Sylvia Earle

Explorer, Scientist

Founder and Chair, Mission Blue; National Geographic Explorer at Large; Founding Ocean Elder, IUCN Patron of Nature, Former Chief Scientist NOAA; Founder of three companies including Deep Ocean Exploration and Research; Advisor, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M Corpus Christi; Leader, Persian Gulf 100 day Expedition, 1991; Leader, Sustainable Seas Expeditions 1998-2003 and more than 100 other ocean projects; 200+ publications including NGS Atlas of the Ocean; The World is Blue; Sea Change. 7000+ hours diving experience including 10 saturation dives, use of 30+submarines; PhD Duke University and 34 honorary degrees; service on numerous boards including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Mote Marine Lab, Duke Marine Lab, WWF, NRDC, WRI, Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Futures, IUCN Council. More than 100 national and international awards including 2009 TED Prize. Service on corporate boards including Just, Inc., TED Prize; medals including the National Geographic Hubbard, Royal Geographic Society Patrons Medal, Explorers Club, Lindbergh Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Society of Women Geographers, Library of Congress Living Legend, Academy of Achievement, National Women's Hall of Fame, Time Magazine first hero for the planet, Tallberg Leadership Award, Princess of Asturias Prize, Woods Hole Oceanographic Millennium Medal.

All things ocean; making peace with the natural systems that sustain us; developing new technologies to explore and care for the ocean; educating and inspiring children -- No Child Left Dry

Everything that matters to humans depends on making peace with the natural world, especially the ocean. No blue, no green. No blue, no life. Protecting the ocean means protecting everything we care about: the economy, health, security, and most importantly, life itself. The waters of the world are in trouble, and therefore so are we. It is not too late to turn things around, but the next 10 years may be the most important in the next 10,000 years.

Ocean Sciences Ocean Technology, Ocean Sciences Ocean Technology Ocean conservation

The 2009 TED Prize provided lift-off for ocean issues, from exploration to new technologies to taking care of the blue heart of the planet with a network of 170 Hope Spots (and growing) in 116 countries that serve as centers of science, communication, exploration and conservation action.

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