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Living with Water pp 143–194Cite as

The Oceans and Their Challenge to Conserve Marine Biodiversity

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Abstract

The marine environment is often viewed as a vast expanse of clean habitats and ecosystems supporting a diverse range of marine life, from familiar charismatic animals to strange creatures from the deep. Research has revealed that today’s oceans face a number of challenges including the alarming rate of biodiversity loss. Human activity is increasingly impairing the ocean’s capacity to maintain good water quality as a consequence of, for example, resource overexploitation, climate change and eutrophication. In oceans, as on land, the scope of depletion and degradation has no precedent in human history. Actions are being taken to halt biodiversity loss through tackling a number of issues including the effects of aquaculture, acidification, and water quality. By taking into consideration the results being produced through research, such as the development of new management tools, the European Union can introduce legislation and monitoring programs to help reduce biodiversity loss and subsequently improve water quality throughout European waters. As information is gathered from marine research throughout the world, new challenges emerge. This chapter examines the oceans and their challenge to conserve marine biodiversity by looking at human activities. It delves into the consequences of our actions and the measures that are currently being taken to protect our oceans. It also addresses the challenges that lie ahead.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Climate regulation refers to the balance and maintenance of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and oceans by marine living organisms.

  2. 2.

    Non-use values are values associated that does not concern the use, either direct or indirect, of the environment, its resources or services. They are benefits that are derived from marine organisms without using them.

  3. 3.

    Bioremediation of waste refers to the removal of pollutants through storage, burial and recycling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecological Consultancy Services, Ltd. (Ecoserve), B23 KCR Industrial Estate Ravensdale Park,Kimmage, Dublin 12, Ireland

    Róisín Nash

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  1. Róisín Nash
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Correspondence to Róisín Nash .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Institute of Communication and Media Res, Oettingenstr 67, Munich, 80538, Germany

    Paul Pechan

  2. ProBio Partners VOF, Meerweg 6, Overschild, NL-9625 PJ, Netherlands

    Gert E. de Vries

Glossary

Abiotic

Devoid of life; nonliving, nonbiological factor.

Algae

Simple nonflowering plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue.

Anoxic

Aquatic system lacking dissolved oxygen (zero saturation).

Aquaculture

Cultivation of aquatic organisms.

Azoic

Without life.

Benthic

Pertaining to the seabed, river bed, or lake floor.

Bioaccumulation

Accumulation of substances in an organism, typically referring to toxic pollutants.

Biodiversity

Number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.

Biofouling

Impairment or degradation of something(e.g., a ship’s hull or mechanical equipment) as a result of the growth or activity of living organisms.

Biomass

Total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

Biopollution

Term that defines adverse effects of invasive alien species on the quality of aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Buffer (pH)

Substance that stabilizes the pH of a solution against the addition of acidic or alkaline material.

Coccolithophore

Unicellular marine algae that have the body embedded in a gelatinous sheath covered with calcareous plates (coccoliths).

Continental Shelf

Shallow, gradually sloping seabed around a continental margin, formed by submergence of part of the continent.

Coral Bleaching

Loss of intracellular endosymbionts (zooxanthellae) through expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation.

Cyanobacteria

Blue-green bacteria.

DDT

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a persistant organochlorine insecticide.

Desiccation

Removal of water; the process of drying.

Echinoderms

Of the phylum Echinodermata. Exclusively marine, radially symmetrical, unsegmented, solitary coelomates. Includes sea lilies, starfish, bristle stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.

Ecology

Science of the relations between organisms and their environments.

Ecosystem

Community of organisms and their physical environment interacting as an ecological unit.

Estuary

Any semi-enclosed coastal water, open to the sea, having a high freshwater drainage with marked cyclical fluctuations in salinity.

Eutrophication

Overenrichment of a water body with nutrients, resulting in excessive growth of organisms and depletion of oxygen concentration.

Exotic

Organism living outside its native distributional range; arrived there as a result of human activity, either deliberate or accidental.

Food Chain

Sequence of organisms on successive levels within a community, through which energy is transferred through feeding.

Food Web

Network of interconnected food chains of a community.

Framework Program

Funding programs created by the European Union to support and encourage research in the European research area.

Habitat

Local environment occupied by an organism.

Halogens

Group of five elements: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine.

Heavy Metal

Metallic element of high specific gravity (e.g., lead).

Hydrocarbon

Organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen; often occurs in petroleum, natural gas, and coal.

Hypoxic

Reduced dissolved oxygen content of a body of water; detrimental to aerobic organisms (1–30% saturation).

Intertidal Zone

Shore zone between the highest and lowest tides.

Invasive Species

Nonnative species.

Keystone Species

Species whose impact on its community or ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to its abundance.

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator; measured on a meridian..

Mammal

Of the class Mammalia; warm-blooded vertebrates characterized by mammary glands and epidermal hair.

Metamorphosis

Marked structural transformation during the development of an organism, often representing a change from larval stage to adult.

Molluscs

Of the phylum Mollusca; unsegmented animals with a ventral gliding surface or foot and dorsal mantle bearing calcareous scales or a solid calcareous shell in more-advanced forms.

MPA (Marine Protected Areas)

Regions in which human activity has been placed under some restrictions in the interest of conserving the natural environment.

Nitrate

Minerals salts of nitric acid; nutritive mineral elements for plants.

Nutrient

Food or any nourishing substance assimilated by an organism; required for growth, repair, and normal metabolism.

Organotin

Chemical compounds with a tin base and hydrocarbon substituents.

Pelagic

Pertaining to the water column of the sea or lake.

Pesticide

Chemical agent that kills insects and other animal pests.

pH

Negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration; a measure of acidity on a scale from 0 (acid) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (alkaline).

Pharmaceutical

Pertaining to pharmacy or to drugs.

Phenology

Study of temporal aspects of recurrent natural phenomena and their relation to weather and climate.

Phosphate

Salt of phosphoric acid; biological molecule composed of phosphorus and oxygen that plays a major role in biological processes of many organisms.

Photosynthesis

Biochemical process that utilizes radiant energy from sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and water in the presence of chlorophyll.

Phylum (Phyla)

Rank within the zoological hierarchy of classification; principal category directly below Kingdom.

Plankton

Small (often microscopic) plants and animals floating, drifting, or weakly swimming in bodies of freshwater or saltwater; unable to maintain their position or distribution independent of the movement of water or air masses.

Point-source Pollution

Single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise, or light pollution.

Pollution

Contamination of a natural ecosystem, especially with reference to the activity of humans.

Polychaetes (Polychaeta)

Class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae.

Predation

Consumption of one animal by another.

Sediment

Particulate matter that has been transported by wind, water, or ice and subsequently deposited or that has been precipitated from water (i.e., sedimentation).

Sewage

Liquid or solid waste matter channeled through sewers.

Taxonomy

Theory and practice of describing, naming, and classifying organisms.

Terrestrial

Pertaining to, or living habitually on, the land or ground surface.

Toxin

Biogenic poison, usually proteinaceous.

Trawling

Fishing with a specific net (e.g., a beam trawl, targeting bottom feeders).

Tributyltinoxide

Chemical compound chiefly used as a biocide.

Trophic Level

Each step of a food chain or food pyramid.

Vertebrate

Animals that have a vertebral column.

Invertebrate

Animals that lack a vertebral column.

Water Cycle

Global biogeochemical cycle of water involving exchange between the hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and living organisms.

Watershed

Elevated boundary area that separates tributaries draining into a river system.

Wetland

Area of low-lying land submerged or inundated periodically by freshwater or saltwater.

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Nash, R. (2013). The Oceans and Their Challenge to Conserve Marine Biodiversity. In: Pechan, P., de Vries, G. (eds) Living with Water. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3752-9_5

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