The Birth of an Ocean
By Lana Gunnlaugson, Program Coordinator Marine & Freshwater
Ever wondered what lives on the ocean floor, and how it came to be there?
Tonight, CBC will present the first of four special episodes offering a view of the sea most of us have never seen. The One Ocean series attempts to reconnect us to our oceans through an underwater journey that only a few have ever witnessed.
The series begins 4 billion years ago with the birth of the ocean, which helped transform the Earth’s surface into the hospitable home we oxygen-loving animals live on today. Oceans gave us life, and we still depend on them to sustain us. From acting as the planet’s thermostat to absorbing half its carbon dioxide, the oceans provide us with many of the ecosystem services that we need to survive. It goes beyond this, too. Many who have touched the ocean knows that its beauty and power has touched them too.
I watched a sneak preview of the One Ocean series last night and definitely recommend tuning in for this series if you have ever been fascinated by the ocean and how it works.
Here’s the full schedule:
- The Birth of an Ocean: MARCH 4 AT 8 P.M.
The Birth of an Ocean explores the ocean*s tumultuous history and how the ocean transformed the earth into the livable, blue planet it is today.
- Footprints in the Sand: MARCH 11 AT 8 P.M.
Traditional fisheries, over-development and the places of recovery that can give us hope for a healthy future ocean all intersect in Footprints in the Sand.
- Mysteries of the Deep: MARCH 18 AT 8 P.M.
Starting in the deepest part of the ocean, Mysteries of the Deep takes us to a secret and magical world of bizarre creatures and new discoveries deep beneath the surface.
- The Changing Sea: MARCH 25 AT 8 P.M.
The Changing Sea explores some of the most stunning underwater locations in the world as it sets sail on a scientific race – a race to predict the fate of the global ocean.
One Ocean is produced by CBC’s The Nature of Things and Merit Motion Pictures, in association with National Geographic Channel.
Source obtained: www.davidsuzuki.org
* Tags › Eco, Environment, Life, ocean, Sustainability

Humans frequently assume that we are the architects of biological change, rather than mere participants. Genetic mapping and engineering do paint a compelling picture of us in the genetic driver’s seat. But what if we’re manipulated by the very agents we believe we’re manipulating? What if, for example, in our attempts to create a more cold-tolerant tomato, we’re unconsciously fulfilling the tomato’s desire to expand the environment in which it thrives? It’s discomforting – some would say, ridiculous – to think of ourselves as haplessly duped marionettes in an elaborate drama manipulated by the omniscient tomato – especially when things like consciousness and desire are not frequently listed among the tomato’s better-known traits.

