"Desert" in the ocean
When we think of deserts, we immediately think of aridity, lack of water, lack of grass, and uninhabited people, while the abundant sea has nothing to do with deserts. But did you know that there are also places in the ocean where there is no trace of life, which can be described as "desert" areas in the ocean.
The concept and development of "marine desertification".
"Marine desertification" originally refers to the oil leakage accident of oil tankers due to various reasons in the process of shipping, oil pollution causes the formation of oil film on the surface of the ocean, inhibits the evaporation of seawater, makes the sea air hot and dry, and the ocean loses the role of regulating temperature, resulting in the "desertification" effect.
The concept was later expanded to include the term "marine desertification" to describe the severity of ocean damage and pollution. Due to the excessive exploitation of the oceans and the expansion of the scope of marine pollution, the reduction of fishery resources and the continuous harm of red tides, the phenomenon of "barren land" in the ocean is called "marine desertification".
Desertification of the oceans
The distribution area of the "marine desert".
In general, the more nutrients there are in the seawater in an area, the more plankton there will be, and the more marine life such as fish will be. The nutrients in seawater mainly come from seabed silt and runoff. Therefore, the coastal areas of the continental shelf have more nutrients, and if they happen to encounter the convergence of cold and warm currents or rising cold currents, the silt on the seabed can also be increased, and the nutrients in the surface seawater can be increased, and the diversity of fishery resources can be enriched.
On the contrary, in the vast central part of the ocean, due to the distance from the land, the lack of nutrients brought by surface runoff, and the deep sea depth, it is difficult for the nutrients on the seabed to flood, and the plankton in the ocean cannot survive, so the "marine desert" is gradually formed, and the area is also known as the marine hypoxic zone, the marine hypoxic zone, and the marine dead zone.
Global Warming and the "Ocean Desert"
Global warming will lead to an increase in the temperature of ocean water, and a decrease in the ability of water to dissolve oxygen as it warms. When the temperature rises, the surface water temperature in the tropical ocean area will be higher, while the cold sea water is at the bottom of the ocean, and the convection of cold and warm sea water is difficult, and the nutrients on the seabed cannot be flooded, and the marine life will be further reduced, and the area of the marine desert will be expanded.
The hazards of "marine deserts".
01
Biodiversity is decreasing
The vulnerability of ecosystems will be further exacerbated by the inability of various organisms in marine ecosystems to maintain their normal survival and reproduction due to lack of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in the loss of populations.
02
Deterioration of water quality
The discharge of a large number of harmful substances leads to seawater pollution, which leads to the aggravation of "marine desertification", which not only destroys the habitat of marine organisms, but also changes the key indicators of water quality such as dissolved oxygen and pH value in seawater, threatening the survival of marine organisms.
03
Affect the development of fisheries and tourism
Fishing is an important source of income for many coastal residents, and the expansion of the "marine desert" area has weakened fishery resources and seriously affected the development of fisheries. At the same time, the destruction of beautiful coral reefs and other underwater landscapes directly affects the long-term development of tourism.
The problem of "marine desertification" is becoming increasingly serious, which not only endangers the survival of many marine organisms, but also poses a huge threat to the ecological health of the earth and the social and economic development of human beings. Therefore, we must strengthen the protection and restoration of the marine environment, reduce marine pollution, slow down the trend of global warming, and contribute to the sustainable development of the marine ecosystem.
Cherish the earth, you and I go together!
来源：零碳未来Blue Carbon Future