The Changing Oceans

摘要

The evolving disaster of the gulf of mexico oil spill reminds us that our welfare depends on a healthy marine ecosystem and that the oceans are vulnerable to human activities. The oceans sustain a vast wealth of biological diversity, deliver critical ecosystem services, supply valuable natural resources, and are a central component of the climate system. It is therefore critical that the current ocean-observing system be extended to cover a wider range of ocean properties.