The ocean plays a crucial role in human health, climate change, the world economy, food supply, weather, biodiversity and, in the years ahead, the refugee crisis as sea levels rise. It’s our grocery story, our employer, our superhighway, our playground, our final frontier. And the ocean is our dumping ground – for carbon dioxide, plastic trash and an alphabet soup of toxic chemicals that are destroying coral reefs and the breathtaking diversity of marine life, much of which we’ve barely begun to discover. The ocean is also the life’s work of a passionate community of scientists, explorers, policymakers, activists, technologists, businesspeople and ordinary citizens – surfers, sailors, beachgoers and youth.

“No water, no life. No ocean, no us,” Sylvia Earle, the legendary oceanographer and explorer, said May 9 at the Blue Vision Summit in Washington, D.C.

Which is precisely why we’re pleased to unveil a preview of Oceans Deeply, a news and information platform that will provide sustained coverage of ocean issues and serve as a sounding board for the ocean community.

Oceans Deeply will offer a daily dashboard that provides a comprehensive view of ocean health. The aim is to connect the dots between marine issues through in-depth reporting, long-form journalism, analysis, expert commentary and other products and services. We’ll take a deep dive into the people, policies, science, economics and innovation opportunities surrounding ocean issues, including coral reefs, biodiversity, climate change, fisheries, marine protected areas, deep sea mining, plastic pollution and the blue economy.  And Oceans Deeply will focus on new technologies and strategies that offer solutions to growing threats to the marine environment.

There is one global ocean, and our philosophy is to cover the interconnectedness of the world’s marine environment. The global ocean, however, contains oceans within, distinct ecosystems on which we will report in depth.

Oceans Deeply will officially launch June 5 during the United Nations Ocean Conference, which we will be covering. Until then, please take a look at this preview of what’s to come and give us your feedback and ideas.