Ocean circulation is driven by persistent winds at the surface
and density differences lower down. The pattern of wind-surface
currents is dominated by five great loops or ‘gyres’: two in the
Atlantic, two in the Pacific, and a fifth in the Indian Ocean.
Pulled by the prevailing winds, they are curled into loops firstly
by running up against land barriers and secondly by the effect
of the Earth’s rotation.
With all the attention given to global warming, a second potentially
devastating effect of the human addition of carbon dioxide to the air has
rather slipped under the radar – the increasing acidity of the oceans.
The Southern Ocean ichthyofauna is relatively sparse
and unusual in composition, consisting of 213
species belonging to only 18 families
The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. It enables a more direct route for shipping between Europe and Asia, effectively allowing for passage from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean without having to circumnavigate the African continent. In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal 100 miles across the Isthmus of Suez. The Suez Canal is a human-made waterway that cuts north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, making it the shortest maritime route to Asia from Europe. Since its completion in 1869, it has become one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes.
View More About suez Canal Invasion
The thermocline is a layer of water in the twilight zone of the ocean where the water temperature drops really quickly. The sun’s light and warmth keep the sunlight zone pretty warm, and the wind and waves mix that warmth to a certain depth, around 330 feet (100 meters). But below the sunlight zone the water temperature starts dropping quickly. The temperature difference from the top of the thermocline to the bottom can be as great as almost 60 degrees Fahrenheit (about 20 degrees Celsius). Below about 1,000 feet (300 meters), the ocean temperatures stay pretty much the same.
View More what is the meaning of Thermocline?
If you’ve ever swum in the ocean, you’ve probably tasted a mouthful of seawater. It’s pretty salty. In fact, it’s 220 times more salty than freshwater. Th t’s a lot of salt! And scientists have wondered for a long time why the oceans contain so much salt. After all, freshwater pours into the oceans from rivers all over the world 365 days each year, and millions of gallons of water fall on the oceans as rain all the time. But that’s actually part of the reason why the sea got so salty in the first place, and stays salty now.
View More Why Ocean is salty?
Oceans are of enormous value to the world economy. They provide us with food, water, raw materials and
energy. The combined value of ocean resources and uses is estimated to be about $7 trillion per year. Fish and
minerals, including oil and gas, are among the most important marine resources, while the major uses of the
oceans include the recreation industry, transportation, communications and waste disposal.
The state of the world’s oceans continues to deteriorate. As new threats to the health and viability of the oceans
emerge, most of the problems identified decades ago have still not been solved and many have become worse,
according to a study carried out in 2001 by the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects
of Marine Environmental Protection. At risk are the vast resources of the oceans and the many economic benefits that humanity derives from them, estimated to be about $7 trillion per year.
Coastal areas — the most productive marine environments — are the most affected. Currently more than
half of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast, with two thirds of all cities with over
2.5 million inhabitants. By 2025, it is expected that 75 per cent of the world’s population will live in coastal
areas.
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by…
View More International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto and by the Protocol of 1997 (MARPOL)
Ninety per cent of global trade is conducted by shipping, which is considered to be the most environmentally friendly form of transport, taking into account its productive value. Shipping contributes to a limited extent to marine pollution from human activities, in particular when compared to pollution from land-based sources (or even dumping). Protection of the environment was not the International Maritime Organization’s (hereinafter the IMO) original mandate. Its main interest was maritime safety. However, in 1954 the IMO became the depository of the first 1954 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Oil (hereinafter the OILPOL, see further below). Since then the protection of the marine environment has become one of the most important activities of the IMO. Among fifty-one treaty instruments the IMO has adopted so far, twenty-one are directly environment-related (twenty-three if we include the Salvage and Wreck Removal Conventions). The Marine Environment Protection Committee is the IMO’s technical body in charge of marine pollution related matters (it is aided in its work by a number of Sub-Committees).
View More Historical Development in legal issues on the Pollution from Ships
The OSPAR Convention establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic Area from all sources of marine degradation (not only pollution), except fishing, atmospheric and vessel-source pollution, which are considered to be appropriately regulated within other frameworks..The 1992 OSPAR Convention as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, e North Sea and other parts of the North-East Atlantic, Oslo Dumping Convention, OSPAR, OSPAR Commission, OSPARCOM, Paris Convention on Land-based Pollution, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, The 1992 OSPAR Convention
View More The 1992 OSPAR Convention as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
The 1992 Helsinki Convention as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, Baltic Sea, ecological restoration, Helsinki Convention, marine ecosystems, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, The 1992 Helsinki Convention
View More The 1992 Helsinki Convention as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
The 1976 Barcelona Convention (BARCON) as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, 1976 Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, Barcelona Convention, BARCON, Mediterranean sea, Preservation of the Marine Environment, Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, UNCED, UNEP’s Regional Seas Agreements
View More The 1976 Barcelona Convention (BARCON) as a regional Implementation for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
The Regional Implementation Regime for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, Agenda 21, BARCON, Bern Convention for the Protection of European Habitats, Euro-Mediterranean Process, HELCOM, How can we protect the marine environment?, LOSC, OSPAR, Preservation of the Marine Environment, What are the obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment?, Who is the responsible about the protection of marine environment?
View More The Regional Implementation Regime for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
“Generally Accepted” and “Applicable” International Rules for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, GAIRAS, How can we protect marine life from degradation?, How can we protect our marine environment?, International Maritime Organization, LOSC, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), What are marine environmental issues?, What are the main divisions of the marine environment?, What are the obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment?, What are three important environmental laws?, What can you contribute in the preservation of marine life?, Who is the responsible about the protection of marine environment?, Why is it important to protect the marine environment?
View More “Generally Accepted” and “Applicable” International Rules for Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, Agenda 21, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, What is the main aim of Agenda 21?, What is World Summit on Sustainable Development?, What was discussed at the Johannesburg Earth Summit?, What was the result of the 1992 Earth Summit?, WSSD
View More World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 about the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, How many agreement are there in Agenda 21?, marine ecosystems, Preservation of the Marine Environment, What are the two principles of Agenda 21?, What is Agenda 21 and its principles?, What is the main aim of Agenda 21?
View More Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 about the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
The environmental regime established by the Convention is based on the combination of the jurisdictional rules of the law of the sea with objectives, principles and approaches of international environmental law. The protection and preservation of the marine environment is specifically regulated in Part XII which is the result of this combination.
However, due to the comprehensive character of the LOSC and the inter-sectoral nature of marine issues, relevant provisions can be found in different parts of the Convention (e.g., Parts V and VII on conservation and management of living resources in the EEZ and high seas or Part XIII on marine scientific research). The LOSC has codified the customary principles discussed in the previous section and, in some cases, has further clarified their content. The jurisdictional rules and Part XII are discussed separately in the next paragraphs. The 1982 UN Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) and the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, LOSC, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, What do the provision of Unclos 1982 govern?, What does the law of the sea convention do?
The umbrella regime for the protection and preservation of the marine environment is composed, first of all, of principles of customary international law. These principles are legally binding and universally applicable regardless of their codification within a treaty. However, only a few of them apply to the marine environment and their contribution to ocean preservation is quite limited. (Pre-UNCED) Principles of Customary International Law about Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, How can we protect our marine environment?, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, What are the 7 principles of environment?, What are the obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment?, What are the principles of environmental law?, What are the three most important principles of environmental management?
View More (Pre-UNCED) Principles of Customary International Law about Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
The Law of the Sea and the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, How can we protect marine life from degradation?, How can we protect our marine environment?, marine environment, marine environment under the LOSC, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, protection of the marine environment, UNCED, What are the obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment?, Why is it important to protect the marine environment?
View More The Law of the Sea and the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment
Marine fauna in the arctic, Arctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, homoiothermic, mammals, marine Arctic, marine Arctic flora and fauna, Marine fauna
View More Marine fauna in the arctic