About 97% of the world's water is salty and can be found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can't drink seawater, how can it be important? Do we really need seawater? Yes, we do and here are some of the main reasons why: -
Life in the Oceans
Fish - Gene Bias and Chris Carey
No matter where you go every part of our seas and oceans contain an amazing array of animals and fish that live at different depths. Most of the different species of animals depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called phytoplankton (algae) drift near the surface of the seawater and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. As algae produce over half of the oxygen we breathe - how important is seawater here?
Each plant and animal in our seas and oceans are an important link in a food chain. The phytoplankton is eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals called zooplankton, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. An even larger animal then goes on to eat these animals. These food chains are delicately balanced. To find our about the food chain in the Southern Ocean click here
The bad news about food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of Man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn't matter if we dumped rubbish in them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. Unfortunately, this was wrong. Fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop and accidental oil spills at sea have killed a lot of marine life.
Seahorse - Mike Westerfield
Thankfully, Governments and Environmental groups around the world are taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most countries have introduced fishing quotas or restrictions to protect fish stocks in the oceans and finally, new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. As we depend on the oceans for fish as part of the human diet - how important is seawater here?
Water and Oceans
