Landlubber-itis

But let’s be fair. The ocean is a constantly-changing entity and is home to the most complex ecosystems on planet earth. Just like the human brain, we know it’s a powerful thing, but haven’t exactly wrapped our minds around just what it does and how it works.

So why are we so unfamiliar with the big blue blob that covers 71% of the earth’s surface? Up until recently, the ocean has just ‘been there’.

Fortunately (and unfortunately), the ocean has recently been getting a lot of press because we’re starting to realize that the “perfect balance” once enjoyed by oceanic processes isn’t so perfect any more. The world is rising to new heights of familiarity with the oceans.

So why write this blog article about how little we know? Because we’re living in exciting times! The ocean’s condition is (pretty darn) grave and this is attracting a lot of funding to support initiatives that seek to re-establish oceanic balance. The best part is that there is tons of online material on these initiatives as well as resources to help us understand what to do concerning the matter (see list below).

MAR Leaders are fans of a few sites in particular – perhaps you want to check them out as well? Give Science Daily a try – it’s full of interesting articles about marine biology.

So, your first assignment is: get acquainted with some basic ocean info. We’ll be back in a month with another blog post to see how much you’ve learned and keep exploring the ‘big blue blob’, as well as to tell you what we’re doing differently to resuscitate a very important part of it!

From Riley Clark at MAR Leaders