Next Green Thing: State of Our Oceans

For today's show, we’re going to start out at sea, for a look at the oceans that surround us, sustain us, and play a major role in climate change. Ocean water covers 70 percent of the earth, supporting a vast range of lifeforms, from the microscopic to the world’s largest mammal - the great blue whale.

But new research points to a disaster bubbling up at sea. Massive amounts of pollution, and an increasing level of acidity, are putting the ecological equilibrium of the oceans in grave peril. The resulting imbalance is moving right up the food chain and washing onto our shores.

The July issue of DISCOVER Magazine includes an investigative report on the state of our oceans - including a massive trash dump between California and Hawaii called the Eastern Garbage Patch, and how the rising acidity of the ocean could create a hotter, more volatile climate and threaten sealife. DISCOVER's executive editor Corey Powell joined us to discuss those threats.

(Photo by Paul Gengenbach)