The ocean covers 70% of our planet, yet we don’t give it enough credit. We love to use the word “ocean”, but most people don’t know where it is, how large it is, or what it does for us every day. So, let’s start talking about it more often, and learning to respect the amazing things it gives us without even knowing it.
Reasons why the ocean is important.
The Earth’s atmosphere contains about 21 percent oxygen. This percentage is called O2. In total, there are over 300 billion tons of oxygen in our atmosphere. Of course, it doesn’t just float around – it is produced by plants and animals. But what happens if something goes wrong? If the production process stops working properly, the level of oxygen drops. And that is exactly what happened during World War II.
In 1942, the United States entered the war against Germany and Japan. At the same time, the Allies began building up their forces in North Africa. As a result, the Allied bombers had no problem destroying German factories and cities. However, the air raids did not stop there. They continued to bomb oil refineries and power stations.
At the end of the war, the Allies discovered that many parts of the world were suffering from severe shortages of oxygen. In fact, some areas could barely sustain life. Scientists soon realized that the main reason behind this was the destruction of forests and jungles. Forests produce oxygen, but they also prevent pollutants from reaching the surface of the ground. Without trees, pollution spreads across the land.
Today, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is still decreasing. There are several causes for this, including deforestation. In addition, scientists say that climate change is another factor that contributes to the decrease in oxygen levels.
Ocean water has high concentrations of oxygen because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It then uses this gas to create energy. During photosynthesis, plants take carbon dioxide out of the air and release oxygen as a waste product.
So, when we talk about the ocean, we actually mean two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. These oceans cover almost 80 percent of the entire globe, and all life forms live on them (with some rare exceptions). Even though they make up such a big part of our home, most people don’t realize the importance of the ocean.
1) Water makes up 71 percent of the earth’s surface area.
2) 70 percent of the earth‘s population lives within 100 miles of an ocean.
3) 70 percent of the human food supply comes from fish.
4) 90 percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from the sea.
5) 75 percent of the global trade in goods takes place between countries with coastlines on either the Mediterranean Sea or the Indian Ocean.
6) 60 percent of the worlds proven oil reserves lie under the seas.
7) Seven of the 10 highest-grossing films ever made are set underwater!
2. The Ocean regulates the Earth climate.
The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the temperature of the planet. This is because it acts like a giant sponge soaking up heat from the sun and transporting it towards the poles where it is stored away in ice caps. The ocean also cools down air masses near the surface, helping to prevent storms. As a result, without the oceans, there would be no seasons, and life on Earth would be impossible.
3. It is an important source of food.
The ocean is the number one global source of protein. In fact, it provides about 20% of the world’s total supply of animal proteins. This includes fish, crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, cephalopods, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, and even insects. Of course, there are many types of marine life, including jellyfish, octopus, squid, shrimp, crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, mussels, snails, worms, starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and flatworms.
Although, not everything is fish or seafood. For example, humans consume eggs, dairy products, meat, poultry, nuts, beans, seeds, grains, vegetables, fruits, and fungi. However, the ocean covers 70% of Earth’s surface area. Therefore, most of the foods we eat come from the ocean.
In addition, the ocean is home to more than half of the world’ s plant species. These include microscopic plankton, kelp, mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs, salt marshes, and mangrove swamps.
There are also numerous forms of aquatic animals. Some of these include jellyfish, corals, sea stars, sea slugs, sharks, rays, bony fishes, skates, chimaeras, dolphins, porpoises, whales, turtles, crocodiles, snakes, frogs, salamanders, lizards, tortoises, geckos, iguanas, and insects.
4. Many creatures depend and live in the Ocean.
The ocean is not just home of us sea lovers, but it is also home to the greatest abundance life on our planet. There are countless numbers of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, jellyfish, plankton, corals, seaweeds, worms, clams and eels living under the water. Of course, there are also mammals such as seals, whales, porpoises, penguins and turtles. And even some birds like albatrosses, petrels, gulls, terns, shearwaters, cormorants, pelicans, puffins, ibis, frigatebirds, auks, tropicbirds, boobies and others.
In addition, there are many plants and animals that live in the ocean. These include algae, kelp, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, salt marshes, mudflats, tidal flats, sandbanks, beaches, estuaries, lagoons, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, springs, rainforests, swamps, forests, ferns, mosses, lichens, mushrooms, fungi, bryophytes, conifers, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, flowering plants, arthropods, insects, reptiles, amphibians, annelids, molluscs, starfish, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, barnacles, polychaete worms, flatworms, nematodes, flatfishes, tunicates, octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, chimaeras, sharks, rays, skates, eels, cod, tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, sprat, haddock, hake, whiting, flounders, plaice, sole, turbot, bream, gurnards, snappers, grouper, bass, catfish, mullets, pike, perch, barracuda, shark, stingray, skate, ray, eel, lobster, crab, shrimp, crayfish, krill, amphipod, copepod, isopod, jellyfish, hydrozoan, hydroid, polyp, sponge, sponge worm, ascidian, sea anemone, sea nettles, sea lettuce, sea pens, sea cucumber, sea slug, sea urchin, sea horse, sea turtle, sea snake, sea dragon, sea lamprey, sea otter, sea lion, whale, dolphin, porpoise, walrus, seal, polar bear, elephant seal, fur seal, sea otter, killer whale, sperm whale, beluga, narwhal, bowhead whale, humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, pilot whale, bottlenose whale, rorqual, gray whale, beaked whale, spade-billed whale, pygmy right whale, blue whale, finback whale, Bryde’s whale, Cuvier’s beaked whale, dwarf sperm whale, melon-headed whale, Risso’s dolphin, common dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Pacific spotted dolphin, striped dolphin, Clymene dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, Fraser’s dolphin, Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin, Irrawaddy dolphin, Yangtze River dolphin, Amazon river dolphin, West Indian manatee, Australian dugong, New Zealand sea lion, California sea lion, Steller sea lion, Humboldt current toadfish, green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, green sea turtle, loggerhead turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, Kemp’s ridleys, leatherbacks, loggerheads, green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, leatherbacks, loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles.
The ocean has a huge variety of creatures. Some of them are very small, while others can grow up to several meters long. They have different shapes and sizes. Some of them look like fishes, while others look more like reptiles or mammals. Some of them are poisonous, while others are not. There are also some which are edible, but they may contain toxins. Some of these creatures are used for food, while others are just kept as pets.
The Ocean is home to millions of species of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other aquatic life forms. It is estimated that there are over 10 million known species on Earth today. However, it is believed that there are still hundreds of thousands of undiscovered species out there waiting to be discovered.
5. The best holidays are close to the water.
The ocean is not just home of us ocean lovers, but also home to the greatest abundance on our planet. There are more than 300 million species of animals living in the sea, and scientists estimate that there are more than 3 billion tons of fish and shellfish in the oceans.
When you sail across an ocean you will see dolphins, whale, turtles and many other interesting things. But there is much more life under the water surface than on land. In fact, experts predict that there are more than 30 million species of marine organisms living in the waters of the world. And that does not include the microorganisms such as algae, bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Experts say that one third of the earth’s total biodiversity lives in the ocean. This makes the ocean the largest ecosystem on Earth.
Scientists believe that there could be as many as 300 million different species in the oceans. However, due to the lack of research, the exact number of species is unknown.
Due to climate change (5) the ocean has been warming up and losing oxygen, and the pH level has been decreasing. As a result, the food web in the ocean has changed, and some species have disappeared.
Many jobs are related to sea activities.
The ocean is a happy-place. We love it because it’s ours; it’s free, limitless, and infinite. It’s where we swim and surf, sail and dive, chillax and ‘lime each other. We’re proud of our oceans and waterways, and we want to protect them forever.
We believe that every human being deserves access to clean drinking water, food, shelter, healthcare, education, employment, and freedom. And that includes everyone everywhere, no matter what race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, economic status, or social position.
The Ocean has therapeutic properties.
The ocean contains many different substances that are beneficial to humans. These include minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, copper, iodine, and manganese; vitamins like vitamin B12, D3, E, K2, and A; amino acids like glutamine, arginine, glycine, lysine, proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine, tryptophan, valine, phenylalanine, histidine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, cysteine, alanine, and aspartic acid; enzymes like lipase, phosphatases, proteases, aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase, esterases, glycosidases, glucuronidase, lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and alkaline phosphatase; hormones like cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone, growth hormone, insulin, and prolactin; neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine, GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine, cholinergic receptors, and catecholamines; and even antibiotics like penicillin and tetracyclines.
We don’t always realize it, but the ocean affects us every day. We’re exposed to sunlight, nutrients, and oxygen from the sea. And when we go into the water we release stress, anxiety, anger, depression, fear, and negative thoughts. All of those things affect our moods, energy levels, and overall health.
In fact, the ocean has been proven to help people with mental illness, physical disabilities, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.