Make Some Waves for World Oceans Week

Whale hello there. Did you know the ocean makes up 70% of the planet’s surface? The theme for this year's 2021 UN World Oceans Day is "The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods." Now more than ever, it is crucial that we research, raise our voice and roll up our sleeves to help protect the environment, including our oceans. From fire to ice, check out these photos from climate change artist, Enzo Barracco.

Throughout the week, dive in to World Oceans Week with The Explorers Club, as they celebrate the many wonders of our natural world  and how the ocean is our lifesource, supporting humanity and every other organism on earth.

You can learn more about all the sea-nsational events happening this week from June 6-June 12 at www.explorers.org. Plus, don't miss Dr. Austin Gallagher, as seen on Shark Week, and more shark scientists during The Explorers Club's World Oceans Week Shark Panel on Friday, June 11!

June 07, 2021

By: The Explorers Club and Discovery

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Photo By: Enzo Barracco

If you flip the globe upside down, you will find the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica. The Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean basins all merge into the icy waters around Antarctica, where this glacial formation pictured resides. Oceanographers often define this as a fifth ocean and it's usually referred to as either the Antarctic or Southern Ocean basin.

The sea temperatures of the Southern Ocean range from 28 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (-2 to 10 degrees Celsius). Brrr!

The Southern Ocean plays a very important role in global ocean circulation, and it is vital in absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

Researchers have found that the rate at which warming is occurring under the sea surface near Antarctica stands out from naturally occurring trends. In these waters, seemingly small shifts in temperature can have drastic implications, leading to the erosion of massive ice sheets and glaciers.

Sailing up from Antarctica in to the remote islands of the Galápagos, here we find a brown pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis Urinator) coming in to land on the island of San Cristóbal. Believe it or not, the volcanic islands of the Galápagos and frozen wilderness of Antarctica have more in common than you may think.

A blue-footed booby (Sula Nebouxii) perches on Kicker Rock in the Galápagos Islands.

A marine iguana (amblyrhynchus cristatus) found in the Galápagos. The cluster of islands are an isolated sanctuary of biodiversity.

The theme for this year's 2021 UN World Oceans Day is "The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods." Now more than ever, it is crucial that we research, raise our voice and roll up our sleeves to help protect the environment.