Protecting the Oceans

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth's surface and are essential for human life. They supply much of the world's food and oxygen. Today, however, many parts of the world's oceans are overfished and polluted. Climate change is altering marine ecology, and rising water temperatures are severely harming shellfish, coral reefs and other resources. Excess nutrients from land-based sources such as wastewater and fertilizer have created hundreds of ocean “dead zones,” huge areas depleted of oxygen, where little or no sea life can survive. In the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are still assessing the effects on marine life stemming from the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ocean exploration has fired human imagination for centuries, and scientists are still finding new life forms, many of which could yield new medicines and other valuable products. But experts warn that without better protection, ocean water quality, fish stocks and marine habitats will suffer long-lasting damage.