Oceans, Land And What Is In Between

Many of us find comfort while being at the beach. The sea is a wonderful place. When you are next to it, the sound of the waves is peaceful and the endless stretch of blue to the horizon sometimes makes us forget about the treasures that inhabit the sea. More than 70 percent of our planet is covered by oceans, which directly contribute to life on land. Without this “blue magic carpet”, we would not be able to have life on Earth and we should learn to restore the harmony between the two worlds.

We will start with the benefits of the oceans for life on land.

1. Many don’t know this, but more than half of the oxygen that we breathe comes from the oceans. In seas and on lands there are plants that produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, but there is a single-celled creature called phytoplankton that also produces oxygen through the photosynthesis process in even larger quantities. The phytoplankton is a microscopic creature that underpins the marine food chain. Producing oxygen is actually a side effect to their major role of producing sugar energy from the sun and maintaining life in the oceans.

2. The oceans are a source of food for humans and many other creatures. The seas are abundant with food that feed sea creatures and many land creatures such as birds, bears, otters, wolves, crocodiles, snakes and more…

3. Our drinking water also comes from the oceans. The sun warms the seawater and causes evaporation, which creates the clouds that shed freshwater around Earth. In addition, the rivers and lakes are also an extension of the oceans.

4. The oceans are inhabited by living creatures that help us with our global warming situation. Whales with their ancient wisdom and spectacular size are an important source for preserving the ecological balance. Beyond this, they play an important role in transferring carbon dioxide from the air to the seafloor every time that they come up to breath. The whales remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide a healthier environment for life at sea and on land. Moreover, when they produce their feces, they feed the phytoplankton we talked about earlier, so they also contribute to the creation of new oxygen.

Unfortunately…

Even though the oceans provide us with so many good things, we seem to be quite jealous that there are two worlds on one planet. Until recently there was a worldwide prohibition on hunting whales, but not long ago it was violated and no governing body was particularly disturbed by this.

Beyond hunting whales, we catch unreasonable amounts of fish by methods that cause great ecological damage. Fishnets cause damage to many living organisms in addition to fish. The nets that spread out cause death to corals that are a habitat for many creatures and can also cause suffocation to others that encounter them.

If the nets’ pollution is not damage enough, our oceans have become a landfill. Fuel and other pollutants spill into the water. It also contains unreasonable amounts of garbage, especially plastic that causes suffocation and other ways of killing so many inhabitants of the sea. If we do not change our pollution culture, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. This does not seem so delusional because even if the fish thrive, the amount of plastic will grow because it will remain here for centuries and our consumption just continues to increase.

Unfortunately global warming is really not on our side in this subject. In addition to the massive melting of glaciers that will flood many cities, the water will become acidic (making it undrinkable) because glaciers contain large amounts of carbon dioxide. For now, the temperature of the water is rising, which is causing the death of coral, which in turn is causing further loss of habitats. This change is also affecting the lifestyle of many of the water creatures that are being misled by changing warm water currents, causing starvation and death.

So what can we do now?

First of all, cut down on your plastic consumption and avoid creating extra garbage. Cleaning the beaches is the biggest contribution that you can make, if you can’t do it by yourself you can donate money to companies that clean the oceans. Other ways to help with our plastic problem can be found here. Reduce your intake of seafood and avoid the consumption of products that take advantage of our marine life, for you and your pet. Support organizations that work to protect the oceans and sign petitions. Share your knowledge with others and raise environmental awareness. You can find ways to help stop global warming here and here.

The ocean is the perfect place so let’s honor and protect it. Share with me new ways to save our oceans in the comments section below.