According to NASA, 1/2 of the Oxygen we breathe on a daily basis comes from the synthesis of marine plants.

Trillions of Phytoplankton work together to convert huge amounts of C02 into living matter.

During this process, they produce oxygen for the planet and help regulate its overall climate.

Thank you ocean!!

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Logs & Blogs

"Living Legend"

Jun 14, 2011

World Ocean’s Day. On the 8th of June, thousands and possibly millions of people, institutions, and conservation organizations asked us to celebrate our oceans. Since the United Nations officially recognized the day in 2008, it has gained momentum as a day for giving thanks to our blue planet, but also as an opportunity to consider the ocean’s role in our lives and in turn how we can protect her well being.

When I realized it was World Ocean’s Day, I sought out more information about what the world had planned for his occasion, and how I might repay my favorite playground for all it has given me. I started to wonder if all of you out there might be paying your respects, having a celebratory swim, or contemplating how the ocean has touched your life.

Whether you are have ever set foot in the sea or gazed upon the open expanse of an ocean, your everyday life is shaped and influenced by it. Considering our planet is covered 3/4 in water, it most certainly plays a great role in how we have come to exist.

With the evolution of ocean exploration and technological modernization, humans were able to use the ocean for traveling the world, build a global commercial fishing industry, and exploit nearly every area for its numerable resources. Today, 80% of our oceans have been over-fished, and globally we have left a mere 2% of its surface intact. Virtually every species of marine life has been affected directly or indirectly, not to mention coral reefs and polar regions; leaving ocean ecosystems completely out of balance. The ocean’s resources, once plentiful, are dwindling under the growing pressure of global fisheries, but also being altered by land based industries and marine pollution, offshore oil and gas developments, and climate change.

Faced with some rather harsh realities, its hard to turn a blind eye to the state of our oceans, especially if you have taken the time to appreciate the many wonders and benefits they continue to provide to us. Despite our growing Carbon emissions, the ocean naturally regulates the global climate by absorbing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere, leaving us with renewed breathable air. Under the pressure of pollution and climate change, the ocean is still fighting to keep our planet clean. Since the early days of fishing, seafood has provided humans with protein rich nutrition and sustainable livelihoods. Today, the Global Fisheries industry employs over 35 millions people and generates billions of dollars in profits. Clearly we have the ocean to thank for this life source, and for surviving our incessant invasive activities.

Marine tourism industries have developed over the last century, allowing humans to get closer to the underwater world and the species that inhabit it.

Bringing animals to us in Aquariums or teaching us to dive and snorkel with animals in the wild, have all been hugely successful ways in which we can connect with ocean life with lesser damages to its environment.

On World Ocean’s Day, I was surprised to hear about one area of the ocean’s where a marine ecosystem is still intact. Intrigued, I found out where this haven was and how this place could have escaped human forces. The "Ross Sea”, the last original marine ecosystem left on earth, reaches as close as 730 miles to the South Pole, and is one of the most highly productive parts of the world’s oceans.

Needless to say, the Ross Sea is somewhat of a novelty, given the fact that it is a fully functioning and thriving example of biodiversity in its natural state. Although it only represents 2% of the Southern Ocean, it is the most active stretch of Antarctic waters. Claimed by New Zealand in 1923, few countries recognize territorial claims in this desolate part of the world. However, thanks to the relative proximity of New Zealand, the nation is acknowledging this unique area and seeking to establish the Ross Sea as a marine sanctuary, free of human degradation and fishing. In reality, this part of the Antarctic falls into the remaining few percentile of the earth’s surface we have not invaded. Surely we could learn a thing or two about a marine ecosystem thriving in balance with our modern world. Called a “living laboratory”, the Ross Sea has the richest diversity of Southern Ocean fishes, and is home to the largest populations of penguins and ocean birds. Minke whales, Orcas, and seals feast on the abundance of food in these waters, and the mass amounts of Plankton here is unprecedented.

As natural forces have structured the ecosystem, scientists believe the Ross Sea could be a platform for studying the effects of Ocean acidification and climate change free of human factors and variables. However, fishing boats have discovered the highly sought after Southern Toothfish in these waters, and will attempt to fish out this key top predator if regulations are not put into place. Since the rest of the ocean’s surface waters have been stripped of their fish life, it is hard to trust this peaceful corner of the world will escape human interference for much longer. The “Last Ocean Charitable Trust” is working hard to highlight the vital importance of nurturing the Ross Sea, and proving it “has become more valuable to the health of the greater oceans and planet”.

So, on this World Ocean’s Day, I have learned there are still parts of our blue planet as pure and as diverse as thousands of years ago, and that by celebrating the ocean, we are also prompted to think of the moral implications of our actions towards it. I hope all of you ocean lovers out there take a moment to honor the oceans and reflect on their role in your life, however big or small. Our lives depend on the ocean, and by forming a new mindset about our every day effects on the sea, hopefully we can start to view ocean protection as a way of life.

For more information on World Ocean’s Day, the coordinating organizations are World Ocean Network and the Ocean Project.