World Oceans Day is celebrated every year on June 8 to spread the awareness about the importance of Oceans. Protecting our ocean must remain our top most priority as this resource is directly impacts the health of people and our planet.
Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada proposed this concept in 1992 at the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Oceans Week, June 1 – 8, was declared by the Board of World Oceans Day Canada in 2010. To predict the consequences of change, design mitigation and guide adaptation, ocean observations and research are very essential. Careful management of the ocean is a key feature of a sustainable future. At present, there is a continuous deterioration of coastal waters due to pollution, and ocean acidification. This is having an adversarial effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity. A continuous deterioration of coastal waters is alsonegatively impacting small scale fisheries.  Steps should be taken to reduce overfishing, marine pollution and ocean acidification.Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth’s surface and contain 97 per cent of the Earth’s water. Oceans represent 99 per cent of the living space on the planet by volume. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people. Globally, the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is approximately 5 per cent of global GDP. There are 5 Oceans of the world that contains millions of species.Oceans absorb about 30 per cent of carbon dioxide produced by humans, thus reducing the impacts of global warming.Oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein as more than 3 billion people are dependent on the oceans as their primary source of protein
Current levels of acidity in oceans have increased by 26 per cent since the start of the Industrial Revolution.Coastal waters are deteriorating due to pollution and eutrophication.

WHY WORLD OCEANS DAY? – IMPORTANCE OF OCEANS

This day is celebrated to educate people about the importance of Oceans and importance of protecting waterways, watersheds and ocean waters and habitat and to encourage them to take action to preserve and protect the oceans as oceans generate 80% of our oxygen. The health of the ocean also affects our health. Organisms discovered at extreme depths are actually used to speed up the detection of COVID-19. Oceans are the world’s largest source of protein for more than 3 billion people such that around three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, reducing the impacts of global warming.It’s very important to look at long-term solutions for the health of our planet as a whole. The ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns

Our lives depend on a healthy planet and the health of the ocean is intimately tied to our health. Species found in the ocean offers great promise for pharmaceuticals as bacteria found in the ocean can be used to carry out rapid testing to detect the presence of COVID-19. COVID-19 has actually offered an opportunity to revive the ocean and start building a sustainable ocean economy. Temporary shutdown of activities as well as reduced human mobility and resource demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic may help marine environments to recover.

It is often thought that rainforests are the primary source of oxygen on the planet, but the truth is that rainforests are only responsible for 28% of the oxygen on earth while oceans are responsible for the 70%. The sea regulates our climate. It soaks up the heat and transports warm water from the equator to the poles, and cold water from the poles to the tropics. The ocean is home to the many creaturesincluding dolphins, whales or a turtle popping up to take a breath. For sailors, fisherman and islanders, it also is a transport zone. It carries us to new lands, and connect us with nature and each other.Waterways are crucial to our health, for us and future generations.90% of the world trade is made by sea.In the U.S. close to three million jobss are directly dependent on the resources of the oceans and Great Lakes.The ocean gives jobs to fishers, lifeguards, surf instructors, harbors, (free)diving schools, marine-based tour operators, water sports businesses.

 

WORLD OCEANS DAY THEME

The World Oceans Day Theme 2020 is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean.” The UN World Oceans Day celebration this year has been produced in partnership with Oceanic Global.

The event will focus on the innovations from around the globe in areas of need that are both promising and provenand ones that have demonstrated the ability to scale effectively. It will also provide a platform for the leaders of different backgrounds to pave new paths and take steps to improve the health of ocean and the planet.
The programming of the day and subsequent events will outline how various innovations can be applied, their potential impact, and the resources needed to transform them into long-lasting solutions.

Innovations include technology, systems infrastructure, resource management, consumer products, finance and scientific exploration.

The World Oceans Day theme for 2020 is that the United Nations has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to support efforts to improve the ocean health.Ocean stakeholders with the same purpose will also be gathered to ensure that ocean science can fully support countries in taking steps for sustainable development of the Ocean.
The First World Ocean Assessment released in 2016 found that much of the ocean is now seriously degraded, with changes in marine systems.

As the human population will grow probably towards the expected 9 billion by 2050, the impact of multiple stressors on the ocean is projected to increase. As per the the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the global ocean community will be invited to plan for the next decade in ocean science and technology to get the ocean that we need for the future.
An environmental educator and singer-songwriter Remy Rodden has composed a music and lyrics video known as “We’re Connected (to the Ocean)”:  We’re connected to the ocean We’re connected, from sea to sea to sea We’re connected to the ocean No matter where we live, there’s something we can do It’s really up to me and you, care for the ocean.

Now, it’s time to learn about the 5 Oceans of the World;

 

Oceans of the World

There are 5 Oceans of the World in total that exist on the Earth right now namely Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean or Southern Ocean. Smaller ocean regions such as the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the Bay of Bengal are called seas, gulfs, and bays.

 

• The Pacific Ocean: Largest Ocean of the World
  This ocean constitutes 45 percent of the global ocean coverage. The Pacific is the largest and Deepest Ocean of the World with an average depth of 4,200 meters, plunging to the unmatched depth of 10,920 meters in the Mariana Trench. In the winter, the northern half of the North Pacific is raked by high winds which can generate sustained seas of over 5m to pound the western shores of North America and Hawaii.In the tropics, the trade winds are less extensive and weaker than the North Pacific. So, this area relies on long-distance oscillations from the mid-latitude westerly’s in either hemisphere.

 

• The Atlantic Ocean: 2nd Largest Ocean of the World
  The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s second-largest ocean with 22 percent of the global sea area. The average depth is 3,660 meters, and the deepest point is located in the Puerto Rico Trench at 8,648 meters. The North Atlantic is the windiest and roughest ocean. The South Atlantic is the smallest ocean and is unusual because it has a complete lack of tropical storm activity.The NE trade winds blowing from the sub-tropical highs towards the Equator are weaker than those in the North Pacific.

 

• The Indian Ocean: 3rd Largest Ocean of the World
  The Indian Ocean occupies 20 percent of the global sea area. It is located in the Southern hemisphere. It is 6,400 kilometers wide at the Equator. Waves of over 15 feet are observed in July/August.In the western half of the Indian Ocean, there is a winter (July) SW monsoon, which reaches its greatest intensity around Somalia (Somalia Jet).

 

• The Arctic Ocean: Smallest Ocean of the World
  The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of all the oceans. It is the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Sea.Its area is 14.06 million km².Northern Hemisphere countries use this ocean as a path for shipping lanes, military presence, and commercial opportunities, particularly oil and gas exploration.

 

• The Antarctic Ocean/ Southern Ocean:
  Water cooled by cold air, outgoing radiation, and katabolic winds off of the Antarctic continent sinks and flows northward along the ocean bottom and is replaced at the surface by an equal volume of warmer water flowing south from the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. The Antarctic Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean. This oceanic zone is where cold, northward flowing waters from the Antarctic mix with warmer sub Antarctic waters.

 

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