The importance of the oceans, their wildlife and ecosystems

Why is ocean conservation important?

The temperature, chemistry and nutrientA substance that contains the raw materials for life. At a chemical level, these are contained inside compounds that are absorbed into the body and essential energy-containing molecules are extracted, so that energy can be transformed into other chemical processes that use the energy for living. More patterns of the ocean, as they relate to human survival, are regulated by animals. Without animals, the ocean would become devoid of the kind of life we need for our survival. Here we take a look at the top 5 reasons to conserve ocean animals.

Only in the last few decades, have humans begun plundering its riches and this is already threatening to destabilise the fragile ocean-climate linked processes that determine our weather and rainfall. Oceans absorb a third of the carbon dioxide produced by humans. When carbon dioxide combines with water, it produces a weak carbonic acid and since the industrial revolution, this has been steadily rising. It is starting to dissolve ocean wildlife and threatening coastal economies. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 15 (Life Below Water) plastic waste accounts for 13,000 pieces of litter to be found floating on every square kilometre of the world’s ocean.

1. Ocean animals look after most of our planet’s living space

The ocean covers three quarters of the Earth’s surface but represents over ninety-nine percent of the living space by volume. Ocean animals, in particular marine vertebrates (fish, seabirds, whales and dolphins, turtles etc) are highly mobile and responsible for the transfer(of nutrients) the thing that sets animals apart from plants, is that they can move. Some of the biggest migrations on Earth every day, are the movement of insects like caterpillars, from the stem of a plant to a leaf and back, before turning into butterflies and transferring the energy elsewhere. Large-scale migration of grazing animals and migratory songbirds moves More and amplificationAmplification (of nutrients and energy). Animals consume plants and other animals and in doing so, reintroduce important energy-containing nutrients back into the environment, at even higher concentrations and in patches. Amplification of energy is driven by migration and happens at every scale, from insects moving daily in and out of your vegetable patch, to African wildebeest herds and the seasonal More of most bioavailableMolecules that can be metabolised by animals. Iron, for example, is extremely abundant in nature but as iron oxide (rust) which isn’t soluble in water. Iron is nonetheless vital for all animal respiration and plant photosynthesis. We rely on micro-organisms to fix the iron into forms that can be used and on animals, to concentrate it in the right time More nutrient– that’s to say, the part of the food chainA single thread in a food web illustrating the chain of animals that eat each other. At the base of the food chain are small high-energy (fast metabolism) animals and at the other end large low metabolism animals. An example would be whales eating krill that eat plankton that eat algae. Or lions that eat gazelles that eat grass. More that is of most use to us.

2. Ocean animals and ecosystems are essential for our weather and climate

The ocean absorbs about a third of carbon dioxide produced by humans and because of its thermodynamicThermodynamics are at the heart of our understanding of ecosystems and not an altogether difficult concept to grasp but one that isn't widely taught to ecologists. Basically, all life on Earth, is derived from the Sun's heat. This renewable energy source constantly bombards ecosystems with energy but they would overheat, if it wasn't for the absorptive capacity of food webs. More properties, also buffers us against the worst fluctuations in climate, by directly absorbing heat. In order to function(Of an ecosystem). A subset of ecosystem processes and structures, where the ecosystem does something that provides an ecosystem service of value to people. More efficiently, the surface has to be mixed with colder, deeper water. Marine vertebrates are responsible for up to a third of this (equivalent to all tides and weather combined). This is the physical process of them swimming up and down through the mixing layerThermoclines are boundaries between gradients of temperature and salinity. The Mixing Layer Depth is usually defined as the depth where it is 0.5°C cooler than the surface temperature, that accounts for changes in salinity [1]. When the mixed layer is shallower, is has more prey abundance, because the boundary layer nutrients are easier to reach. Mixing layer depth varies from More.

Then there is capture of carbon into food chains. Sixteen percent of the carbon that flows through ocean ecosystems is inside fish. It’s estimated that whaling has added about 70 million tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere and that’s just from whale carcasses. Whales, dolphins, fish and seabirds also concentrate nutrientsEnergy and nutrients are the same thing. Plants capture energy from the Sun and store it in chemicals, via the process of photosynthesis. The excess greenery and waste that plants create, contain chemicals that animals can eat, in order to build their own bodies and reproduce. When a chemical is used this way, we call it a nutrient. As we More at biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on what we want to do with it. The term is widely and commonly misused, leading to significant misinterpretation of the importance of how animals function on Earth and why they matter a great deal, to human survival. Here I will try to More hotspots, which increases the turnover of algae and absorbs larger quantities of carbon. These algae sink to the seafloor and the carbon becomes trapped as sediment in the deep.

All of these impacts add up to a system that moderates the worst extremes of climate. In short, the stability of climate and maximum capture of carbon depends on wildlife-rich habitatsWhat is habitat for animals and people? Habitat, hence the word "habitable" describes the natural surroundings in which any animal (or human) lives, that houses basic needs, such as food and shelter. Vegetation, for example, is habitat for animals. On its own, habitat is not necessarily stable or sustainable, which is why it differs from an ecosystem. Habitat in disrepair More.

3. Almost half the planet’s human population lives at the edge of the ocean

More than 3 billion people depend directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. About 40% of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coast and fisheries are a major part of global economies. All of these are reasons to conserve ocean animals.

4. The ocean provides food for a majority of people in much of the world

Fisheries are extremely important for economies. Even final attempts to negotiate a Brexit deal for the UK in December 2019 were stalled by disagreements about fisheries allocation. 96% of fishers working in small-scale fisheries, overwhelmingly in developing countries, are some of the poorest people on Earth. A disproportionate number of poor people are custodians of our most critical ocean landscapes, like the Coral Triangle, where there are 2.25 million local fishers who depend on healthy seas to make a living. These ecosystemsHow 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 are the life blood of the world’s ocean, having three quarters of the world’s coral species and nearly 40% of the world’s reef fish. They are a source of animals for the rest of the world (which create ecosystems and biodiversity) and the heart of processes that keep our oceans cool, clean and functioning. Ninety-percent of fish stocks are used up and a third exist at level below that, at which they can produce sustainable yields.

5. Our life on land depends on healthy ocean animals

Ocean and land processes are intimately connected through the movement of marine vertebrates and the transfer of nutrients, in many ways we aren’t even aware of.

Rain originates in the ocean. Warm air that blows over its surface, creates evaporation and humidity, leaving the salt behind and falling as freshwater. Carbon regulation (not just capture, but the rate, timing and location of carbon movement through ecosystems) stabilises circulation patterns and makes weather and food availability predictable. Animals directly influence this weather on land. Seabird colonies as well as surface-feeding fish, whales and dolphins, create chemistry that influences rainfall on a continental scale. This rainfall is essential for our agriculture.

The massive migration of marine animals on scales of days to months, transfers nutrients all around the planet. This flows up rivers via salmon, for example, that impacts the growth of temperate forests and fertilises soil. This capacity of animals to transport nutrients around the world has declined by 96% in the oceans.

Overall, ocean wildlife purifies, regulates and enhances this system, giving us the best opportunity for survival on Earth.

I hope you enjoyed reading my top 5 reasons to conserve ocean animals. To find out more about the ocean, visit the ocean page on Animal impact here.