Without the ocean, life on Earth as we know it wouldn’t exist.
The ocean doesn’t just support life—it makes Earth habitable.
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The ocean plays a role in climate control, oxygen production, driving the water cycle, transporting nutrients and is an important carbon sink.
Protecting our oceans is about protecting the very systems that make Earth a place we can call home.

#OceanLiteracy #UNOceanDecade #OneOceanOnePlanet #BluePlanet #EarthSystems #ClimateAction #ProtectOurOcean #SustainableFuture #NatureIsLife #OceanScience #HabitableEarth #OceanEducation

The ocean interacts with our atmosphere to influence weather and climate - temperature, winds, evaporation, rainfall, storms, cloud cover...
The ocean absorbs, stores, and distributes solar energy. Heat is transferred around the globe through the Global Conveyor Belt. This warms coastal regions far from the tropics, while cool ocean currents regulate warmer temperatures. Similarly global climate patterns can be influenced by currents like El Nino and La Nina.
Evaporation from the ocean fuels cloud formation, storms, and rainfall. While storms and cyclones gather strength from warm ocean waters. Water vapor from the sea may travel and result in rain falling inland.
The ocean regulates global climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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#OceanLiteracy #UNOceanDecade #ClimateAction #OneOceanOnePlanet #BluePlanet #WeatherAndClimate #ClimateScience #OceanMatters #ProtectWhatProtectsUs #SustainableFuture #EarthSystemScience #OceanEducation

Today is World Habitat Day.

This is an opportunity to think about the many habitats and microhabitats in our marine environments. These important habitats perform important ecogical functions that are intrinsically important, but also support our culture, wellbeing, livelihoods and economy.

Habitats found beneath the waves and in our intertidal zones are at risk from overfishing, plastic pollution, reclamation and the effects of our changing climate.

Sustainable and innovative practices, laws and policies which protect habitats and biodiversity, ecosystem restoration initiatives and blue carbon solutions are opportunities to ensure that habitats are protected and habitat diversity is secured into the future.
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#OceanLiteracy #unoceandecade #WorldHabitatDay

The ocean is a powerful force that has shaped our planet over time.

Waves and currents have carved coastlines, built islands, shaped underwater mountain ranges and canyons. The location of seas have changed over millions of years, and as a result the ocean and moving water have shaped landforms that are found inland far from the sea.
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Tiny organisms in the ocean like coral polyps build vast limestone structures that form the substrate for coral reefs. Some marine organisms like polycheate worms and shrimp burrow, feed and excrete and can change the composition of sediment.

#OceanLiteracy #UNOceanDecade #OneOceanOnePlanet #BluePlanet #EarthScience #ClimateAction #ProtectOurOcean #NatureIsPowerful #OceanEducation #MarineLife #GeologyMeetsBiology #InterconnectedEarth

We learn about the oceans as separate entities - the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic, but they are all connected. This one giant entity that is the ocean influences our climate, connects our continents and supports a plethora a life forms. Understanding the ocean as an interconnected system is integral to managing and protecting it.
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#OneOcean #OceanLiteracy #UNOceanDecade #BluePlanet #ClimateAction #ProtectOurOceans #OceanEducation #EarthIsBlue #InterconnectedOceans #sustainableseastrust #blueschools