Protecting Sea Otters

The world ocean provides so many benefits. Here are ten things the ocean does for humans and the planet:

• The air we breathe: The ocean produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere.
• Climate regulation: Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.
• Transportation: Seventy-six percent of all U.S. trade involves some form of marine transportation.
• Recreation: From fishing to boating to kayaking and whale watching, the ocean provides us with many unique activities.
• Economic benefits: The U.S. ocean economy produces $282 billion in goods and services and ocean-dependent businesses employ almost three million people.
• Food: The ocean provides more than just seafood; ingredients from the sea are found in surprising foods such as peanut butter and soymilk.
• Medicine: Many medicinal products come from the ocean, including ingredients that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease.
• The ocean inspires. With its sheer size and power, the ocean is awe inspiring. It brings us joy, wonder, fear and humility (ever been knocked over by a wave?). It activates all our senses. It holds life so strange and amazing it strains credibility. Since the times that humans first encountered the ocean, people have conveyed the ocean’s mystique in constant tides of creativity that enrich us all. The ocean finds its way into poetry, novels, music, dance, films, visual arts and our own life stories. The ocean has a way of letting us reflect.
• Ocean habitats protect coastal communities from storms. Those mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes don’t just store carbon. They, along with reefs and dunes, play a vital role in protecting coastal communities from climate-charged storms, sea-level rise and erosion.
• The ocean’s winds can provide renewable energy. As the world transitions away from the fossil fuels that drive climate change, the sources of energy in your own life will increasingly come from renewable sources like solar and wind. The ocean’s steady, reliable winds can play a big part in that mix of renewable energy.