March 3rd, 2008, 02:04 PM
Lots of news as of late concerning ocean health and looming threats.
The first bit, and the one that has received the most attention, is a study which appears in Science, led by Ben Halpern from the NOAA titled "A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems." (sub. req'd)
The findings are frankly, worse than previously thought. More than 40% of the worlds Oceans are heavily impacted by human activities, read pollution and over fishing, and very few areas of the global ocean remain untouched. This map sums it up in a visually explicit fashion.
Click here for larger view
The data which went into the making of this map came from an incredible 17 layers of data, including data sets like those found in the Coral Reef Temperature Anomaly Database(CoRTAD), data from agricultural run-off, even shipping routes. The CoRTAD database was created out of a need to better quantify the state of thermal stress on the reefs from the warming surface water temperatures. Using the new database, they were able to go back as far as 1985 to view the spatial and temporal patterns of that stressor on the reefs.
Factors investigated and found to be the most pressing were the ongoing ocean acidification, UV changes and the increasing surface temperature, all of which contain a human signal.
The most at threat ecosystems are coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangroves; all found close to shore where human activities are concentrated. The reefs are home to 25% of all marine life, and help to protect coastal shorelines from wave erosion. The sea grass beds provide nurseries for juvenile marine life. And the mangroves are home to transitional ecosystems, where biodiversity flourishes, and provides yet more protection from erosion.
As if that weren't bad enough, along comes a new study from the UN titled "In Dead Water." (pdf)
The report is complimentary to the dire picture painted by Ben Halpern and associates in the Science report mentioned above. Among the findings:
-80%, the percentage of seafood species fished at or beyond sustainable capacity
-95%, the percentage of sea habitat loss attributed to bottom trawling
-10%, the percentage of the world ocean that produces one half of the total world capture fishery.
-2.6 billion, the number of people worldwide who depend on fish for their primary source of dietary protein.
-80%, the minimum percentage of marine pollution that originates from terrestrial sources.
-75%, the minimum percentage of major fishing grounds that could be affected by climate change.
-+34, the percent change in Ocean dead zones between 2003 and 2006.
That's pretty bleak news, with no signs of abating.
Lots of news as of late concerning ocean health and looming threats.
The first bit, and the one that has received the most attention, is a study which appears in Science, led by Ben Halpern from the NOAA titled "A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems." (sub. req'd)
The findings are frankly, worse than previously thought. More than 40% of the worlds Oceans are heavily impacted by human activities, read pollution and over fishing, and very few areas of the global ocean remain untouched. This map sums it up in a visually explicit fashion.
Click here for larger view
The data which went into the making of this map came from an incredible 17 layers of data, including data sets like those found in the Coral Reef Temperature Anomaly Database(CoRTAD), data from agricultural run-off, even shipping routes. The CoRTAD database was created out of a need to better quantify the state of thermal stress on the reefs from the warming surface water temperatures. Using the new database, they were able to go back as far as 1985 to view the spatial and temporal patterns of that stressor on the reefs.
Factors investigated and found to be the most pressing were the ongoing ocean acidification, UV changes and the increasing surface temperature, all of which contain a human signal.
The most at threat ecosystems are coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangroves; all found close to shore where human activities are concentrated. The reefs are home to 25% of all marine life, and help to protect coastal shorelines from wave erosion. The sea grass beds provide nurseries for juvenile marine life. And the mangroves are home to transitional ecosystems, where biodiversity flourishes, and provides yet more protection from erosion.
As if that weren't bad enough, along comes a new study from the UN titled "In Dead Water." (pdf)
The report is complimentary to the dire picture painted by Ben Halpern and associates in the Science report mentioned above. Among the findings:
-80%, the percentage of seafood species fished at or beyond sustainable capacity
-95%, the percentage of sea habitat loss attributed to bottom trawling
-10%, the percentage of the world ocean that produces one half of the total world capture fishery.
-2.6 billion, the number of people worldwide who depend on fish for their primary source of dietary protein.
-80%, the minimum percentage of marine pollution that originates from terrestrial sources.
-75%, the minimum percentage of major fishing grounds that could be affected by climate change.
-+34, the percent change in Ocean dead zones between 2003 and 2006.
That's pretty bleak news, with no signs of abating.
