Using the Oceans
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:
Energy
The oceans are rich in energy: nearly a third of today’s petroleum and natural gas production is from beneath the ocean floor. Depths of up to 2,500 m can be reached from ship-mounted drills, although deep drilling is an expensive business. Other sources of ocean energy include wave and tidal power, in which the movement of water is converted to electricity through the use of turbines, stationed at sea.
Fishing
The oceans are our top source for wild protein, with more than 70 billion kilogrammes of fish caught each year. Key catches include haddock, cod and herring, as well as seafood like crabs and lobsters. Some 2 million tonnes of seaweed is also harvested annually to produce everyday products such as toothpaste, ice cream and medicines. But widespread overfishing means that many fish stocks are now falling.
Transport
It is 10 times cheaper to ship goods by sea than by truck, and 3 times cheaper than by rail. Today, huge cargo vessels ply the oceans laden with cargoes such as crude oil and metal ores. Ship canals, such as the Suez and Panama canals, provide short-cuts between seas and oceans. But in recent years, enormous damage has been caused in some oceans by oil tankers spilling their cargo.
However all sorts of things are dumped in the sea: sewage from cities; chemicals from farms; oil from tankers; rubbish from ships and even radioactive waste in concrete cases. This is because most of the oceans are international waters and nobody checks what goes on there.
While water is part of a brilliant-balancing act in nature and a valuable resource, problems such as pollution are putting the future of our oceans at risk. So what can we do to save our oceans and ensure that we have clean, fresh water in the future?
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Oceans & Water Navigation
Quick Facts
Introduction
The Biggest Oceans
The Ocean Floor
The Water Cycle
Using the Oceans <<
Water & Oceans - What next ?
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