World Oceans Day – 08th June
World Oceans Day – 08th June
World Ocean Day is an international day that takes place annually on 8 June. The concept was originally proposed in 1992 by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada at the Earth Summit, UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The ocean is a body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the Earth and contains 97% of Earth’s water.The ocean is the primary component of the Earth’s hydrosphere, and thus essential to life on Earth. The ocean influences climate and weather patterns, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle by acting as a huge heat reservoir.It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
The ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.Oceanographers split the ocean into vertical and horizontal zones based on physical and biological conditions. The pelagic zone is the open ocean’s water column from the surface to the ocean floor. The water column is further divided into zones based on depth and the amount of light present. The photic zone starts at the surface and is defined to be “the depth at which light intensity is at least 1% of the surface value” approximately 200 m in the open ocean. This is the zone where photosynthesis can occur.
Seawater covers approximately 361,000,000 km2 and is customarily divided into five principal oceans, as: Pacific ocean, Atlantic ocean, Indian ocean, Antarctic ocean and Arctic ocean.
Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support. With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life. “Planet Ocean: tides are changing”, is the theme for World Oceans Day 2023.
– Source: Internet –