Environmental, Economic, and Public Policy and the Oceans

Virginia Beach, Virginia

The ocean is a beautiful and mysterious place, and it is a habitat to more than 250,000 different species. It is also an important resource for humans around the world. Humans depend on the ocean for food, transportation, and recreation. Also, the ocean is important when conducting scientific investigations related to the interconnectedness of all of the Earth’s natural systems.

Humans' daily activities may seem minor, but they can have major impacts on the ocean environment. The ocean is used as a natural resource by the entire world, but it is not owned by any single country. This makes the global impact on oceans a difficult issue to manage. The actions of individuals multiply and consequently affect the ocean's ability to provide life-sustaining resources across the globe.

Essential Questions

• How do human activities affect the ocean?
• How are ocean resources managed?
• How will warming temperatures impact the oceans?