Study on state of world’s oceans a prompt to action

A large study, led by the University of California, shows the full view of the impact that humans have left on all the world’s oceans.

Scientists found that over 40% of the world’s oceans have been seriously affected by pollution, fishing and climate change, with no areas left immaculate.

The shocking results came as a bit of a surprise to those who led the research. The largest impact was found to be in the North Sea, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Gulf, the South and East China Seas, the Bering Sea in addition to a great deal of the western Pacific and along the eastern coast of North America.

Researchers predicted that although the oceans at the poles are less affected than other areas melting ice sheets will leave them at risk.

The unusual study, focusing on a global scale as opposed to an isolated ecosystem, established that about half the world’s coral reefs have been greatly damaged.

The study also expressed concerns with mangrove forests, seagrass beds, seamounts, continental shelves and rocky reefs.

Associate professor of Biology at Stanford University, Fiorenzi Micheli, discussed the idea that the maps should act as a guide to ocean management for the future, arguing that management strategies can be designed to move activities away from sensitive areas.

The map was produced by a compilation of global data on the affects of 17 human activities such as coastal development, fishing, fertiliser run-off in addition to pollution from shipping traffic.

The ocean was split into one-square-kilometre cells and it was then calculated how much human activities would have affected each cell. Each cell was then allocated an impact score so that scientists could then calculate the degree to which human activities have affected the 20 types of ecosystems.

The results, presented yesterday to the American Assciation for the Advancement of Science annual meeting and published in the journal Science, revealed that about 41% of the cells had medium to very high impact scores.

Ben Halpern, assistant research scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that the results did leave room for optimism so long as targeted efforts to protect areas of the ocean are persevered.

Professor of natural resources at the University of New Hampshire, Andrew Rosenberg, pointed out the fact that fishing, coastal wetland loss or pollution cannot be looked at as though they are individual in producing effects.

Furthermore he discussed the fact that for him the message is clear; conservation action is needed that will cover all human impacts across the world.

On a similar note Micheli pointed out that although the research is invaluable, further detailed research at a local level is necessary to make conservation decisions. Micheli held the opinion that by looking at data globally some information is lost.

Halpem claimed that the map acted as a wake-up call. He spoke of the fact that the goal for humans is to make human impact sustainable to ensure the fact that our oceans maintain in a fit condition and can thereby continue to provide resources.