Sylvia Earle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvia Earle
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Earle in 2026
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| Born |
Sylvia Alice Earle
August 30, 1935 Gibbstown, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Alma mater | |
| Spouse(s) |
John Taylor
(m. 1957; div. 1963)Giles Mead
(m. 1966; div. 1975)Graham Hawkes
(m. 1986; div. 1992) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Oceanography Marine Conservation |
| Institutions | NOAA, National Geographic |
| Thesis | Phaeophyta of Eastern Gulf of Mexico |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Earle |
Sylvia Alice Earle, born on August 30, 1935, is an amazing American scientist. She is a marine biologist, meaning she studies ocean life. She's also an oceanographer, an explorer, a writer, and a speaker.
Since 1998, she has been a National Geographic Explorer at Large. This means she travels the world exploring and sharing her discoveries. She was the very first chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 1998, Time Magazine called her their first "Hero for the Planet."
Sylvia is also part of a group called Ocean Elders. They work hard to protect our oceans and all the amazing creatures that live in them. She was featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary Seaspiracy.
Sylvia Earle chooses to eat a vegetarian diet. She explains that many large fish populations have shrunk by 90%. She also talks about how chemicals can build up in fish. She believes that protecting the ocean's health means changing how we get our food from the sea. She compares large fishing boats to "bulldozers" that harm ocean life. She often speaks about how many fish are disappearing. She believes that today's large-scale fishing methods are not sustainable. She encourages people to consider eating more plant-based foods to help the oceans.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sylvia was born in 1935 in Gibbstown, New Jersey. Her parents, Alice and Lewis Earle, loved nature very much. They encouraged her early interest in the natural world. Her family later moved to Dunedin, Florida, near the ocean.
She studied at St. Petersburg College, Florida State University, and Duke University. She earned her doctorate in Phycology, which is the study of algae, in 1966.
Sylvia Earle was greatly inspired by another famous writer and scientist, Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson wrote a best-selling book called The Sea Around Us in 1951. Sylvia admired how Rachel Carson could imagine herself as part of the ocean. Rachel's writing showed deep care for fish, birds, and other animals. She made readers feel like they were experiencing the ocean themselves.
Exploring the Ocean World
After her studies, Sylvia became a scholar at the Radcliffe Institute and a research fellow at Harvard University. After getting her Ph.D. in 1966, she worked at Harvard. Then she became the director of the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory in Florida. She also worked as a research associate at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1969, Sylvia wanted to join the Tektite Project. This project involved living in an underwater lab off the Virgin Islands. Even though she had spent over 1,000 hours underwater, she was not chosen at first. But the very next year, she led the first-ever all-female team of aquanauts in Tektite II!
From 1979 to 1986, she was the Curator of Phycology at the California Academy of Sciences. This meant she was in charge of their algae collections. In 1979, she made an incredible dive in a special JIM suit near Oahu. She went down 381 meters (about 1,250 feet) into the open ocean. This set a women's depth record that still stands today! She also advised the government on ocean and atmosphere issues.
In 1982, Sylvia co-founded Deep Ocean Engineering with Graham Hawkes. He was an engineer who designed underwater vehicles. Their company created and worked with piloted and robotic systems for exploring the deep sea. In 1985, their team built the Deep Rover submarine. This amazing vehicle could go down 1,000 meters (over 3,200 feet)! Sylvia helped test it and train others in the Bahamas.
In 1990, Sylvia became the Chief Scientist for NOAA. She was the first woman ever to hold this important job! She used her knowledge of oil spills to study the environmental damage during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
In 1992, she started another company, Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER Marine). This company continues to build and operate equipment for exploring the deep ocean. Her daughter, Elizabeth, now runs it.
Since 1998, she has been a National Geographic Explorer at Large. People sometimes call her "Her Deepness" or "The Sturgeon General" because of her deep knowledge of the ocean. From 1998 to 2002, Sylvia led the Sustainable Seas Expeditions. This program studied marine sanctuaries in the United States. She also helped guide the Harte Research Institute and advised on the "Ocean in Google Earth" project. She even provided a special submarine, the DeepWorker 2000, to study fish in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. In 2001, she received an award for helping people understand national parks better.
Mission Blue and Ocean Advocacy
In 2009, Sylvia founded an organization called Mission Blue. That same year, she won the TED Prize. This award helped her continue her important work of speaking up for the ocean.
Because of her experience with past oil spills, Sylvia was asked to help during the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in 2010. This was a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She also gave an important speech to many leaders and ambassadors at a United Nations conference.
In 2012, Sylvia led an expedition to NOAA's Aquarius underwater laboratory in Florida. This trip celebrated 50 years since Jacques Cousteau's first underwater living project. They studied coral reefs and the health of the ocean. She even appeared in the cartoon strip Sherman's Lagoon in 2012 to talk about the Aquarius lab closing.
In 2018, the Seattle Aquarium gave Sylvia their first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. They even renamed their medal in her honor. Besides Mission Blue, she also helps other groups like the Marine Conservation Institute.
Mission Blue works to create "Hope Spots" all over the world. Hope Spots are special areas in the ocean that need protection. Their goal is to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. Many organizations support this important mission.
Sylvia and Mission Blue lead expeditions to these Hope Spots. By 2020, they had created 122 Hope Spots worldwide. They have explored places like Cuba, Belize, the Galápagos Islands, and Costa Rica. A Netflix documentary called 'Mission Blue' was released in 2014. It tells the story of Sylvia's life and her work to protect the oceans.
In 2016, she even appeared in a short film called Plankton Rules the World!. This film was shown with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. An article in 2019 explained that Hope Spots are places vital for ocean health. They might have many different species, unique habitats, or be important to local communities. The article also mentioned that seamounts (underwater mountains) are sometimes targeted by mining companies.
In 2020, a company called Aurora Expeditions named their new ship The Sylvia Earle in her honor. Sylvia supports the "30x30 movement". This movement aims to protect 30% of the world's oceans by the year 2030. This would be a big increase from the 6% protected in 2021. She believes that harming the environment on a large scale should be considered a serious crime, like other international crimes. She says that our very existence depends on protecting nature.
In June 2024, Sylvia Earle met with government officials in the Philippines. She advocated for protecting the country's amazing marine biodiversity. She also dived in the Verde Island Passage, which Mission Blue named a "Hope Spot" in July 2023. In June 2024, she also joined the Advisory Board of Climate Cardinals, a large youth-led climate organization.
Awards and Honors
Sylvia Earle has received many awards for her important work:
- 1970: U.S. Department of Interior Conservation Service Award
- 1976: NOGI Award for Science
- 1980: Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award
- 1981: Knight of the Order of the Golden Ark
- 1986: Set the women's record for a world solo dive depth
- 1990: Society of Woman Geographers gold medal
- 1991: American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
- 1996: Lindbergh Foundation award, the Explorers Club Medal
- 1997: SeaKeeper Award
- 1998: UN Global 500 Laureate and National Wildlife Federation Conservationist of the Year
- 2000: National Women's Hall of Fame, Library of Congress Living Legend, Women Divers Hall of Fame
- 2001: Robin W. Winks Award
- 2004: International Banksia Award
- 2005: John P. McGovern Science and Society Award
- 2009: Artiglio Award and TED Prize
- 2009: The National Audubon Society's Rachel Carson Award
- 2010: The Roy Chapman Andrews Distinguished Explorer Award
- 2010: Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science
- 2011: Honorary doctorate from Smith College
- 2013: Honorary doctorate from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the Hubbard Medal from National Geographic
- 2014: Walter Cronkite Award, UN Lifetime Achievement Award (Champions of the Earth), Glamour Woman of the Year
- 2017: Rachel Carson Prize, Lewis Thomas Prize
- 2017: The Perfect World Foundation Award "The Fragile Rhino"
- 2018: Seattle Aquarium Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2018: Princess of Asturias Award of Concord
- 2018: Doctor of Science from the University of Edinburgh
- 2020: Aurora Expeditions named their expedition ship the Sylvia Earle
- 2023: Stibitz-Wilson Award from the American Computer & Robotics Museum
Publications
Earle has written more than 150 publications. Here are a few:
- Co-author (2011). The Protection and Management of the Sargasso Sea: The golden floating rainforest of the Atlantic Ocean. Summary Science and Supporting Evidence Case. Sargasso Sea Alliance.
- Earle, Sylvia (2012). The Sweet Spot in Time. Why the Ocean Matters to Everyone, Everywhere. Virginia Quarterly Review, Fall.
See also
In Spanish: Sylvia Earle para niños
