World Oceans Day ~ 2023

Every year on June 8th, people all across the world commemorate World Oceans Day. This special day emphasizes the importance of our oceans and the need to protect and safeguard these huge bodies of water. Oceans, which stretch more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, are crucial for the survival of life on our planet. In this blog, we’ll look at the importance of World Oceans Day and look at some particular steps we can take to safeguard our oceans for future generations.

The Importance of Oceans: Our oceans are essential for the sustainability of the planet. They help to regulate the temperature, provide a habitat for a variety of marine creatures, and supply food  for millions of people throughout the world. Oceans also play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide, which helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. Exploring the significance of oceans will help us understand why they require our complete attention and protection.

Unfortunately, human activity is posing significant problems to our oceans. Some of the greatest risks to marine ecosystems are pollution, overfishing, destruction of habitat, and climate change. Understanding these issues is critical for making successful strategies and promoting environmentally friendly practices.

Overfishing is a serious problem that threatens the fragile balance of marine ecosystems. Adopting sustainable fishing methods, such as imposing catch limits, conserving vulnerable species, and promoting responsible aquaculture, can help in the preservation of fish populations and the proper functioning of our oceans.

Pollution, particularly from plastics, is a major threat to marine life. Single-use plastics, microplastics, and chemical pollutants end up in the oceans, endangering marine life and ecosystems. We can improve ocean health by limiting our use of plastic, recycling, and supporting initiatives to clean up our beaches.

Our oceans are home to a wide variety of marine species, many of which are on the edge of extinction. Marine protected areas, conservation organizations, and the promotion of sustainable tourism practices can all help to preserve marine biodiversity and the fragile balance of ocean ecosystems.

Climate change and ocean acidification are rapidly affecting marine habitats. Rising sea temperatures and increased CO2 absorption are causing coral bleaching, disturbing marine food chains, and threatening the survival of many marine species. We can reduce the impact on our oceans by decreasing the amount of carbon we produce, advocating for renewable energy sources, and supporting climate change mitigation measures.

It is essential to raise awareness about the importance of oceans and encourage people to take action. People can be inspired to adopt sustainable choices in their daily lives and become advocates for ocean conservation through educational projects, community outreach programs, and collaborative activities.

FECT has also participated in various projects concerning ocean conservation and concerns of ocean / marine pollution. The following are our abstracts and presentation:

CFA 22 d – N.D. Alahakoon , S. Gobishankar , L. Zubair , A. Mahendran, Materials on-board container ship MV X-press Pearl as it caught fire and estimates for ensuing emissions to the atmosphere, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), Technical Session 2022

https://slaas.lk/images/annual_sessions/proceedings/Part_I_Abstracts_2022_SLAAS.pdf

CFA 21 d – D.H.K.Wickramasinghe, A. Nijamdeen, L. Zubair, Nature and Scale of Impact of X-Press Pearl Fire on Air Quality, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), Technical Session 2021

CFA 21 e  – S. Gobishankar, A. Nijamdeen, L. Zubair, T. Shifna, A. Mahendran, Nature and Scale of Impact of X-Press Pearl Fire on Air Quality, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), Technical Session 2021 – You Tube – Poster Presentation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQevr7R40Co&t=12s

CFA 21 f  – Z. Iwais, U. Adithya, A. Munas, N. Alahakoon, K. Wickramasinghe, L. Zubair, Simulating the dispersion of pollution in the atmospheric from the Fire about the X-Press Pearl Ship, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), Technical Session 2021

CFA 21 i  – Nijamdeen, K. Wickramasinghe, G. Sathyamohan, L. Zubair, T. Hadgie, Z. Iwais. The X-Press Pearl Marine Disaster off Sri Lanka in May 2021: Atmospheric Transport of Pollution from the Fire and Explosion – https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021AGUFMGC45Q..18Z/abstract