding the sub, as it’s gently lowered into the water. I pass through the zone where the waves lap against my view to the outside.  The straps are released and I am cleared to descend.

Continue reading “Touch down! (not “touchdown”)”

Leave a comment
Geography In the News, News from Nat Geo

One Giant Leap

Shannon Switzer is an award-winning photographer, published writer, and National Geographic Young Explorer whose work focuses on ocean conservation.

Right about now, I imagine James Cameron and his DEEPSEA CHALLENGE team are
kicking back with several bottles of bubbly to celebrate their
monumental accomplishment. In this world, whose far-flung corners seem
to shrink closer together every day, it’s increasingly difficult to have
new “firsts” in exploration. So when one is achieved, it’s important to
pause and acknowledge it. Successfully engineering a sub to withstand
16,000 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure and dive solo to the deepest
spot on the ocean floor is one of those special occasions that calls for
celebration. The real success, however, is yet to come.

PreDive_04_MM8108_20120326_23028.jpgFilmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron gets a handshake from ocean explorer and U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, right, just before the hatch on the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible is closed and the voyage to the deepest part of the ocean begins. Walsh took the same journey to the bottom of the Mariana Trench 52 years ago in the bathyscaphe Trieste with Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard. Cameron is the first person to complete the dive solo. The dive was part of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, the National Geographic Society, and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research. Photo by Mark Thiessen/National Geographic.

 

Continue reading “One Giant Leap”

ngeducationinternLeave a comment
Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Email From Mr. Cameron to Mr. Walsh–A Dissection

Doug Levin is the Associate Director for the Center for
Environment and Society at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland,
and is an expert in underwater exploration technology, as well as
designing fun programs that teach complex engineering concepts.

The following is a dissection of the March 12th email from James Cameron
to Don Walsh–co-pilot of the bathyscaphe Trieste that went down to
Challenger Deep in 1960–following Cameron’s successful 8,000-meter dive
to the bottom of the New Britain Trench.

This email speaks
volumes to what goes on in and outside of the submarine. I’ve dissected
each paragraph and inserted my interpretation of what might be going on
behind the words. Of course, including my explanation has lengthened the
email by an order of magnitude. However, I was blown away by how much
was revealed within the short communication, and I wanted to share my
reactions with you. In the copy below I’ve kept Mr. Cameron’s type
normal.  My responses are preceded by several dashes (—-) and are written in bold italics. 
_______________________________________________________________________________

DCV Light Wall-V5.jpg

Once at the bottom of the ocean, James Cameron has the capability to
remain on the sea floor for up to six hours to conduct science
experiments.
Illustration Courtesy Acheron Project Pty Ltd.

Don,

The
8000m dive went very well. Not an unqualified success, since the
manip(ulator) was balky and my push core sediment sample washed out on
ascent because the sample door wouldn’t stow all the way, and because of
the speed of the flow over the vehicle on ascent (5 knots average).

—- At 8,000m, Mr. Cameron’s mechanical appendages would have been working
at pressures 800 times that experienced at the sea surface.  The
manipulator may have been balky because the pressures caused the
fittings that normally give the arm its agility to tighten.

—- A push core does exactly what its name suggests: A tube is
shoved into the sediment at the trench bottom and pulled back out to
collect a sample. First, a “core catcher” is placed in the end of the
core tube that enters the sediment; inverted metal or plastic fingers
keep the sample from falling out.  Once the core is pushed to its
refusal (i.e. the point at which it won’t go any deeper), the top is
capped to create air pressure. (If you’ve ever put your thumb over a
drinking straw, you know that you can remove the straw from a beverage
container without losing the liquid within. The liquid will then be
released when you remove your finger from the straw top.  Putting the
cap on top of the core should keep the contents from spilling out in
much the same manner.)

Continue reading “Email From Mr. Cameron to Mr. Walsh–A Dissection”

ngeducationinternLeave a comment