Issue: Condition of the ocean and coastal waters - Condition of marine vegetation
This is an issue under the Coasts and oceans theme of the Data Reporting System.
Why we need to know about this issue
The health of the ocean’s biodiversity is crucial to the condition of the oceans themselves. Marine biota is important to both water quality and to the ocean’s capacity to regulate the global climate. Physical marine conditions such as water quality, salinity, alkalinity and temperature are likewise essential to the well-being of marine life.
Marine plant life is essential to the function of marine ecosystems, providing both the basis of the food chain and oxygen, through photosynthesis, to surrounding waters. Disproportionate blooms of some marine plants, such as algae, may be indicative of excess nutrients in the water, and may in turn place pressure on other marine life by blocking off sunlight from the surface, thus preventing oxygenation.
Indicators
- CO-44 Marine chlorophyll concentration
Changes in ocean colour mapped across the continent could give a broad indication of changes in marine chlorophyll and therefore of the condition of marine plant life at the continental level.
Related issues
- Coasts and Oceans - Direct pressure of human activities on coasts and oceans- Direct pressure of coastal activities (other than shipping and fishing)
- Coasts and Oceans - Contributions and pressures between the coasts and oceans and the atmosphere- Climate and carbon dioxide
- Coasts and Oceans - Contributions and pressures between the coasts and oceans and the atmosphere- Ozone depletion
Key
Links to another web site
Links to data in the DRS
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