Earth is a mix of the ocean, the land and the air. Therefore, it is shared by man, birds, animals, trees, flowers, in short all flora and fauna of this planet. We celebrate World Oceans Day on 8th June to remind everyone of the major role the ocean have in everyday lift. They are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe.
Isn’t it amazing? The Ocean is what makes our planet habitable for all life. Without it, neither of us, nor the trees would have anything to live off. Listed below are few importance of the ocean.
The Ocean reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While our carbon dioxide output has increased drastically over the last hundred years. The oceans have been trying extremely hard to reduce what we have been pumping into the atmosphere. We know that the planets on the land absorb about a third of what is emitted, but what most of us don’t know is that the ocean absorbs another third.
Oceans affect the weather. The oceans are the thermostat of the planet. While the sun heats the equator all year round, the circulation of this heated water keeps other part of the world warm.
The ocean is home to species we have yet to discover. Earth consists 70% of the water and amongst this you’ll find between 700,000 to a million different species. More than half of these is yet to be identified, named or described. Losing our oceans means losing life on earth that hasn’t even been discovered yet! Marine life is mostly a mystery to the humane race. Isn’t it?
It will take hundred years for humanity to discover the species and ecosystems that lay beneath the surface of the oceans. Fish is often used as a resource for many countries to feed their people and grow their economy. And in some part of the world where fresh water isn’t available, they rely solely on desalination, the process of removing salt from saltwater from for drinking water. This isn’t the most suitable practice obviously, but water is so critically important in every person’s life that these countries need to do what’s necessary to survive; the ocean makes it possible.
Lastly, we can’t forget the fun we have by exploring the oceans. Whether its sailing, snorkeling or swimming, the oceans are a great source of joy.
The ocean is a part of our humanity. It brings serenity, fun with friends and peace. Without it we would not be here, and this is why each of us needs to do what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint. Not to mention, our future generation might live a very difficult life due to not having any ocean.
So why can’t we, as responsible individual of earth do our part to protect the Ocean? Remember that it does not matter if you live close or far from the ocean; your daily actions have an impact on our big and blue marine friend!
Organization such as https://oceanswell.org/, https://pearlprotectors.org/, https://www.blueresources.org/ and http://www.oceasl.org/ are doing a great job for our marine environment. They are striving to protect the Sri Lankan Marine Environment by raising awareness about the beauty of the ecosystems and fostering the passionate individuals.
