UNGUIDED TOUR

http//coml.org

The ocean is still an unknown territory. We do not know much about creatures of the deep blue. A 10-year-long project plans to change that. The Census of Marine Life is a project involving researchers from over 80 countries. It will not only assess the current diversity of the oceans but also estimate marine diverstiy by 2010. The information will be collated into a database.

The website of the project has much on the project's members and funding but there is no sign of the data collected. And if we do find the data, it is certainly not easy to search it among the myriad links on the site.

The photographs are spectacular and there are some interesting maps showing the decrease in species diversity But the site seems an unguided tour through a curio shop. There are a few photographs and videos of strange marine creatures, but most are not identified. Some are identified by their scientific name but there is no other information.