More than 70 percent of the earth is covered by water, yet until about 20 years ago very little was known about the oceans’ true impact on the planet. Using interviews with experts from NASA, NOAA, the Naval Research Laboratory, and MIT, vivid computer simulations, and even a demonstration of virtual reality as a data modeling tool, this program examines growing efforts to understand the biological resources and amazing secrets of the world’s oceans. Their role in tandem with the atmosphere as a worldwide weather machine is also explored, with a discussion of hurricanes, El Niño, global warming, and the growing threat of an Antarctic meltdown. In addition, oceanic topography and the hydrothermal communities of ancient undersea volcanoes are investigated. As the frontier of knowledge expands beyond the earth, scientists continue to increase their understanding of the world’s oceans by observing them from above and by looking for other blue planets. The lessons being learned in space are already helping us to better understand what goes on at the bottom of the sea. (53 minutes)