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| | | Research |
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| | Marine Scientific Research | | |  The global oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface and represent a massive amount of scientific information. Nearly all disciplines of science are represented in the ocean sciences, including inter alia: biology, chemistry, geology and physics. Much of the knowledge gained from the seas has implications not only for the pure sciences, but for applied sciences and technology as well. Currently, the amount of information that is known about the oceans is a fraction of what there is to know. Technological requirements for marine scientific research are steep, and much modern ocean science research tools represent the cutting edge of modern technology.
See More... | | |  The importance of marine scientific research has been recognized internationally, as is reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III, 1982). UNCLOS III is the most comprehensive international legal agreement with respect to the world's oceans and their associated areas, and their governance. UNCLOS III mandates that its signatory states cooperate to promote marine scientific activities for peacful purposes and to benefit mankind (UNCLOS, Part XIII). Presently, however, marine scientific research endeavors are turning more and more towards specific goals, as the global oceans are stressed and their health is deteriorating. The most pressing problems are: - alteration and destructionof habitats and ecosystems
- effects of sewage and chemicals on human health and on the environment
- widespread and increased eutrophication
- decline of fish stocks and other renewable resources
- changes in sediment flows due to hydrological changes
(GESAMP, 2001). The consequences of these problems for humanity are potentially extreme. In order to effectively address these issues, sustainable management policies and practices must be developed for and implemented in the global oceans. Marine scientific research is critical to this process, as scientific information is necessary to informed decision making by policy makers and managers, as well as to monitor the effectiveness of such policies.
See More... | | Photo title: Basic Technology for Ocean Research | | Photo credit: http://www.oceansatlas.org/unatlas/about/research/background/seemore2.html | | | | |
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| | | Contact | | | Photograph |  | | Description | Dr Frances B Michaelis, Editor, UN Atlas of the Oceans. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Consultant, support from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD and National Marine Fisheries Service, USA.
International Research Associate, Reef and Rainforest Research Centre | | Keywords |  RESOURCE CONSERVATION; FISHERIES; SUSTAINABILITY | | Geography Keywords | PACIFIC OCEAN; AUSTRALIA; INDIAN OCEAN; SOUTHERN OCEAN | | Organization | FAO Fisheries | | Position | Editor, UN Atlas of the Oceans and International Research Associate, RRRC | | Address | | PO Box 772 | | TOWNSVILLE QLD | | Australia 4810 | |
| | Telephone | 61 7 4729 8490 | | Fax | 61 7 4729 8449 | | Email |  | |
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979 Topics - 5229 Related Knowledge - 11257 Members - 47 Editors |
freeMem:55,227,568 totMem:488,505,344 reqNum:1121425 openSessions:0 generationTime:2013/05/25 05:40:03 |
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