Every year on June 8, people around the world recognize World Oceans Day. Started in 1992 by the United Nations, World Oceans Day is for acknowledging and celebrating the role of the oceans in everyday life and inspiring action to preserve, protect, and sustainably use marine resources.
“With proximity to the remarkable marine environment of Cape Cod, studying the ocean, its organisms and the coastal ecosystem is central to MBL’s research and education mission,” said Anne Sylvester, MBL’s director of research. “For more than 130 years, our scientists have looked to the ocean to help us better understand fundamental biology, our world, and ourselves."
Oceans cover 71 percent of the planet’s surface. They moderate our climate and help regulate the water and carbon cycles of the planet. Healthy oceans are also crucial in limiting the effects of global warming. A blanket of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere traps heat and prevents it from escaping into space. Most of that excess atmospheric heat ends up in the ocean, which can absorb massive quantities of heat without a large increase in temperature. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the ocean absorbs more than 90 percent of excess heat from Earth's system.
In honor of World Oceans Day, dive into just some of the recent MBL research revolving around the oceans and the organisms that live there that has been published since the last World Oceans Day.