Screening: Reaching Blue

 
Evolver Victoria, as part of their DEEP DIVE: THE OCEAN AND OUR PLANETARY PSYCHE theme, brought the documentary film Reaching Blue to Sunset Labs (and beyond, with help from Stream of Consciousness)  on July 30, 2015.

Reaching Blue is the story of a coastal way of life under threat, where hope is found in stories of our past while facing the challenges of the future.

A writer, an oyster farmer and an ocean scientist on the Pacific coast expose new changes found in the Salish Sea, linking each of us to the world’s oceans. With twenty-two cinematographers contributing imagery from deep-sea submarines, ocean research vessels and drone cameras around our local waters, we catch a glimpse of a place as it has never been seen before. From John Steinbeck’s old research vessel The Western Flyer to residents of coastal communities facing dramatic changes in their own back yards, Reaching Blue shows that we are all connected to the ocean at our doorstep.

Attendees were treated to not only a screening of this thought provoking and informative documentary film, but afterwards were able to participate in a presentation and Q&A with Director Andy Roberston. As an extra gift, guests were also given a resource document with action items that they could incorporate into their own lives to support our oceans.

 

About the Film

Reaching Blue is a new documentary from the Salish Sea, on Canada’s Pacific Coast. The film features Ocean Networks Canada, Dr. Kate Moran, and the role of research and technology in understanding our changing oceans. From John Steinbeck’s old research vessel the Western Flyer to residents of coastal communities facing changes head on, Reaching Blue demonstrates how each of us are connected to the ocean, and the importance of ocean research as we move forward.

 

Learn more about Ocean Acidification

A decrease in the pH (increase in the acidity) of the Earth’s oceans. Concentrations of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere have been rising at a rapid rate from human fossil fuel consumption (Guinotte and Fabry, 2008). An increase in atmospheric CO2 leads to a rise in oceanic CO2 levels through continual air-sea gas exchange. When CO2 dissolves in the ocean it reacts with seawater and carbonate, leading to a decrease in the amount of available carbonate in the ocean (Emerson and Hedges, 2008).

A decline in the available carbonate ions means that calcifying organisms must expend significantly more energy to build and maintain their hard shells. This will have a direct impact on the marine organisms which build shells composed of either biogenic calcium carbonate or aragonite. These organisms include tropical and cold water corals, mollusks (clams and mussels), echinoderms (sea stars), phytoplankton (foraminifera and coccolithophores), zooplankton (pteropods) and crustose coralline algae. In return, the decline of calcifying organisms can have a substantial impact on the marine ecosystem. Many calcifying organisms are an important source of nutrition and shelter for higher-trophic level organisms (Guinotte and Fabry, 2008).

 

Reaching Blue Documentary Trailer:

 

Interested to learn more?
Follow Reaching Blue here