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The State of the Oceans, Part 2: Delving Deeper into the Sea's Bounty John Tibbetts Abstract
As study of the seas advances, it is becoming apparent that the oceans are important in far more ways than as a food source. Coral dwellers and other species are already providing important keys to new pharmaceutical products. Scientists are also finding ways to use data from the oceans to study climate change and its impact on El Niño events, which in turn can spur outbreaks of human diarrheal diseases. Work is being done to develop renewable power based on ocean sources of energy, and scientists are just beginning to investigate whether it may be possible to store greenhouse gases deep under the ocean's surface. The use of ocean water for drinking is also rising as technologies are honed and processing costs drop. Unfortunately many marine areas around the world are being assailed by human activities that threaten to seriously undermine these resources.
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