Ocean is the mass of water that exists on our planet and that additionally contains the seas, roughly small, that broaden throughout the completely different continents. Of all of the water on Earth, 3% is within the type of recent water and, of this, 98.2% is frozen. That’s, 2.9% of the planet’s water is frozen, as a result of ice can solely be recent, whereas salt water covers greater than 70% of the Earth.

Contemporary water appropriate for human consumption is present in lakes, rivers and picked up by rain, and in whole represents lower than 1% of the planet.

Ice composed of recent water will be on the ocean, as within the Arctic, or it may be on land, as within the case of Antarctica or Greenland. If that water that’s within the type of ice on land melts and turns into built-in into the ocean, it’s going to enhance its quantity and, due to this fact, the ocean stage will rise and plenty of areas of the coast will probably be flooded.

This is without doubt one of the severe issues that scientists predict will occur, as a result of penalties of local weather change and international warming, for which it has already been confirmed that, for the reason that Sixties, the rise in sea stage is accelerating and At the moment, it does so at a price of three millimeters per yr.

Cristina Romera Castillo, oceanographer and researcher on the Institute of Marine Sciences, of the Greater Council for Scientific Analysis (CSIC), in Barcelona, ​​creator of the e-book ‘AntropOcéano’, explains to EFE what are probably the most severe issues that have an effect on oceans and seas, that’s, the hydrosphere of our planet.

THE DANGEROUS WARMING OF THE OCEAN.

“The ocean at present faces a number of challenges with completely different issues of every kind, one is brought on by greenhouse gasoline emissions (carbon dioxide or CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide or Fluorinated Gases), which, on the one hand, are inflicting the planet to heat up and, because the ocean absorbs 90% of the warmth generated by these gases, it additionally warms it, which provides rise to different issues resembling, for instance, the displacement of species that can’t stay in such sizzling waters. ”.

“However,” continues the researcher, “it causes the dying of different species that can’t transfer as a result of they stay hooked up to the rocks, resembling crops, algae or corals. Warming can also be inflicting a lower in oxygen in some areas of the ocean, in addition to extra greenhouse gasoline emissions within the environment, of which a 3rd is absorbed by the ocean.”

Each the absorption of warmth and the absorption of those gases profit us, the inhabitants of the Earth, in that it maintains temperatures which might be much less sizzling than we’d have with out the ocean, however, then again, Romera factors out, “the absorption of “Greenhouse gases trigger acidification of the water and this additionally has penalties for marine organisms which have a calcareous construction resembling corals or those who have a shell, resembling some mollusks.”

OVERFISHING, PLASTIC, CHEMICAL POLLUTION…

The soils of the oceans are made up of marine and plant ecosystems, resembling seagrasses, posidonia or mangroves, which soak up CO2, remodel it into natural carbon (important for the organic exercise of the soil), retailer it and don’t return it. the environment within the type of CO2, until these ecosystems are degraded and disappear, for instance, by dragging anchors within the case of seagrass beds or putting in shrimp farms in mangroves.

However, “along with greenhouse gases, resembling CO2, there are different issues for the oceans, resembling overfishing that’s depleting fish populations in lots of areas; Plastic air pollution, which has already reached the deepest factors of the seas, and along with chemical air pollution, it may be mentioned that these are the principle issues that the ocean has proper now,” signifies the scientist.

“We name the ocean a single ocean of which all of them are a component and the seas are additionally a component and, of all of them, the Mediterranean Sea is a type of that undergo probably the most anthropogenic stress (which comes from human beings and which, particularly, has results on nature), as a result of it’s a small sea; It has a big inhabitants on its coast; “There may be little water alternate with the Atlantic Ocean, solely via the Strait of Gibraltar, and it is without doubt one of the seas that’s extra overfished than the typical ocean.”

PLASTIC, ONE OF THE OCEAN’S BIGGEST ENEMIES.

On account of these circumstances and the buildup of plastic waste, it has many degraded ecosystems and is taken into account a type of within the worst situations, though there are additionally many areas within the oceans with nice stress brought on by the buildup of plastics.

It’s recognized that 5% of the plastic produced yearly results in the oceans. This proportion appears very small, however, as Romera emphasizes, “after we are speaking about 368 million tons being manufactured yearly, the quantity will not be insignificant. Yearly as much as 13 million tons of plastic attain the ocean, however of all that only one% has been discovered. That remaining 99% known as ‘misplaced plastic’, and one other that has not been computed is what’s discovered inside animals.”

IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGES.

However is one thing being performed to keep away from these disasters within the oceans? In accordance with the scientist, there are some intentions for motion, and he or she cites the UN (United Nations Group), the place the completely different member nations agreed to launch a treaty (nonetheless not signed), to guard the excessive seas ocean and “this implies attaining the safety of 30% of the oceans by 2030. Actions are additionally being carried out to revive some areas of ecosystems and shield marine areas, however it’s not sufficient.”

Cristina Romera, nonetheless, laments that there’s injury that’s already irreversible, resembling coral bleaching that may make the species extinct.

For corals, the rise within the planet’s temperature, water air pollution and overfishing trigger stress and “the symbiotic microalgae that present them with meals disappear inflicting ‘coral bleaching’ which, if it stays for a very long time, these colonial animals “They find yourself dying.”

“Or the extinction of fish,” concludes oceanographer Cristina Romera Castillo, “as a result of if we wipe out all of the specimens of a species it could even be irreversible. However I feel the necessary factor is that we’re conscious of the issue and that we put stress on it to seek out options.”

Isabel Martínez Pita

EFE-Reviews