Bringing people closer to ocean literacy

The ocean affects all our lives. Whether you live in Washington or Florida or anywhere else, the ocean and ocean literacy is important for us.

The oceans provide us with many necessities. It includes oxygen, freshwater, protein-rich food, etc.

Even a 7-year-old child knows about the uses of the ocean. But then as we grow, we become ignorant about Mother Nature. Therefore, it becomes very important to re-learn the importance of oceans today.

Importance of the Ocean

The ocean is an important part of all living beings. Other important uses of the ocean are:

• The only source of fresh water on the Earth
• The main source of minerals, energy resources, and medicines.
• Helps in sea-trade
• Provides jobs to coastal natives
• The main source of protein-rich foods

However, despite the importance of the ocean, we do not respect it. Negative effects from humans toward the ocean are:

• Overfishing of different species.
• Polluting and dumping garbage in the ocean.
• Dumping organic waste into the ocean.

Ocean Literacy Summit

Ocean science is the study of the ocean. However, it can be difficult to teach ocean science to adults. The Ocean Literacy Summit, recently held, was to teach ocean science easily to common adults. The summit was held at Northeastern University’s Boston campus. Researchers, teachers, and communicators across the world attended the summit

The aim of this summit was ocean literacy. Ocean Literacy means understanding the ocean’s effect on us and our influence on the ocean. The 7 important ocean literacy principles are:

1. The Earth has one big ocean with many features.
2. Life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.
3. Ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.
4. Fourthly, the ocean made the Earth habitable.
5. It supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.
6. Humans and oceans are inextricably interconnected.
7. The ocean is largely unexplored.

Lastly, we must understand that we are not separate but a part of nature. In conclusion, even though the oceans are not connected to our daily lives, the ocean affects us all. The more we learn about how the ocean is connected, the more we will know what we need to know to build a sustainable future.

- Manavi Pandey

Originally published at https://globalshala.com.