With Earth Day tomorrow, no doubt you have seen a lot of slogans urging you to “go green”.  Here at the TED Prize, we strongly encourage you to “think blue” as well.  As Sylvia Earle said in her TED Prize talk: Ninety-seven percent of Earth’s water is ocean. No blue, no green. If you think the ocean isn’t important, imagine Earth without it. Mars comes to mind. No ocean. No life support system.

Learn more about protecting the oceans here, here and here.

Also, NBC News is running a special series called “Sea Change” all week.

This Treehugger slide show of Clark Little’s work is stunning and powerful. (via Boing Boing)  As the last slide says, “…really, really big waves are just part of a day’s work for Little. We’re glad he hops into the ocean to photograph its majesty. It helps us connect with it again, and helps us to know what Sylvia Earle is talking about when she urges action for ocean preservation.”

Reuters reported this weekend that “a nerve toxin produced by marine algae off California appears to affect creatures in the deep ocean, posing a greater threat that previously thought.” The article stems from a new report in Nature Geoscience.

“It’s a natural neurotoxin. It is produced by a diatom, which is a phytoplankton. As other animals eat this phytoplankton, like sardines or anchovies, this toxin can be transferred up the food chain,” said Emily Sekula-Wood, a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina…

Sekula-Wood and colleagues looked to see whether the toxin was reaching the ocean floor.

[...]“Our data further confirm that domoic acid-laced sinking particulates are incorporated into underlying sediments, where they are available for consumption and incorporation into bottom feeders,” the researchers wrote.

“It can make us think about the longevity of these toxins,” Sekula-Wood said.

At this year’s TED, Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation gave a short talk on how plastic waste is choking the seas, killing birds and poisoning fish. Anyone who has been inspired by Sylvia Earle’s talk and wish will not want to miss this devastating presentation.

Inspired by Sylvia Earle’s wish? Help make it a reality.

Emily over at the TED Blog just posted this awesome video demo of Google Earth, narrated by Sylvia Earle.  Take a couple minutes and check it out.

Stay tuned for updates on Sylvia Earle’s wish.