2008-02-15

Groundbreaking Map Shows Human Destruction Of The Oceans

Scientists have, for the first time, been able to map the pattern of human destruction across the world’s oceans. The map is the result of an exercise by a team of US scientists who looked at 17 types of degradation caused by human activity including coastal run off and pollution, warmer currents due to climate change, oil rigs and fishing methods. The scientists presented their results at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Click here to see the map at www.independent.co.uk

The main finding is that more than 40% of the oceans bear the scars of environmental degradation.

The 17 types of human-caused degradation examined by the map are:

Climate change:
Ocean acidification
Ultraviolet radiation
Sea temperature
 
Pollution:
Direct human pollution (eg sewage)
Inorganic pollution
Organic pollution
Nutrient input (fertilizer run off etc)
 
Oil, gas and shipping:
Oil and gas platforms
Commercial shipping
Ocean based pollution (from shipping)
Species invasion (mainly through shipping ballast)
 
Fishing:
Artisanal fishing
Low bycatch pelagic fishing
High bycatch pelagic fishing
Non habitat modifying low bycatch fishing
Non habitat modifying high bycatch fishing
Habitat modifying fishing (mainly trawling damage to coral reefs, sea mounts)

International Science Director at WDCS Mark Simmonds said of the findings, “These new results are extremely worrying and the fact that the waters around the British Isles, especially parts of the North Sea, are highlighted as being amongst the most degraded in the world, illustrates the urgent need to better protect them and the wildlife that depends on them. WDCS is urgently calling for improved laws to protect our dolphins, whales and porpoises and for great care to be taken in the expansion of further industrial activities in our seas”.

WDCS has launched a campaign to protect the dolphins of Scotland’s Moray Firth. Click here to read more and sign our petition against allowing oil and gas exploration and production in the Moray Firth dolphin sanctuary.

www.protectourdolphins.org

Source: independent.co.uk / The Times