Until today the oceans in Google earth were shown as vast areas of blue. Over the last two years Google has worked with an ex-chief scientist National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fill in the gaps. It went live today.
When Google Earth was first programmed (by Keyhole the predecessor) it was arbitrarily decided that any land under sea-level did not count. Only 5 percent of the ocean floor is mapped and only 1 percent is protected.
Google hopes that the new information will make people more aware of the need for the ocean's protection. This latest effort was started when the ex-NOAA scientist, Sylvia Earle, said, "You've done a great job with the dirt. But what about the water?