A Moon Shot for the World's Oceans
September 18, 2024
Ved Chirayath is on a singular mission. For the past decade, he has worked toward what he calls “the holy grail of oceanography: developing a technology that can image the seafloor just as astronomical telescopes image the cosmos.”His quest to unlock the secrets of the Earth’s last unexplored frontier—its oceans—has received a major boost from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has selected Chirayath as one of five 2024 Moore Inventor Fellows.
Decades ago, Florida’s coral reef tract was one of the ocean’s greatest treasures. Stretching 350 miles (560 kilometers) from end to end, the world’s third-largest reef quivered and swayed with life. It was a place where snorkelers would encounter an abundance of brain, pillar, fan, staghorn, and elkhorn coral, where waters teemed with shoaling fish, and sea turtles and sharks cruised amidst creviced mazes of calcium carbonate.
As the anticipation builds for the upcoming total solar eclipse, ABC News and National Geographic prepare to provide premiere coverage with “Eclipse Across America." 
