When was the last time you got up close and personal with a manta ray or a porcelain anenome crab in the Seychelles or set your sight on a spiny flower coral in Roatan?
It’s now possible to travel to distant underwater worlds and immerse yourself in a tropical ocean landscape to explore its diverse sealife without leaving your computer. RSMAS is home to the only digital atlas of marine species, a collection of over 5,000 stunning underwater photos designed to educate and inspire greater understanding of the rich underwater ecosystems that exist around the world.
The Digital Atlas of Marine Species and Locations (DAMSL) Project is a collaboration between award-winning photographer Myron Wang and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
DAMSL is now making its way on to Google Earth in a series of photos slideshows and fishy tales, as part of Mission Blue’s Explore the Ocean project. So, the next time you are exploring the ocean in Google Earth take a dive with DAMSL.
– Annie Reisewitz
Follow Annie on Twitter @annelore