Jill Heinerth: The mysterious world of underwater caves
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
when I was a little kid,
that wasn't really available to me.
we know a lot more about space
coursing through our planet,
that was even more remarkable.
the wonders of inner space.
one of the most dangerous endeavors.
here in this room,
plunged into blackness,
through these large spaces,
crawling beneath the seats,
to provide your very next breath.
is not one big solid rock.
in our earth's sponge,
can make that journey without me.
that's going to teach you
to cave dive inside Antarctic icebergs.
moving object on the planet.
to explore ice edge ecology
that is used for space walks.
even 10 years ago.
even up to 20 hours long underwater.
are repositories of amazing life-forms,
live in unusual ways.
and no eyes in many cases,
are also extremely long-lived.
in these caves today
of the dinosaurs.
like little swimming dinosaurs.
about evolution and survival?
like this remipede swimming in the jar,
40 times his size and kill it.
thing on our planet.
in remarkably beautiful places,
caves like this, that are very young,
in global climate change.
and look at the layers within with rocks,
at very different times.
blown across the Atlantic Ocean.
on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.
in the rocks within these caves.
of these rocks, we can find times
was very, very dry on earth,
many hundreds of thousands of years.
at other times on earth.
ever conducted in the region,
used to lap up against the shoreline,
below current levels.
and archaeologists.
in the Bahamas, and even in Cuba,
and also human remains in caves,
inhabitants of these regions.
was over 15 years ago,
that made the very first
of a subterranean surface.
driving through the cave
a three-dimensional model as we drove it.
our exact position within the cave.
and bowling alleys and golf courses,
on the surface of our earth
rivers, lakes and oceans,
that knits us all together.
from which we all drink.
our human connections with our groundwater
on this planet,
issue of this century.
that I always wanted to be,
designed by Dr. Bill Stone, will be.
is to go to Jupiter's moon Europa
the frozen surface of that body.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jill Heinerth - Cave diverJill Heinerth explores underwater caves deep inside the earth.
Why you should listen
More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places that Jill's exploration has taken her right here on the earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, to the lawless desert border area between Egypt and Libya while a civil war raged around her, Jill's curiosity and passion about our watery planet is the driving force in her life.
Jill’s accolades include induction into the Explorer's Club and the inaugural class of the Women Diver's Hall of Fame. She received the Wyland ICON Award, an honor she shares with several of her underwater heroes including Jacques Cousteau, Robert Ballard and Dr. Sylvia Earle. She was named a "Living Legend" by Sport Diver Magazine and selected as Scuba Diving Magazine's "Sea Hero of the Year 2012."
In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the inaugural Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration. Established by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2013, the medal recognizes singular achievements and the pursuit of excellence by an outstanding Canadian explorer.
Jill Heinerth | Speaker | TED.com