The oceans are connected to human health on multiple levels, from very basic, foundational need for recreation and cultural links with ocean livelihood, to the health of populations that live on the coast and look out to ocean for food, trade, and basic survival. For those who live away from the coast, the ocean connection often comes when they look for seafood in a grocery store or hear news stories on TV about devastation brought by coastal floods and changing weather patterns.
As described by many scientists who specialize in oceanography, marine biology, and environmental health, numerous connections between the oceans, human activities, and human health result in both positive and negative exposures and health effects. The influence of human-generated pollution that pours into the ocean from sources often hundreds or thousands of miles away, can be persistent and stark. A load of fertilizer applied to farm land half way across the continent frequently ends up polluting marine ecosystems, impacting both coastal recreational opportunities and productivity of fisheries. Pathogens discharged into riverways with manure from large-scale factory farms and animal feeding operations pose hazards to fishers and anyone boating or swimming near estuaries.
Some risks of marine pollution -- shellfish poisonings, harmful algal blooms (often called red tides), and water-borne pathogens such as cholera or viral diseases -- are relatively well understood. In contrast, the link between anthropogenic pollution discharged from land and toxins in the ocean water are infrequently discussed. Similarly, the marine dimensions of global climate change, for example ocean warming and subtle but profound changes in ocean chemistry can escape public notice. Yet, these changes would have life-or-death consequences for the majority of the inhabitants of Planet Ocean - from coral reefs to schools of fish and marine mammals. Changing marine conditions would also likely alter coastal environments by changing weather patterns - now that's one effect that will be readily noticed by over a billion of people living in proximity to the coast.
We now know that the health of the oceans is in dire condition and with it come threats to human health as well. As stated by Dr. Jane Lubchenco, a renowned marine biologist nominated as the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "The evidence is now overwhelming that even the immense oceans are depleted and disrupted. Turns out that oceans are more vulnerable - and more valuable - than we thought." (see NY Times interview with Jane Lubchenco here). Ocean ecosystems are in "for a tough ride" - yet the news are not all doom and gloom. Restricting land pollution run-off and eliminating destructive activities such as over-fishing, ocean dumping, and unmitigated extraction practices will go a long way towards protecting the health of the oceans and the people who depend on them.
The most important step is for marine scientists, public health experts, and ocean lovers of all stripes and colors to come together in a concerted effort to protect the oceans from ourselves. We all love the oceans, but we should not love them to death. Many efforts are underway as communities are organizing towards ocean conservation. One such event is happening in Washington, DC during March 7-10, the Blue Vision Summit. Preserving the health of the oceans will take a lot of work - but it can be done!
photo by lakerae