Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

A Shanty for the Salish Sea

Bellingham biologist Bert Webber is closing in on accomplishing his goal of unifying Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia under the name he first coined in 1988, The Salish Sea. On October 30th the Washington State Board of Geographic Names voted 5-1 to adopt the new name and similar committees at other levels of government are expected to follow in coming weeks. Webber's interest in suggesting this new umbrella term is to acknowledge, and promote understanding of, the ecological interconnectedness of these bodies of water. That it has taken twenty years from Webber's first push to place the Salish Sea on maps for this to occur might mislead one to believe that the geographical lexicon is nearly static. In fact, we are encompassed by constant, subtle changes in geography.

Cartography itself embodies a certain paradox. Even the perfect map is by definition an abstraction and as our understanding of the world changes and increases so must our maps morph and reflect these improved, or simply different, forms of comprehension. As the companion publication to the Field Museum of Chicago's "once-in-a-lifetime exhibition" Maps: Finding Our Place in the World is an amazing compendium of maps developed by a vast cross section of our world's cultures. Edited by James Akerman, Maps explores how mapping has changed over time in many ways. From the technological perspective, Maps contains examples from the most rudimentary (but aesthetically stunning) maps of ancient mariners to modern maps of the ocean floor created using advanced sonar techniques. More impressively, Maps provides a context for understanding maps as the product of historical and cultural circumstances. The maps shared here, as a near universal form of communication, express an inspiring variety of data and desires. From maps that illustrate the spread of disease to those that show our position relative to heaven or explore Middle Earth, the images here say as much about how we want others to see the world as how the world might actually be.

Adding the Salish Sea to our maps may seem a small way to express a vague, shared appreciation of our region's waterways but a look below the surface of the ocean reveals that this other world truly deserves our attention. The Blue Planet, as adapted by Andrew Byatt, lets readers follow along with the truly stunning images from the documentary series by the same name (available on DVD in four parts: 1 2 3 4). It's fair to say that most people would not consider these works to be of tremendous scientific value. Instead, their function is to inspire and the breath taking visuals associated with this series succeed wildly in that regard. If ever one needed to find inspiration to cherish and protect the Earth's oceans from excessive human impact these works would be an entirely appropriate place begin that search.

Wish to delve a little deeper into the question of just what life below the waves is like? The World Ocean Census (as compiled by Darlene Crist) may well provide the answers you seek. However, one of this census's great strengths is that it embraces the mystery of the Ocean. Water covers 71% of the surface of our planet and a vast portion of this area remains unexplored. Even in more approachable areas there is much to be learned. Scientists say that as little as 10% of life in coral reefs has yet to be identified. Still, the life forms detailed and pictured in these pages are striking and serve as a potent reminder that the expression of our understanding about the world we live in has real consequences, even for those for those life forms that we have not yet encountered and who may inhabit the familiar waterways or our own region. These life forms may yet find a place in the feedback loop comprised of what we understand, the understanding we project and what we hope to understand.