The surprising ways space technology can save our oceans

Jake Levenson | TEDxFoggyBottom

All thanks to a random inquiry to NASA, marine biologist and innovation speaker, Dr. Jacob Levenson, reveals how new space technology is transforming ocean conservation, allowing us to track marine life with incredible accuracy and affordability.

Dr. Jake Levenson is a marine biologist in the Environmental Studies Program at the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Co-founder and Executive Director of the conservation organization, Oceans Forward. Over the past two decades, Jake’s work has taken him around the world. His projects have included capacity-building among fishermen for whale disentanglement in Zanzibar, large sharks off the US Atlantic coast, and the spatial ecology of large whales in Iceland.

Additionally, he is the co-founder of Flukebook.org, a global effort that unites marine mammal scientists with the public aimed at increasing our understanding of whale migrations. He is particularly proud of his volunteer work on the island of Dominica, helping local ocean conservation initiatives. Faced with a shortage in grant opportunities, Jake established a non-profit rum distillery whose goal is to support ocean conservation for the long run. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Learn More about Jake’s work here.