It is known that 71% of the Earth’s surface is made of water. The most prominent water bodies out of this are our oceans, estimated to hold 50-80% of all life on Earth. This aqueous realm is so vast that about 80% remains unexplored. It goes without saying that if the oceans were to be dying, the Earth would be in big trouble. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening, take a few minutes out of your schedule this World Oceans Day to educate yourself about the dangers threatening the world’s greatest mysteries and what we, as individuals, can do to save them.

Our oceans can be harmed in many ways, a few of which I will talk about in depth. 

Seafood may seem like one of those resources that are available in copious amounts, but that is far from the truth. Certain kinds of fish are essential to the marine ecosystem,  overfishing is hurting their population and is progressively resulting in the destruction of several ecosystems. The methods used to harvest seafood are also a matter of concern as more fuel is required to harvest bigger fish, especially those that don’t swim in schools. Consuming small fish like anchovies or mackerel is a far more sustainable choice as they can be harvested in bulk without burning more fuel than necessary.

At this point, you may be wondering what carbon emissions have to do with the health of the oceans. It only contributes to air pollution right? I’m afraid that’s not true. Although the dissolution of gases in water is a very slow process, it does occur, and the higher the carbon emission levels are, the more carbon dioxide the oceans will absorb. This causes the ocean’s acidity levels to increase, which decreases the pH of the water from what is considered healthy for marine life to toxic. Once again, the reduction of carbon emissions becomes necessary for the preservation of our planet, and sustainable living is key.

The fuel we burn is the leading cause of the rise in carbon emission levels, and it is used to power yet another kind of threat to our oceans. Underwater noise caused by construction, shipping and naval vessels can greatly disrupt a plethora of marine creatures. Animals such as dolphins and whales use echolocation to navigate ocean waters and the sound produced by these vessels can confuse them, leading to mass beaching events which have become a major concern for the populations of these species.

Other factors that hurt the oceans include habitat destruction, chemical pollution, oil spills, littering, surface runoff and deep-sea mining.

We can do our part by eliminating our dependence on one-time-use plastic, which is killing the ecosystems that live in the oceans, using more environment-friendly fuels such as biofuels, green gas and hydrogen and, of course, by raising awareness, which definitely goes a long way.

It is up to us human beings to fix the mistakes we made that are slowly costing the oceans their lives.

-Sasha Mathews