World Oceans Day June 8
by Donna Amis Davis
Palawan is surrounded by the ocean on all sides – to the east the Sulu Sea, to the west the South China Sea. Much of Palawan’s livelihood depends on the sea, from the rich fishing areas of the Palawan Passage, to the World Heritage Site of Tubbataha Reef, and the beaches of Sabang and El Nido.
On June 8th, we pause to focus our attention on the ocean through World Ocean Day.
The following article points to all the important functions the world’s oceans perform – The Ocean: Heart of the Planet. Here is an excerpt:
Oceans support all life on earth. They regulate the weather and temperature, are home to tiny organisms called plankton that produce more than half of the world’s oxygen and oceans are the world’s original highway system. On top of that, the oceans teem with wonderfully beautiful, and often weird-looking, animals and plants, with more being discovered every day.
Another article outlines a study that points to the problem of fish ingesting plastic waste. This is a problem that has such a simple solution – use less plastic, and always dispose of it properly!
The research team . . . collecting fish specimens, water samples and marine debris at depths ranging from the surface to thousands of feet under. Just over 9 percent of the fish caught during the expedition had small pieces of plastic in their stomachs.
Judging from that, the researchers estimated that fish living at intermediate depths in the North Pacific alone . . . swallow as much as 24,000 tons of plastic debris a year.
For a video on the wonders lying deep within the ocean, see this TED-Ed film on YouTube: Deep Ocean Mysteries and Wonders.
Let’s not take our oceans for granted. Let’s do our part to care for this wonderful, God-given resource.
Related articles
- Great Pacific Garbage Patch : World’s Biggest Landfill in the Pacific Ocean? (rashidfaridi.wordpress.com)
- Saving the Oceans for Our Children… (filipinofestival.wordpress.com)
Donna, Thank you for calling our attention to this significant day and the inclusion of the reference articles. Plastics are a huge concern.
Hi Donna, thank you for visiting at my SongsofSeasons.WordPress.com blog! I am a Palawena too, missing my province since I relocated at Rizal Province when I got married. Happy to know a good writer like you and would be following your works from here!
Cheers,
Cynthia
Thank you for your kind works, Cynthia!
What a great post! I had no idea there was such a thing as “world oceans day”…very informative, thank you!
anne
Thank you for stopping by, Anne!