Drain the Ocean

ABC DVD

Roadshow

R4 DVD

Drain the Ocean is based on a surprisingly simple but interesting idea, what would the world look like if we drained the oceans. The two fifty minutes programs explore this premise with a range of scientists, cutting edge animations, CGI and undersea photography and film. It is presented in an easy to understand manner and a well-informed commentary.

The documentary begins by explaining how little we actually know about the world and creatures that live in the great depth. Many discoveries are being made every year with some of the most significant only made over the last 20 years. It seems it is easier to scan the surface of Mars, since it is dry, than the oceans of earth. Current figures suggest that less than 10% of the world’s oceans and its creature have been studied in any detail.

A range of methods need to be used to image the bottom of the earth’s oceans including Sonar and images from satellites. Sonar is the most accurate but very slow and time consuming, only a small section of the world’s oceans have been scanned this way, though projects are underway to increase this amount each year. Satellite offers more coverage but less detail; it works by noting the different levels of the ocean and the effects of gravity which is exerted from the landscape underneath. By combining these two methods a three dimensional map of the world under the ocean can be created.

In “Drain the Ocean” these three dimensional maps are used to present a glimpse of this very different landscape. By slowly reducing the “virtual” water level step by step new features are revealed. Volcanos, vast canyons, huge plains which dwarf anything on land and gigantic hot water geysers. Some of the world’s biggest features exist under the ocean, including the largest volcanoes, deepest valleys and biggest mud geysers or mud pots.

This is a very informative documentary which really shows what can be done with CGI. Combining the latest scientific research with CGI and special effects we can gain a close-up view of what these underwater worlds are like. When you add in footage from submersibles and on land images of similar (if rather smaller) features a truly effective and successful documentary emerges.

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