Research reveals Pacific Ocean threats and solutions
The Pacific Ocean, occupying a third of the planet's area, faces threats
that will render some coastal areas uninhabitable.
Pollution such as sewage, runoff from land and toxic waste; habitat
destruction; over-fishing; and climate change leading to sea level rise,
ocean acidification and warming will all interact to damage the ocean's
ecology and coastal economies.
These are among the findings of 'Pacific Ocean Synthesis', a report by the
US-based Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) that reviewed more than 3,400
scientific articles and reports from 50 countries in the Pacific basin.
COS presented the report at the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Indonesia,
this month (11—15 May).
The study divided the Pacific Ocean into seven regions, revealing threats
and potential solutions for each.
Widely applicable solutions include capacity building in ocean management,
efforts to adapt to climate change and reduce overfishing, and using
information technologies to monitor and share information, says Noah
Idechong, a COS researcher from the Pacific Island of Palau. All should be
high priority, he adds.
"Synthesising information gives us a good idea of what is happening [in the
Pacific Ocean]. I think one of the most important findings is that so much
[research] has been done," he says.
The report also summarises various gaps in research, such as insufficient
information about different pollution effects, the need for standardised
biodiversity and water quality monitoring and poor information about the
socioeconomic effects of sea surface temperature rises.
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The capacity to analyse and communicate information, and to make use of
monitoring systems to network and share solutions, is one of the gaps that
nations should work on, says Idechong.
Meg Caldwell, COS executive director, told SciDev.Net the report is an
important tool for policymakers. "This [report] represents a vast
information resource about what is occurring in the individual countries,"
she says.
Hundreds of scientists have already signed a consensus statement,
'Ecosystems and people of the Pacific Ocean — Threats and opportunities for
action'.
It warns that, left unchecked, the threats could have "devastating
consequences for coastal economies, food supplies, public health and
political stability".
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