Transfigured Sea
On the shores of the ocean, Laura and Daphne fantasise that they are mother and daughter, mother and Sea Sprite. They both have problems in their past, which they need to resolve.
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Transfigured Sea
On the shores of the ocean, Laura and Daphne fantasise that they are mother and daughter, mother and Sea Sprite. They both have problems in their past, which they need to resolve. They set out to explore every aspect of the sea, from an estuary and mangroves to Antarctic waters and the deep ocean. Mother Sea is a whisper of emotion and a memory of intuition. She dwells in the subconscious. Sea creatures abound, from sea urchins and stingrays to dolphins and sharks. Some of these parallel the behaviour of the women. Sea nymphs accompany them and they are assisted by a special conch shell. While they are exploring the sea, the women also explore their own make-ups. Laura remembers interactions with her own mother. Daphne needs healing. However, they have no idea of the profound changes which will come to them.
Poems are scattered throughout the book, which is also poetic.
“She wades up and down in the shallows calling for her. The sea water splashes at her ankles, the sand squelches in between her toes. There is no answer.”
Oceans support crucial species and ecosystems essential for food, livelihoods, and climate regulation. However, they need our help.
Saving the oceans may seem daunting, but collective effort can lead to significant change. Adopting certain lifestyle choices can make a difference.
Threats to the Ocean
Pollution
- Plastic is the worst pollution.
- Other rubbish
- Agricultural runoff – pesticides
- N & P
- Mining runoff
- Radioactive leaks & waste
- Oil spills
Climate Change
Extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves in the seawater, leading to acidification which organisms can’t tolerate.
Extra heat from the Greenhouse Effect raises the temperature of the seawater, which can’t be tolerated by plants and animals living there. Also, excess heat can change the routes of ocean currents. This affects the climate of adjacent land masses.
The melting of the polar icecaps leads to extra freshwater entering the ocean, diluting it. It is also responsible for sea level rise, which will change the location of various ecosystems and destroy others.
Overfishing
Overfishing is the worst single threat to the ecosystems of the ocean. If top predators like tuna are reduced in number, the smaller predators will take over and proliferate. The whole balance will be undermined.
Deep Sea Mining
Deep sea mining is being proposed in 2024.
Several kilometres deep in the ocean, light cannot penetrate but volcanoes are active. There is a thriving ecosystem on the volcanic walls. There are also other ecosystems down there, including albino species and species with bioluminescence. Many species are found nowhere else. Little is known yet about these systems except that they are fascinating and intriguing. It would be an enormous disaster if these ecosystems, these species, were to be destroyed before we even know much about them.
Please email your local MP and ask them to stop the legislation going through parliament. It would be like taking a sledgehammer to a delicate and fragile eggshell.
How to Protect the Ocean
Pollution
Reduce the use of plastics. Never use plastic shopping bags. Recycle hard plastic. Use alternatives like paper, cardboard, wood, compostable materials. Send any remaining plastic to landfill. Do not litter or throw rubbish in a creek or river. A RIVER IS NOT A RUBBISH BIN! Creeks and rivers lead to the sea and litter is blown by the wind into creeks.
Collect dog faeces and dispose of them sensibly so that it doesn’t get into the nearby creek and then the ocean. Wind and rain take faeces or its components into the creek.
There should be no artificial, quick release fertiliser used in gardens or in agriculture. Nitrogen and Phosphorus in excessive quantities throw ecosystems out of balance, feeding algae and kelp. Conservation and Permaculture organisations can advise about alternative methods of gardening and farming.
There should never be oil tankers in or near sensitive ecosystems, in case of oil spills. (emptying ballast in the sea is also pollution).
Nuclear reactors should not be built adjacent to the ocean or to a watercourse or in a catchment area. Safeguards should be built in to prevent radioactive waste outflow or leaks. No new nuclear energy sites should be constructed. There should be no nuclear weapons and no nuclear powered ships.
There should not be any mines near the coast or in its catchment area. There should be on-site disposal of mining waste. Waste should be buried deeply in leak proof containers.
Climate Change
Drive an electric vehicle. They are becoming cheaper and cheaper and there are ever-increasing numbers of charging stations. Trips from Adelaide to Melbourne in an electric car are quite feasible now (2023).
Charge your electric car with solar energy. Public charging stations use renewable energy.
Use public transport always.
Utilise energy efficiency in the design of all new buildings, residential or business. For existing buildings, retrofits can be done.
Use less electricity. There are alternatives. Use devices that need less power. Heating and cooling and cooking use the most power. Warm or cool the person, not the whole room. Microwaves use less energy than large ovens.
There should be no new coal mines anywhere, but especially not in the catchment areas of the ocean.
Overfishing
Eat no more than two servings of 4 oz each, of fish per week.
Eat farmed fish instead of wild.
Consult authorities or an internet search to find sustainable fishing options. What kind of fish should be caught and where.
Eat fish that has not been caught with a method that causes a large bycatch. Coles supermarkets sell this kind of fish. Read the labels.
Deep Sea Mining
Email the government or a representative and ask them not to let the legislation to allow deep sea mining to go through parliament. Find email addresses on the internet or send a letter to C/- Parliament House. This should be the Federal Government.
Or contact SALLY ANN HUNTER for a template of an appropriate email.
Books by Sally Ann Hunter
TRANSFIGURED SEA
On the shores of the ocean, Laura and Daphne fantasise that they are mother and daughter, mother and Sea Sprite. They both have problems in their past, which they need to resolve. They set out to explore every aspect of the sea, from an estuary and mangroves to Antarctic waters and the deep ocean.
You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
From Parkinson’s to a new life with Deep Brain Stimulation. One man’s story of how his life was affected by Parkinson’s Disease, and then recovered with Deep Brain Stimulation.
The Structure of Light
At a time when the distancing eye is our culture’s preferred way of relating to the world around us, and when we value reasonable rather than emotional responses, Sally Ann Hunter evokes a richly multi-sensual world, and is enthralled by emotional experience. Her poems convey intensity by welding outer experience to inner feeling.