BURST
The Earth’s oceans add up to 71 per cent of the surface of the planet and contain 96 per cent of the water on this precious blue marble in space. The ocean produces 60% of the oxygen we need to be able to breathe.
“The oceans are our greatest natural resource,” says Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, “and they are at risk due to human activity.”
According to data collected by the Argo Network — a program utilizing over 4,000 robotic floats moving around the globe riding the currents and sinking to depths of 2,000 metres, rising to the surface, and beaming back valuable data that scientists are using to monitor the heart of the world’s climate system — the ocean is heating up.
Gustavsson says, “The data shows temperatures are up by more than one degree Celsius over the past 145 years.”
The oceans are warming because they absorb more than 90% of excess energy trapped by greenhouse gases.
“In the process of absorbing that energy, the acidification level of ocean waters is also rising,” says Gustavsson.
Gustavsson joined a Conversation That Matters about the vital role the ocean plays in our survival, the risks the world’s oceans face, and how we can mitigate those harms. See the video at vancouversun.com/tag/conversations-that-matter.
Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca
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