Today June 8 is World Oceans Day. The oceans are the basis of life on our planet and that is why we dedicate a day to make an appeal and a reminder of their importance. Preserving, protecting and keeping them in good condition is of vital importance, both for the life that develops in them, and for us.
In addition, for meteorology and climatology worldwide, the oceans exert a great influence as we will see later, since they are those that condition many meteorological phenomena, increases or decreases in temperature, etc. Do you want to know why we celebrate World Oceans Day?
The importance of the oceans for the life of the planet
Because the oceans cover two thirds of the planet's surface, its importance is relatively high, since it greatly affects the world's ecosystems and the atmosphere. The oceans generate a large part of the oxygen we breathe and, above all, it absorbs a large amount of the carbon emissions that we emit into the atmosphere. In addition, they offer food and nutrients both to the living beings that inhabit it and to us, they are important regulators of the global climate and are economically vital for many countries around the world for tourism, fishing and other marine resources such as oil.
Unfortunately, this vital importance of the oceans for life on the planet, makes the human being exploit it uncontrollably, which causes too strong a pressure that leads to an overexploitation and degradation of the same. We are talking about human pressures such as overfishing, illegal fishing, unsustainable aquaculture practices, the destruction of marine habitats by trawling or pollution, the introduction of invasive species that destroy and displace indigenous ones, excess pollution , climate change and acidification of the oceans that is causing serious damage.
Why do we celebrate World Oceans Day?
We have named the importance of the oceans for all life on the planet and it is what we want to conserve and protect so that everything continues to function as it should. We celebrate World Oceans Day to remember everyone the fundamental role that the oceans play in our lives and in that of almost all living beings on the planet. Remind them that it is the oceans that generate most of the oxygen we breathe. It also tries to inform the public about the impacts that our activities have on them and thus raise awareness and sensitize the citizen.
On the other hand, it tries to mobilize and unite the world population to achieve a more sustainable management of the oceans and celebrate together the beauty, wealth and potential they have.
How important are the oceans in meteorology and climatology?
The oceans are determinants of many meteorological phenomena throughout the planet and influence the climate. The great masses of water in the oceans are exchanging heat with the atmosphere and regulating temperatures around the world. It is a stream known as the conveyor belt or the Thermohaline Stream the one that regulates temperatures by displacing the heat obtained in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean until it reaches and cools down to the Antarctic.
It also affects the formation of hurricanes and tornadoes, droughts or floods in certain areas of the planet. Let us remember the famous phenomena of “El Niño"And"La niña”Which are conditioned by the winds that move the masses of water in the Pacific Ocean. These phenomena cause severe tropical storms in some places like Peru and extreme droughts in other places like India. In addition, they also trigger a global increase in mean temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns.
As you can see, the oceans are our life, that is why we must conserve them and keep them in good condition so that both we and the living beings that inhabit it and the planet's climate remain stable and in good condition.