Intro
G:\Pubs\Earth Day Features\2010\CMS\Pictures for Ocean Photo Gallery\Oceans_Acadia_NOAA.jpg
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Aerial view of ocean and cliffs (AP Images)
Human well-being and sustainable economic prosperity depend on good stewardship of the Earth’s vital ecosystems. Water ecosystems serve many functions essential for human society: They provide food resources, biodiversity, habitats for wildlife, good water quality, regulation of water flows, and natural storage that helps absorb shocks like floods and droughts. Acadia National Park in Maine has a wide range of ocean biodiversity including coral, seals and a rich variety of fish.
Photo 1
G:\Pubs\Earth Day Features\2010\CMS\Pictures for Ocean Photo Gallery\Oceans_AmericanSamoa_NPS_20060710183937.jpg
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Ocean and small islands (AP Images)
Conservation and protection of Earth’s ecosystems are crucial. The National Park of American Samoa is 4,250 hectares on three volcanic rain-forest islands. The water ecosystem, which supports coral reefs and other marine life, is protected as well; about 1,012 hectares of the park is underwater. The National Park Service ensures that the islands and the water surrounding them are protected.
Photo 2
AP 01012703594
CREDIT: © © AP Images
ALT: A flock of frigate birds flying over pelicans in the ocean (AP Images)
A flock of frigate birds flies over pelicans off the coast of the San Cristobal islands in the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands west of Ecuador. The islands are famous for their vibrant and diverse biodiversity and are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The islands and 70,000 square kilometers of ocean surrounding them are part of a national park and a biological marine reserve that helps protect marine species unique to the islands, such as the Galápagos giant tortoise.
Photo 3
G:\Pubs\Earth Day Features\2010\CMS\Pictures for Ocean Photo Gallery\Oceans_MindenPictures_140814.JPG
CREDIT: © Minden Pictures
ALT: Penguins on iceberg (Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures)
For most of history, man’s capacity to alter basic ecosystem balances has been limited; when one local resource was degraded from overuse, humankind moved onto the next. Nature, over time, restored the one that had been depleted. But from the mid-20th century, humankind’s industrial prowess, sheer population size and voracious demand for resources reached a level capable of altering and disrupting fundamental ecosystem equilibriums on a planetary scale. The effects of climate change have also taken their toll on such ecosystems as oceans because rising water temperatures in the Arctic Ocean are melting icebergs and glaciers.
Photo 4
AP 080111040335
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Large iceberg (AP Images)
Rising sea levels and melting icebergs from climate change threaten marine life across the planet. In 2008, an iceberg the size of Luxembourg broke off the Knox Coast in Antarctica. Huge icebergs have the potential to disrupt ocean currents that affect weather patterns around the world and harm marine life in the area.
Photo 5
AP 080311041430
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: School of fish (AP Images)
Some scientists believe we lack knowledge of 90 percent of the Earth’s creatures. With all the research, study and efforts to conserve energy, save species, protect natural habitats, and reveal our natural world, there is much more to discover. As we work to uncover our planet’s mysteries, there is opportunity to protect and preserve the variety and abundance of nature.
Photo 6
AP 081208031682
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Worm-like ocean creatures (AP Images)
Biodiversity is the variety among living organisms from all sources and the ecological complexes of which they are part. It encompasses diversity within species, among and between species, and of terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems. In general, biodiversity is the totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a particular region. The word “biodiversity” is short for biological diversity. The word first was used by wildlife scientist and conservationist Raymond F. Dasmann in a 1970s book advocating nature conservation. In the 1980s, the term came into common usage in science and environmental policy.
Photo 7
AP 090428044789
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: Man fishing from boat (AP Images)
A man fishes in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia. Oceans are not only important for supporting marine biodiversity but are also a source of food. However, overfishing depletes the world’s oceans, which are turning more acidic from the absorption of carbon dioxide and becoming more filled with rubbish. Oceans provide one-quarter of mankind’s food, yet one-third of the planet’s ocean fisheries have disappeared. According to current projections, a total collapse is forecast by 2050.
Photo 8
http://photos.america.gov/galleries/amgov/30145/ed_oceans/ED_oceans_AP081208032003_8.jpg
CREDIT: © AP Images
ALT: School of dolphins (AP Images)
Civilization’s well-being and survival depend on understanding the natural processes and limits of Earth’s ecosystems and learning to live in balance and harmony with the planet’s total environment.