View Full Version : Oceans on the brink of catastrophe
Scientists are saying that the world's oceans are experiencing a major extinction level event due to a combination of acidification, pollution and global warming.
Should we be bothered?
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/oceans-on-brink-of-catastrophe-2300272.html
NickInTheNorth
21-Jun-11, 09:28
Given that the oceans cover over 70% of the surface of the planet, and that we are growing the human population of the earth at unprecedented rates we need to start using the worlds oceans in a sustainable way if there is to be a viable future for the human race. Given that we appear to be on the verge of denuding the oceans through short term mismanagement and ignorance then yes, we should be very bothered.
Yes we should be bothered
The abuse our Oceans take is unbelievable.
From throwing Major Cities garbage in a specially designated 'dumping zones' around the World, to oil spills...(when the Gulf oil spill happened they analysed oil from different areas and they came up with approx 12 different types).....spills that were never reported, to the sinking of old Nuke subs/ships etc in the deepest parts of the ocean.
I have sailed different oceans, and found 'junk' floating on the surface to be truly apalling....I am sure others have the same experiences......................And long term planning.........that's a bad system it seems.
We are all the same....no one seems to care.........other than organizations like Greenpeace and they sometimes go overboard.
oldmarine
21-Jun-11, 15:28
Our oceans and seas have become the dumping areas of the world. This has been going on for centuries. During WW2 I saw nations throwing everything imaginable into those water ways. It was just a matter of time for it to get into the terrible state it now is in.
Gordon Bonnet
22-Jun-11, 14:11
Shocking news.What a legacy mine, and former generations are leaving our descendants.All those plastic ducks that keep lapping the globe are a daily reminder for Mariners somewhere.I spotted three off the coast of Venezuela last year!
Shocking news.What a legacy mine, and former generations are leaving our descendants.All those plastic ducks that keep lapping the globe are a daily reminder for Mariners somewhere.I spotted three off the coast of Venezuela last year!
Just wondering what ur referring 2??
The abuse our Oceans take is unbelievable.
From throwing Major Cities garbage in a specially designated 'dumping zones' around the World, to oil spills...(when the Gulf oil spill happened they analysed oil from different areas and they came up with approx 12 different types).....spills that were never reported, to the sinking of old Nuke subs/ships etc in the deepest parts of the ocean.
I have sailed different oceans, and found 'junk' floating on the surface to be truly apalling....I am sure others have the same experiences......................And long term planning.........that's a bad system it seems.
We are all the same....no one seems to care.........other than organizations like Greenpeace and they sometimes go overboard.
Which is why I worry about offshore windfarms. Do we have any idea what effect they will have on marine life or will we only find out (as usually happens with all this pollution) too late? I don't know the answer but would be happier if more were asking the question.
Which is why I worry about offshore windfarms. Do we have any idea what effect they will have on marine life or will we only find out (as usually happens with all this pollution) too late? I don't know the answer but would be happier if more were asking the question.
No need to worry about offshore wind farms as I think the answer has been found to your question, on a recently programme about the secret life of the seas around the UK, the presenter showed that life was shown to be thriving in and around the piles of rocks that make up the offshore turbine foundations, certainly bucking the trend where there was no turbines.
Gordon Bonnet
22-Jun-11, 19:51
A container load of plastic ducks from China went overboard - in the South China sea I think several years ago.Tens of thousands of them have been floating ever since. Just bobbing about out there circumnavigating the world time and again on Ocean currents.I'm sure more detail will be found on the web.
No need to worry about offshore wind farms as I think the answer has been found to your question, on a recently programme about the secret life of the seas around the UK, the presenter showed that life was shown to be thriving in and around the piles of rocks that make up the offshore turbine foundations, certainly bucking the trend where there was no turbines.
We've got an ongoing study around our oil platform that's giving similar results. Apparently the biggest positive effect is the result of the exclusion zone around the platform, preventing trawling. The fish also thrive around the warm pipeline and water outlets.
I like to think the sewage I produce, high in sweetcorn, gives them something nice to nibble on too ;-)
Often wondered, are you allowed to fish off the platform?
Officially, no.
But officially, you're not allowed to sunbathe on the helideck.
I can assure you though that there's been many a suntan got, and many a cod caught on the rigs!
What horrifies me is the amount of flotsam and jetsam that turns up on the beaches, if this amount reaches the shore then just what is there in deaper waters?
The fishing for sharks, just for their fins to satisfy The Chinese is a world disgrace and don't even mention The Japanese and their so called scientific cull of whales that end up in the restaurants of Tokyo!
I love to eat fish but over the years have cut down as I feel guilty about the depletion of the world's seas.
What really shook me was the speed that it is happening at.
Whatever you think of the chinese their engineering seems to be top notch - 7 years at sea! I know where I'm sending for my next plastic duck!
Whatever you think of the chinese their engineering seems to be top notch - 7 years at sea! I know where I'm sending for my next plastic duck!
I've not researched this and I think they have broken up a bit now, but I'm sure I read at the time that it was a 5 square mile duck slick that could be photographed by satellites tracking it.
Duncansby
24-Jun-11, 09:48
There is more information about it on wikipedia with an interesting map showing their route round the globe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_Floatees.
Shocking news.What a legacy mine, and former generations are leaving our descendants.All those plastic ducks that keep lapping the globe are a daily reminder for Mariners somewhere.I spotted three off the coast of Venezuela last year!
Did you grab them? If they are the original ones they are worth money.
Did you grab them? If they are the original ones they are worth money.
Do they have little hooks on their heads?
Another duck and dive away from the real issues.
George Brims
24-Jun-11, 18:57
I love to eat fish but over the years have cut down as I feel guilty about the depletion of the world's seas.
Lizz there are guides available as to which fish are sourced in a sustainable manner and which you should avoid. One is here:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln
Obviously it's a bit more relevant to what's available in US shops, but some issues are global such as DO NOT eat "Chilean Sea Bass", which is not a Sea Bass at all, and comes from a dreadful fishery that kills hundreds of thousands of albatrosses every year.
orkneycadian
25-Jun-11, 23:24
Given ...... that we are growing the human population of the earth at unprecedented rates we need to start using the worlds oceans in a sustainable way if there is to be a viable future for the human race.
Nail and head spring to mind. The same case can be put for Energy, Water, Food, Healthcare, Space (to live on), etc.
See http://www.worldometers.info/ for some sobering numbers, the most specific being the rate of population growth. Everything else pales into insignificance by comparison. World population will hit 7 billion by October, having passed 6 billion just 12 years ago!
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