Google, Gore Launch 3D Ocean App
Former Vice President Al Gore helped launch a new feature for Google Earth on Monday that lets users dive beneath the water's surface, explore three-dimensional underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by leaders in ocean science and advocacy. Gore, who testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, noted that one new add-on lets Web surfers look back in time to see "the unprecedented pace of change taking place on the Earth -- largely because of human influences." One such occurrence is the melting of Glacier National Park's largest glacier over a decade.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt pointed out that "in discussions about climate change, the world's oceans are often overlooked despite being an integral part of the issue." About one-third of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere ends up in the sea and oceanic biodiversity loss over the next 20-plus years will be roughly equivalent to losing an entire Amazon rainforest, he said. During his Senate appearance, Gore called climate change an "unprecedented threat to the existence of civilization" and urged Congress to pass President Barack Obama's economic recovery package that provides for investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, an improved electricity grid and cleaner cars.
Three other new offerings from Google Earth include a time slider to see both newer and older satellite imagery from around the globe; an application that lets users create narrated tours of imagery; and a high resolution 3D function that lets users explore Mars.
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