Why should we study marine science

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Why should we study marine science?
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How inappropriate to call this planet Earth,
when clearly it is ocean.

• Arthur Clark

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71 of the Earths surface is covered by oceans
http//www.benthicorchid.com/Planet20Earth.jpg
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Origin of chemical and hydrological cycles that
create our atmosphere and climate.
http//www.kidsgeo.com/images/earths-atmosphere.jp
g
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Earths weather is generated by the ocean.
http//www.katrina-hurricane.biz/images/katrina-hu
rricane-pic3.jpg
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The average depth of the ocean is 2 miles-all of
which is habitable.
http//www.imagequest3d.com/catalogue/deepsea/imag
es/l043.jpg
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80 of known life forms are marine.

• 33 Animal Phyla
• 32 live in the ocean
• 12 live on land

http//www.freewebs.com/wallacea/IMAGES/sulu-sulaw
esi.jpg
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Wipe out all life on land and life would still
exist in the ocean. Wipe out all life in the sea
and nothing would be left on land.

• Osha Gray Davidson, Fire in the Turtle House

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Fish and other marine organisms have the
potential to create life saving drugs.
http//www.daviddarling.info/images/blue_blood.jpg
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The ocean floor contains some of the most
important mineral, gas and oil deposits.
http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//www.
assioctg.com/images/oilcountryimages/oil_drilling_
ocean_sunset.jpgimgrefur
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Alarming Trends
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70 of fisheries are in trouble.
http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//see-
the sea.org/topics/commerce/OVERFISHINGfromPEW.
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60 of the coral reefs are at medium to high
risk.
The link between global warming and large-scale
bleaching of corals, considered controversial
only 10 to 15 years ago, is now universally
accepted.
http//www.reeffutures.org/topics/bleach/images/wh
itecoral.jpg
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50 of the worlds population lives within 50
miles of the coast
http//pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1217/images/figures/h
igh_density-lg.jpg
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32 billion gallons of pollution enters the ocean
everyday
http//eprentice.sdsu.edu/J03CW/rutter/ocean/pollu
tion_1.JPG
http//www.ecofootage.com/tapes/water/VS38a.jpg
http//www.culturechange.org/Moore-Trashed-Pacific
Nov03a.jpg
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The ocean is on its way to becoming more acidic
than it has been in the last 800,000 yrs
http//www.dirnat.no/multimedia.ap?id32407
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Challenges
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Global Climate Change
http//science.hq.nasa.gov/oceans/images/CONVEYOR.
jpg
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The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by
2050.

• Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. 2004. Impacts
  of a Warming Arctic. Cambridge, UK Cambridge
  University Press.

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Global sea levels could rise by more than 20
feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and
Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.

• Washington Post, "Debate on Climate Shifts to
  Issue of Irreparable Change," Juliet Eilperin,
  January 29, 2006, Page A1.

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Discovering life forms-we know less than 10 of
what lives in the ocean
http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//www.
afsc.noaa.gov/abl/MarFish/coralscruise/aug3/080104
dumbooctopus.jpg
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Shipping-50 of international trade is hazardous
materials
http//www.ibrrc.org/images/Treasure/penguins_oile
d.jpg
http//menlocampus.wr.usgs.gov/50years/accomplishm
ents/images/PWS_tanker_oil_spill.jpg
http//www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/internati
onal/photosvideos/photos/sea-otter-at-rehabilitati
on-ce-3.jpg
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NASA spent 820 million on missions to Mars to
look for water Compared to the approximately 600
million spent on ocean research on our own planet.
http//nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/spacecraft/viking
_lander_model.jpg
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Opportunities

• Pharmaceuticals
• Energy
• New materials (byssal threads)
• Fresh water (the amount of which will be limited
  in the future)
• Predicting climate
• Biomimcry (regeneration)

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Homework Assignment-due tomorrow

• Write a typed response to our discussion. 
• In your response, you may want to address the
  following questions-but don't feel limited to
  these questions
• Why do you want to study marine science?
• Did you learn anything new during our discussion?
  Did anything surprise you?
• What are you curious to learn more about?

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• John Hayward, President
• Sea Education Association Presentation
• Shoals Marine Lab, August 2004