Why should we care about the ocean? Our ocean provides countless benefits to our planet and all the creatures that live here. The air we breathe: The ocean produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. Climate regulation: Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.
Transportation: Seventy-six percent of all U. Recreation: From fishing to boating to kayaking and whale watching, the ocean provides us with many unique activities. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website.
You cannot download interactives. Our oceans are threatened by pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Even though the ocean covers approximately 70 percent of our planet, less than eight percent is protected.
Since the project began, it has conducted 30 scientific expeditions and worked with world leaders to inspire the creation of 22 marine reserves that protect more than five million square kilometers 1,, square miles. Marine ecosystems contain a diverse array of living organisms and abiotic processes. From massive marine mammals like whales to the tiny krill that form the bottom of the food chain, all life in the ocean is interconnected. While the ocean seems vast and unending, it is, in fact, finite; as the climate continues to change, we are learning more about those limits.
Explore these resources to teach students about marine organisms, their relationship with one another, and with their environment. From how they create marine protected areas to the use of remote technology, National Geographic Explorers share their work and stories in this collection of videos.
Of all of that water, only about three percent is freshwater. An even smaller amount can be used as drinking water.
The ocean is ubiquitous to human existence, survival, and experience. As it warms and grows more polluted, everyone suffers, and it affects all of our existence. But it's detrimental consequences disproportionately impact many Black and brown communities throughout the world.
This collection of resources highlights human impact on the oceans and teaches students strategies to mitigate our impact, striving for environmental justice. The guides provide content background for teachers, focusing especially on concepts that are challenging for students to learn. Students discuss a quote about the ocean and freewrite about the importance of the ocean and their daily connection to the ocean. Students map their location in relation to the ocean.
Then they watch and discuss a video. That is because the Ocean does not need them, the phytoplankton has got it covered. Phytoplankton is a microscopic plant, a component of the plankton, which spends its life being carried by oceanic currents. Basically, these tiny little organisms act in the same way as tree leaves do on land. Phytoplankton absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.
We do not see them, so we tend to forget about them if we even know about them in the first place. They are one of the tiniest beings on the planet, but one of the most important to have around, keeping us alive. In many ways, the sea regulates our climate. It soaks up the heat and transports warm water from the equator to the poles, and cold water from the poles to the tropics.
Without these currents, the weather would be extreme in some regions, and fewer places would be habitable.
It regulates rain and droughts. The ocean absorbs CO2, to keep the carbon cycle, and accordingly temperatures on earth, in balance. It is like our global climate control system. The ocean is the number one source of protein for more than a billion people. Fish accounts for about Although, not everything is fish and seafood.
Humans have traditionally used algae and sea plants for cooking sushi, seaweed pancit in Philippines, sea grapes, dulse, etc. Considering the world population growing by 1. For those who are not into eating insects, edible seaweed might be a good alternative.
The ocean is not just home to us ocean lovers, but it is home to the greatest abundance of life on our planet. When you sail across an ocean , you will see dolphins, whales or a turtle popping up to take a breath. Experts predict4 that there are more than All the creatures that live in the Ocean play an essential role in the trophic chain of the ecosystems. Due to climate change 5 , the ocean has been warming and losing oxygen, and its pH has been decreasing.
Many marine species have already been adjusting their geographic and depth ranges with changes in sea temperature. However, not all species may be able to move to avoid thermal stress, and global warming has already been correlated with mass mortalities in the Mediterranean. The ocean is a happy-zone! Our temple, our life, our second home, our exhilaration place. Family holidays and Sundays often happen on the beach.
For sailors, fisherman and islanders, it also is a transport zone. It carries us to new lands, and connect us with nature and each other. As sailors, we also serve as educators, ambassadors and advocates of a lifestyle on the water.
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