Why the ocean is important.
There are many reasons the ocean is important to us. It is vital to our daily life as well as our way of life. The ocean houses a complex ecosystem mixture of organisms, temperatures, densities, salinities and a widely varying, eruptive and fascinating topography world-wide. Although we use contour maps, soundings and various satellite devices to map our oceans, unfortunately, the Moon has been more explored in comparison.
We have a duty to protect and maintain the oceans and help to encourage the system in the way it functions in instead of working against it or trying to change it. We build on coasts and destroy estuaries and wetlands vital for marine life and food sources. I have learned each and every single aquatic organism has a purpose and function, even the sand on the beach! Mountain regions have eroded rock sediment most of which is made up of quartz and feldspar. This sediment travels far distances pulled along by rivers, winds and gravity; later landing on or near the coastal area. This sediment travel actions causes the sediment to become sorted and later gives distinct size and shape which can tell us of sediment origins. This becomes what is known to us as sand. At the same time, in other areas, we actually stop the sediment from traveling its natural course. Instead of appreciating this process and working with it, we work against it. We transfer sand and allow coastal and “beach” erosion of other areas due to our need for more “beachfront property”. We also build groins (aka groynes in UK) to stop the natural sand transport system.
What I have found also is that we are affecting almost every natural process of the ocean, from sand transport, river flows to air pressure and water temperature housing precious marine life. I believe the ocean in turn with its “human sickness” will one day begin heavily affecting us back. We take the ocean; water and its properties for granted and try to manipulate them. We transport our waste out into the ocean and we drill for oil in the ocean. In my opinion, we are living parasites to a system that has functioned and flowed smoothly for many years without us. The Earth’s core is made of hard irons and nickels that are heated and rotating and layer upon layer of temperature and density driven material that make up our earth. We live on the upper lithosphere portion. Below us are the asthenosphere, mesosphere, mantle area, and the inner and outer cores. There is a water level lithosphere and a land level lithosphere portion. This happened due to the Big Bang, 4.6 billion years ago. Heavy dense material sinks and light material rises. Similarly with our atmosphere, cold airs sinks and warm air rises all the way up into the troposphere.
The Moon and Sun’s gravitational pull influences our tides and our tides influence the creatures who depend on them such as grunions to lay their eggs, and also our boats and sailing capabilities. There are two bulges associated with spring and neap tides and they are the lunar and solar bulges.
We emit so much CO2 into the atmosphere and oceans that I feel they are past the breaking point and destroying and aids in changing the very atmospheric composition our Earth. Phytoplankton, zooplankton and various animals and coral reefs depend on particular conditions and water temperatures to live. Our ocean is considerably warmer in some areas that it has ever been and this spells trouble for those organisms who thrive in particular cold and warm temperature waters. Phenomenon’s once, are now becoming more common place occurrences such as red tides and drowned polar bears and hurricanes, longer lasting El Nino/La Nina type events, severe droughts and brushfires.
The Sun naturally influences many aspects of the ocean and atmosphere. We are dependent upon certain surface temperatures in the ocean to continue our way of life in comfort. Drilling and oil rigs and spills as well as a heated ocean (possibly due to global warming) are changing our earth and affecting its natural system.
When we take a look at our oceans, sun and moon it should be a shining reminder of how much life on this planet is worth (not just ours) and that we should see it as a gift to be taken care of, not used and abused like so much disposable rubbish. Our increase of hurricanes and storms should be a sign that we are messing with a delicate biological system. I did not know any of this before taking this class.
