Society needs to take action to help prevent future problems in our oceans.  Many daily
activities that humans take part in can be linked to global warming. The burning of fossil fuels is
one of the main causes of air pollution. Some of the ways society can help to slow down global
warming is cause less air pollution and pollute the water less.  “Air pollution occurs when the air
contains gases, dust, fumes or odor in harmful amounts. That is, amounts which could be
harmful to the health or comfort of humans and animals or which could cause damage to plants
and materials.” (Air Quality for Kids 1) Air pollution is one of the biggest causes of global
warming. “Water pollution is an undesirable change in the state of water, contaminated with
harmful substances” (Buzzle 1).  With all of the air and water pollution going on, it makes it that
much harder for existing coral reefs to stay alive and for new ones to form.  This air and water
pollution is also killing much of the marine life that inhabits the coral reefs. Society needs to be
informed of the negative effects global warming is having on our Earth.

    Society needs to take action to preserve Earth’s natural beauty for future generations to enjoy as much as people have in the past.  Global warming has a direct impact on the death of much marine life.  It is not only destroying marine life, but it is also killing coral reefs around the world. Global warming is increasing at an alarming rate, and if nothing is done about global warming it will only get worse as time passes.  Rising water temperatures are a result of global warming, and these rising water temperatures can be single handily linked to many deaths of coral and animals of the ocean.  By making society aware of the major impact global warming is having on coral reefs and marine life, there is a greater chance of Earth’s natural habitats to be protected better.

There have already been three previous attempts at sealing the oil off but it has come to light that oil and gas has been spewing into Timor Sea since mid August. The company has been trying to plug the leak by pouring heavy mud over it, but it has not worked. In fact it has not even slowed the flow.

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World Wide Fund for Nature says that many birds have died from being contaminated by oil from the huge slick that has built up.  Biologists speak of the horrific sight of dolphins actually surfacing in the oil. Hundreds of dead turtles including the threatened hawksbill and flatback, and sea snakes have been found floating in the oil.

All this destruction to marine life has been adamantly denied by the company who claim that a survey failed to find and evidence of damage to birds, or marine life.

Despite attempts to stop the leak, it is estimated that 2000 barrels of oil have been seeping into the sea since August 21st 2009.  Work that out over a two month period and it’s a lot of oil and a lot of pollution.  However, the Thai company responsible, PTTEP Australia, claims that the oil is only leaking at a rate 300-400 barrels per day.

The biologists overseeing the attempt to contain the spill say that the oil itself is one problem but the dispersants used to break up the slick cause others. Fish stocks, birds and marine mammals will be affected by this for many generations.

The slick is 155 miles or 250 kilometres off shore, so the Australian public was not getting the full picture of just how serious the whole incident is. The fact that this has been going on and getting bigger since August 21st is a disgrace.

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The impact of Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989 is still affecting the marine environment today, so we can expect this disaster to have far reaching effects for many years to come.

The results of a four year investigation into ‘marine biodiversity’ is in and the results are dramatic but not without hope. The authors’ of this study come from five countries and it’s the largest endeavour so far that has looked into the productivity of our oceans and the history of fishing and how the ecosystems interrelate with each other. These authors reviewed many individual studies and the same pattern emerged, once the biodiversity is lost, the entire system goes into decline. “Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world’s ocean, we saw the same picture emerging,” Worm said in a statement. “In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems. I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are – beyond anything we suspected.”

Boris Worm is a marine conservationist from Dalhouse University in Canada and he says that inside the 44 protected areas studied,” species came back more quickly than people anticipated – in three or five or 10 years. And where this has been done we see immediate economic benefits.”

This study has been a wealth of knowledge for many and Peter Kareiva from the Nature Conservancy in the US says “This analysis provides the best documentation I have ever seen regarding biodiversity’s value.” The findings show that decline in marine biodiversity is primarily due to the over-fishing and damage caused by the loss of habitat. Steve Palumbi from the Stanford University in California says,” Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working eco-systems, then this century is the last century of wild food.” Steve was another person working on this investigation. It is interesting to note that marine conservation projects can increase marine biodiversity by more than a fifth and raise fish catches four fold. At present there are not any effective measures in place to ensure the world’s oceans are protected.

Nicola Beaumont from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK was another person who contributed to the study. She says that besides the fisheries, marine biodiversity provides other services such as preventing algal blooms, processing waste and maintaining the ability of the oceans to absorb our carbon dioxide emissions. She added,” To help minimize climate change we need a resilient and healthy marine ecosystem.