THE OCEAN
The beautiful and unexplored
71% of the earth’s surface consists of water. Large bodies of water are called oceans. Ocean provides so many things for us, An article from ecology.com about “10 Things to Know About the Ocean”. Those things start from oxygen that we need for breath until the job we need to survive in the world. The majority of people think that rain forests are the main producer of oxygen, but this is a misconception. The Ocean Preneur posted an article that showed the ratio of oxygen production. Rain forests only produce 28% of oxygen and the ocean produces 70% of oxygen for us. Ocean also became a regulator for earth climate, keeping our planet warm when the temperature sinks.
How come the ocean plays an important role to control our weather? Ocean Exploration and Research posted an article that shows how ocean taking a big role in our climate system, the majority of radiation from the sun is absorbed by the ocean, particularly in tropical waters around the equator, where the ocean acts like a massive, heat-retaining solar panel. The ocean doesn’t just store solar radiation, it also helps to distribute heat around the globe. The earth Water Cycle also influenced by the ocean. In the evaporation process, the ocean takes an important role to take the sun heat and make deliver it to the condensation process (the process of making cloud form). After a long process, finally, rainfall from skies after the precipitation process. That’s how the ocean playing a role to control the weather.
Ocean also provides food for humans. More than a billion people depend on the sea for protein sources. Not only from fish and the other animal creatures that live in the ocean but also plants that live in the ocean such as algae and seaweed.
These days people like to spend their holiday in the ocean, from the only sigh seeing the wonderful view of the ocean floor until doing some water sport in the ocean. These days so many water sport that we can do in the ocean, such as scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, parasailing, wakeboarding, sea kayaking, free diving, sea walking, cage diving, etc.
In 2016, based on FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) data 59.6 million people in the world were engaged in fisheries and aquaculture. Only at the European Union level, the blue sector represents 3.362.510 of jobs in 9 subsectors. In the United States, almost three million jobs are directly dependent on the resources of the oceans and Great Lakes.
Even a tribe in Austronesian lives above the ocean. It called the Sama-Bajau Tribe. They live nomadic above the ocean. Today, not only the Sama-Bajau Tribe who lives above the ocean. The tourism sector has spread its wings to develop a new holiday trend “live above the ocean”. The destination place for those luxuries holiday such as; Maldives, Bora-Bora, Derawan Island, and many more.
Not only humans who depend their lives on the ocean, but so many creatures also depend their lives on the ocean. Ocean became their home and place to live on. Wallace wrote in his book that “being near, in, on, or underwater can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do.” The ocean can affect our psychology side in good ways.
That’s what the ocean can provide for us, what about us? Did we do something good for the ocean? Today, so many issues regarding pollution and ocean damage. Humans live about 200.000 years on earth, in that period we have depended on our life to the ocean. If ocean pollution and damage continue, how long can we stay at earth and enjoy the ocean?
Those issues are; oil spills, seas of plastic garbage, sewage disposal, toxic chemicals. Seas of plastic garbage became the hottest issue today. National Geographic posted an article about many threats that the ocean needs to face today, one of those threats is plastic issues. 12,7 million tons of plastic garbage was found in Ocean every year. Seas of plastic garbage not only impact human’s life but also the ocean ecosystem and all the creatures who live there. If the ocean can talk, it will shout out loud and tell humans to stop destroying everything. The oceans gave us everything that we need, but we destroy it.
As a human being that lives on the earth, we should realize our mistakes and try to fix them. Start from a small thing to big goals. Let’s start with the simplest thing like reducing the usage of plastic. Let’s start now! Give our contribution to a better life and a better future.
