Written by The world’s oceans provides so many benefits. Here are ten things the ocean does for humans and the planet.
- The air we breathe: Did you know that the ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen! It also absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere to help prevent global warming.
- Climate regulation: The oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and helps transports heat from the equator to the poles. This regulates our climate and weather patterns. It can also help control global warming.
- Transportation: 76% of all U.S. trade involves some form of marine transportation. If we did not have oceans it would be very costly and bad for the environment to ship items by air.
- Recreation: People enjoy things like fishing, boating, kayaking, surfing, swimming, scuba diving, and whale watching. Watching ocean waves by the beach is another very enjoyable and relaxing past time.
- Economic benefits: The U.S. ocean produces $282 billion in goods and services. Ocean-dependent businesses employ almost three million people.
- Food: The ocean provides more than just great tasting seafood. We also get necessary ingredients from the sea that are found in surprising foods, such as peanut butter and soymilk.
- Medicine: Many medicinal products come from the ocean. These include ones that that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. The next cure for cancer or heart disease may come from the ocean.
- Renewable energy. We can develop devices to generate electricity from waves and tides that don’t produce any pollution.
- Rain water: The oceans are a big contributor to making rain that is so vital to the world. The water evaporates from the ocean to produce rain.
- New forms of life: The oceans today have 700,000 to 1,000,000 different species, and it has been estimated that over half of them have not even been discovered or named.
