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Seagrass beds also harbour biodiverse communities in both temperate and
tropical and can be destroyed by dredging, coastal development or
changes in water quality. This alarming situation is mirrored by the
widespread degradation of global wetlands environments, of which around
half have been lost in the last few decades alone.
Coral reefs are being globally threatened by climate change. Elevated water temperatures cause bleaching and encourage disease. Increasing concentrations of dissolved CO2 in ocean waters interfere with the very reef building process.
Wherever attention is focused on the marine environment, a mixture of problems can be identified. These include the wide ranging and overaching global influences such as overfishing and climate change. Equally serious, at local and regional levels, the physical degradation of critical marine and wetland habitats and the pollution caused by urbanization and industrialization continue to impact marine systems.
The destruction of the Ozone layer by CFCs, for example, could impact marine ecosystems, particularly in polar regions. The planetary warming effects of release of CO2 to the atmosphere is now regarded as one of the greatest threats to the environment, likely to produce disastorous changes in the world's environment.
A combination of melting ice caps and thermal expansion of water in the oceans means that many low lying island states will be submerged. Many coastal areas and estuaries will be flooded by the sea, while an increase in extreme weather patterns will increase erosion and flooding. It is possible that even the fundamental patterns of ocean circulation which largely govern the earth's climate will be changed, leading to widespread disruption of both ocean and terrestrial ecosystems. Already there is some evidence that the populations of plankotic organisms which provide basis for all life in the oceans, including fish populations, are changing in response to these climatic changes.
Coral reefs are being globally threatened by climate change. Elevated water temperatures cause bleaching and encourage disease. Increasing concentrations of dissolved CO2 in ocean waters interfere with the very reef building process.
Wherever attention is focused on the marine environment, a mixture of problems can be identified. These include the wide ranging and overaching global influences such as overfishing and climate change. Equally serious, at local and regional levels, the physical degradation of critical marine and wetland habitats and the pollution caused by urbanization and industrialization continue to impact marine systems.
The destruction of the Ozone layer by CFCs, for example, could impact marine ecosystems, particularly in polar regions. The planetary warming effects of release of CO2 to the atmosphere is now regarded as one of the greatest threats to the environment, likely to produce disastorous changes in the world's environment.
A combination of melting ice caps and thermal expansion of water in the oceans means that many low lying island states will be submerged. Many coastal areas and estuaries will be flooded by the sea, while an increase in extreme weather patterns will increase erosion and flooding. It is possible that even the fundamental patterns of ocean circulation which largely govern the earth's climate will be changed, leading to widespread disruption of both ocean and terrestrial ecosystems. Already there is some evidence that the populations of plankotic organisms which provide basis for all life in the oceans, including fish populations, are changing in response to these climatic changes.
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