Marine resources | Oceanography | Principle Of Geography

Oceanography

Principle Of Geography

Geography Complete Study Material

(Paper - I)

Marine Resources

             Marine resources are materials and attributes found in the ocean that are considered to have value. That value can be intrinsic, or monetary. They include a huge number of things: biological diversity, fish and seafood supplies, oil and gas, minerals, sand and gravel, renewable energy resources, tourism potential, and unique ecosystems like coral reefs. These resources can have great monetary value, and even when they don’t, the uniqueness and opportunity for education and human enrichment cannot be quantified. The way we manage and use these resources is therefore of great importance. The Ocean is one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources. It provides food in the form of fish and shellfish—about 200 billion pounds are caught each year. Ocean resources provide jobs, goods, and services for billions of people around the world and have immense economic importance. Their resources include food, fuel, renewable energy, minerals, sand and gravel, and tourism. It is mined for minerals (salt, sand, gravel, and some manganese, copper, nickel, iron, and cobalt can be found in the deep sea) and drilled for crude oil. The ocean plays a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen. It regulates Earth’s climate.

Formation of Marine Resources

          Fish and other marine lifeform through evolution over millions and billions of years. Oil and gas form when dead marine plants and animals are left on the ocean bed and become covered in sediments over many years. When they get buried deeply enough, heat and pressure becomes so great that they are compressed and form oil. With higher heat and compression they can go a stage further and form natural gas. Sand and gravelare simply sediment that gets broken down by fastmoving rivers and then swept into the sea. Minerals form differently depending on the mineral, but generally form when lava from volcanoes solidifies. Water itself contains minerals, and when volcanoes erupt the lava solidifies to form rock that contains minerals. How fast the lava cools determines whether minerals form. It has to be slow enough that crystals form, since minerals are crystalline. The slower the lava cools, the larger the crystals. Coral reefs form when coral larvae attach to underwater rocks. These larvae grow to form the reef. Reefs usually form into one of three main structures: barrier reefs, atoll reefs, or fringing reefs.

Types of Marine Resources 

                Oceans are vast reservoirs of biotic resources. Nearly 40,000 species of molluscs, and 25,000 species of fishes are found in marine waters. Besides mineral resources, different types of vitamins and medicinal elements are also found. Generally, marine resources are divided into three categories., biotic resources, abiotic (mineral and energy) resources and commercial resources (navigation, aviation, trade and transport etc.). On an average, marine resources are also classified into living resources and non-living resources. Alternatively, marine resources can also be divided into mineral resources, energy resources and food resources.

Importance of Marine Resources

          The following examples underline the importance of oceans, seas and marine resources for human well-being.

• Over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal resources for their livelihoods.
• Fish provide 4.3 billion people with at least 15% of their intake of animal protein.
• Marine phytoplankton produces 50% of oxygen on Earth.
• The global oceans-based economy is estimated at between USD 4-6 trillion/year.