Ocean Resources

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Ocean Resources
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The ocean is one of Earth's most valuable natural
resources.
Marine resources include Biotic resources
from living things Minerals Energy
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The ocean provides food. It is used for travel
and shipping. It provides a source of recreation
for humans. It is mined for minerals and drilled
for crude oil.
The ocean is one of Earth's most valuable natural
resources.
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The oceans provide us foodThe oceans have been
fished for thousands of years and are an integral
part of human society. Fish have been important
to the world economy for a very long time.
Fisheries today provide about 16 of the total
world's protein with even higher percentages
occurring in developing nations.
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FisheriesThe word fisheries refers to all of
the fishing activities in the ocean, whether they
are to obtain fish for the commercial fishing
industry, for recreation or to obtain ornamental
fish or fish oil. Fishing activities resulting
in fish not used for consumption are called
industrial fisheries.
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FisheriesFisheries are usually designated to
certain eco-regions like the following examples
Salmon fishery in Alaska Eastern Pacific Tuna
fisheryLofoten island (Norway) Cod fishery.
Due to the relative abundance of fish on the
continental shelf, fisheries are usually marine
and not freshwater.
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Salmon fisheries in Alaska
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Pacific Tuna Industry
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Pacific Tuna IndustryDrift netting/gill
netting
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Cod Industry
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Over fishingWith such a high human demand for
fish and the importance of fishing in the economy
of many countries, the potential for overfishing
is great.Overfishing, as the name implies,
occurs when more fish are removed from the
environment than can be replaced by natural fish
reproduction.A continual decline in fish
population numbers due to overfishing can leave
future generations without this valuable natural
resource
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Travel and Shipping in the OceanThe word
shipping refers to the activity of moving cargo
with ships in between seaports. Most ocean
ships are powered by steam turbine plants or
diesel engines. The various types of ships
include container ships, tankers, crude oil
ships, chemical ships, bulk carriers, cable
layers, general cargo ships, ferries, gas and car
carriers, tugboats, barges and dredgers.
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Human Recreation in the OceanTourism is the
fastest growing division of the world economy and
is responsible for more than 200 million jobs all
over the world. The tourism industry is based
on natural resources present in each country and
tourism often has a negative impact on coastal
and ocean ecosystems. However, sustainable
tourism can actually promote conservation of the
environment.
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Potential negative impacts of tourism on the
OceanOver development of coastal habitats and
the annihilation of entire ecosystems. Garbage
and sewage generated by natives and visitors can
add to an already existing solid waste and
garbage disposal issue.
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Waste management issues associated with
tourismLarge influx of visitors produce more
waste than many local areas can handle, sometimes
resulting in untreated sewage getting dumped into
the ocean. This can cause eutrophication in the
ocean environ-ment because it results in
excessive algal bloom. Waste management
problems can also lead to disease epidemics.
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Eco and Cultural TourismEcotourism and
cultural tourism are a new trend that favors low
impact tourism and fosters a respect for local
cultures and ecosystems.Ecotourism deals with
living parts of the natural environments and
focuses on socially responsible travel, personal
growth, and environmental sustainability.
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Eco and Cultural TourismEcotourism
typically involves travel to destinations where
flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the
primary attractions. Ecotourism is often
intended to offer tourists insight into the
impact of human beings on the environment, and to
foster a greater appreciation of our natural
habitats.
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Eco and Cultural TourismRafting,
Zip-lines, Backpacking, Very popular in
western North Carolina
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Eco and Cultural TourismEarth University,
Guacimo, Costa RicaOffering seminars in
sustainability and tropical agriculture
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Mining for minerals and drilling for crude
oil in the OceanHumans began to mine the ocean
floor for diamonds, gold, silver, metal ores like
manganese nodules and gravel in the 1950's.
Sands and gravels are often mined for in the
United States and are used to protect beaches and
reduce the effects of erosion.
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Mining the ocean can be devastating to
natural ecosystems. Dredging of any kind pulls
up the ocean floor and a cloud of sediment rises
up in the water, interfering with photosynthetic
processes of phytoplankton and other marine life.
Dredging also introduces previously benign
heavy metals into the ocean food chain.
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Ocean Dredging
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Some areas of the ocean are rich in
naturally occurring oil resourcesOff-shore oil
rigs can extract these resources even in
relatively deep water.Off-shore oil exploration
and extraction can pose a risk to marine
environments.
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Off Shore (Ocean) Oil Drilling
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Getting oil out of the ocean Before an
offshore oil well can be drilled, the oil
reserves must first be located. Geologists
locate potential oil wells beneath the ocean
floor through the use of magnetic and seismic
surveys. This surveying does not indicate for
certain whether a site contains oil until
exploratory drilling takes place.
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Getting oil out of the ocean Once oil or
gas is discovered, and proper governmental
permissions are obtained, then a production well
is drilled and a production oil rig is built to
replace the exploratory drilling rig. An
average well will last from ten to twenty years,
and even after it has run dry an oil rig may
still be used for processing or storage of
petroleum from other wells, so production oil
rigs are built to last.
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Off-Shore Oil Drilling RigsThe platforms
are normally made of steel and are secured to the
seabed using concrete or metal foundations. Some
platforms are designed to float in the
ocean.Initially the natural pressure in the oil
reservoir is enough to pump the oil or gas out of
the ground, but as the pressure decreases,
various techniques are used to increase the
pressure in the reservoir. The crude oil
obtained from the well is then refined at oil
refineries onshore.
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Potential risks associated with
Off-Shore Oil Drilling RigsThe Drilling for oil
under the ocean has many different environmental
impacts. The rigs themselves impact living
creaturesThe actions and processes of drilling
affect the oceans and ocean lifeThe danger of
accidental release of petroleum into the oceans
is constant.
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Deep Water Horizon Oil SpillIn 2010, the
Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill occurred where
millions of barrels of crude oil leaked into the
Gulf of Mexico
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Conservation of ocean resources and
thoughtful long term cost/benefit analyses with
regard to the use of the oceans many natural
resources are an integral part of sustaining our
oceans well into the future.