The importance of the oceans, their wildlife and ecosystems
The land and oceans are part of one system: Earth. So when we ask, why are the oceans important? We’re asking about our own future. Life began in the ocean billions of years before the first plants or animals colonised land. Oceans regulate the state of our atmosphere because they are 99 per cent of the volume of living space for animals and wildlife is the mechanism that drives stability.
Climate change has always been the symptom of biodiversity loss … that’s to say, the breakdown of the complex connectivity between lifeforms that allows Earth to flex in response to changing conditions. Ocean wildlife has, for the large part, acted as a buffer against the most catastrophic effects and since about fifty million years ago, has kept our climate quite stable.
Industrial fishing only happened recently in our planet’s history and this reduction in the abundance of wildlife represents our greatest challenge for survival.
Below you will find a range of articles designed to inspire an understanding of the magnitude of animal impact on our oceans.
The importance of whales and dolphins in our oceans
What’s more important, the ocean or the land?
The importance we bestow on the land is anthropocentric because we live there. It’s naturally important to us that we protect it. Nonetheless, if life in the ocean dies, we suffer irreversible changes to land-based ecosystems and climate.
In this article, we take a look at many of the ways that land and oceans are linked together.
The answer to the question, ‘why are the oceans important’, is that we live on the land but the oceans regulate Earth’s temperature. The oceans are equally vital to the land we live on.
Seabirds
The necklace of remote Cook Islands landforms is a renowned safe haven for yachties and a sanctuary for 100,000 seabirds birds. But the islets became …
Sharks and Rays
Tiger Sharks are found throughout the world’s tropical and temperate oceans. While Great White Sharks steal the glory in terms of Hollywood, Tiger Sharks may …
Latest posts about why the oceans are important
Right now in the media there is a rather sinister campaign being run. The Great Barrier Reef is said to be ‘thriving’ because it is spawning. Coral reefs have spawned for millions of years. There is nothing unusual in that. And yes, they are resilient to climate fluctuations over the course of that length of geological time. However, rapid decline in the health of the reef due to frequent coral bleaching is cause for alarm. So, what does healthy coral reef look like?
I’ll show you.
This is what a healthy coral reef looks like!
Here is a video we took at the Low Isles off Port Douglas in November 2013. This reef has areas showing no signs of recovery after 50 years. The increasing regularity and intensity of cyclones has seen this glorious reef system decline.
Colourful reefs are often unhealthy or completely made up
A reef with bright reds, pinks and oranges isn’t necessarily healthy. Red is not a common colour on coral reefs, except at great depth, where it appears black.
Most often you’re seeing deep water corals photographed with flashlight that make up the red colours. These wavelengths are absorbed at depth and don’t exist in nature. Colourful coral reefs are a myth created to sell magazines.
In this article titled ‘Great Barrier Reef Erupts in Color’ the picture is actually taken in an aquarium and is mostly soft corals. Neither the image, nor the fact that corals spawn, are indications the reef is recovering at all.
This image used in an article about a ‘thriving GBR’ is NOT a real coral reef
How can you tell what’s true?
What does healthy coral reef look like? Spotting a healthy reef is easy. Just look for these three things:
COLOUR – STRUCTURE – FISH LIFE
- A healthy reef is not colourful. It’s mostly muted greens, blues and yellows.
- A healthy reef is structurally very complex. It is highly three-dimensional and intricate.
- A healthy reef has lots of fish! Especially if you see lots of different types of fish in abundance.
Some of the work being done on the Great Barrier Reef these days is documenting the final stages of the ecosystem’s demise. It’s very sad to watch. While getting people involved is good, it won’t help unless more is done to tackle the cause of the problem – climate change.
It is very worrying indeed to see rhetoric emerging in the media claiming everything is recovering. It is not. Please continue to put pressure on your politicians to do something and don’t stand for nonsense you see or read online.
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How many animals does an ecosystem need? The results may surprise you.
How many animals does an ecosystemHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More need? There is an article on the Australian Academy of Science blog titled ‘What would happen if a fish went extinct on the Great…
This video illustrates what 1-2% coral cover looks like today on the #GreatBarrierReef, following mass mortality of corals due to recurrent climate extremes in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) December 2, 2021
It would make you weep. https://t.co/p0RC2lYnzT
