For many of us in NRDC's Oceans Program, our work is motivated by a deep connection to the ocean that we've developed through experiences diving, swimming, surfing, and fishing. If you don't live, work, or play on the ocean, it may be difficult to imagine the beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems. The scale of climate change impacts on the ocean, especially ocean acidification, can be particularly hard to conceptualize. Fortunately, there are other ways to go deep in the ocean, without actually traveling to the sea.

A stunning new IMAX film, Under the Sea 3D, transports viewers to the vibrant coral reefs off New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This movie is a feast for the eyes and ears, introducing you to an array of fascinating underwater creatures. The film starts with a celebration of life underwater: the color-riot of soft corals, the camouflage of the frog and stone fishes, the dance of the garden eels. It ropes you in with its characters, like the cuttlefish gracefully propelling itself forward with its undulating petticoats, explaining along the way that its buoyancy depends on its cuttle bone. It tells you tales about the ancient origins of the chambered nautilus and the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, which date back thousands of years in their current incarnation.

Once immersed in this beautiful world, viewers are then confronted with the very real dangers marine species and ecosystems face from climate change and acidification. While shots of the venomous sea snakes and ominous white sharks will send a chill down your spine, neither scare me as much as the possible devastation of our oceans caused by human release of greenhouse gases.

This piece was co-authored by Karen Garrison, Co-Director of NRDC's Ocean Initiative.