Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
4.12 Conclusion
The World Ocean is among the biggest reservoirs for life on the Earth. Therefore, it
is important to learn about the issues
—
pollution, over
shing, and global warming
—
chief among them
and the possible solutions for protecting the ocean. There are
many problems a solution to which should be the subject of present society:
Overexploitation of the World Ocean resources reaches unacceptable levels. For
example, the biomass of global fish stocks has been allowed to run down to the
point where it is no longer possible to catch the amount of
sh that could be caught.
The oceans are rising and getting warmer faster than predicted. Global warming
is creating a climate time bomb by storing enormous amounts of heat in the
waters of the World Ocean. Warmer waters change trophic pyramids and global
circulation processes in the atmosphere-land-ocean system. The destruction of
the ocean
'
s most important predators has signi
cant consequences that ripple
down the basic food chains.
Ocean acidi
cation is destined to be one of the biggest issues humanity has ever
over faced. Ocean acidi
cation refers to the reduction in the pH of the ocean
over an extended period time, caused preliminary by the uptake of carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. Research and understanding of this progressive
process is important for
fishing and biological processes. The average global
surface ocean pH has already fallen from a pre-industrial value of 8.2
8.1,
-
corresponding to an increase in acidity of about 30 %. Values of 7.8
7.9 are
-
expected by 2100, representing a doubling of acidity.
One of the critical ocean issues is coral reefs. Live coral are colonies of small
animals embedded in calcium carbonate shells. Coral reefs are some of the
world
'
s most productive ecosystems, providing complex and varied marine
habitats that support a wide range of other organisms. Coral reefs are dying
around the world. In particular, coral mining, agricultural and urban runoff,
pollution (organic and inorganic), over
fishing, disease, and the
digging of canals and assess into islands and bays are localized threats to coral
ecosystems. Protection and restoration of coral reef environments is very
prominent for the World Ocean management.
fishing, blast
One of the exacerbated dilemmas of the oceans is offshore drilling for the oil
production. When oil is extracted from the ocean
floor, other chemicals like
mercury, arsenic, and lead come up with it. Furthermore, the infrastructure
projects to transport the oil often create worse problems, eroding the coastline.
The mercury is absorbed by organisms on the bottom of the food chain. Bigger
fl
fishes eat smaller
fishes. The consumption of
fish is by far the most signi
cant
source of ingestion-related mercury exposure in humans and animals.
Ocean dead zones are widened. Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in
the world
s oceans caused by extensive nutrient pollution (nitrogen and phos-
phorous). Low oxygen levels recorded along numerous coastal waters where
intensive economics is developed. Today, more than 500 dead zones are
growing around the globe.
'
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