Oceans & Seas

Oceans and seas play a vital role in the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they significantly contribute to the Earth's biosphere's health and the global economy. They are critical to sustaining life on earth, acting as a major source of food and oxygen while also serving as natural carbon sinks that mitigate climate change impacts. SDG 14, "Life Below Water," explicitly acknowledges the importance of conservation and the sustainable use of the world's oceans, seas, and marine resources.

Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming. However, this process has implications such as ocean acidification, negatively impacting marine biodiversity and ecosystems. These impacts, coupled with unsustainable fishing practices and pollution, threaten the health of our oceans and seas. SDG 14 sets targets to prevent and reduce marine pollution of all kinds, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems, and regulate harvesting and end overfishing to restore fish stocks to sustainable levels.

Oceans also support economic wellbeing. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. By protecting oceanic ecosystems, the SDGs also support SDG 1, "No Poverty," and SDG 8, "Decent Work and Economic Growth." Furthermore, the oceanic routes are critical for global trade, supporting SDG 9, "Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure."

Furthermore, by implementing strategies for cleaner and more sustainable use of oceans and seas, it can also contribute to SDG 13, "Climate Action." For instance, developing and implementing new technologies to harness energy from waves and tides can promote renewable energy usage and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, aligning with SDG 7, "Affordable and Clean Energy."

World Seagrass Day 2025 with SDG Resources

Nurturing the Oceans' Lifelines: Seagrass

Our planet's health and prosperity depend on the well-being of its oceans and marine ecosystems. Seagrasses, often overlooked, are vital in maintaining these ecosystems. World Seagrass Day is dedicated to highlighting the crucial role of seagrasses in our marine environments.

The Significance of the Day

Elsevier,

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Volume 284, October 2023

This article advances SDG # 14 by investigating the impact aerobic swimming exercise in fish has on improving robustness of some species and the importance of establishing suitable rearing conditions to improve the welfare of cultured fish.
Elsevier,

Oil Spill Detection, Identification, and Tracing, 2024, Pages 161-178

This chapter advances UN SDG goals 13 and 12 by addressing technologies that advance the detection of spills and protect marine ecology / environments as well as human health.
This study provides an overview of the species N. Nandus, along with all currently available information on the species.
Elsevier,

Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Volume 38, September 2023

To plan for an uncertain future, life scientists are often required to use the output from climate models to develop recommendations for policy. The authors explain best practice for use of these models, this research supports SDG 2, 13, 14 and 15.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Southeast Alaska have been studied for over 50 years, and are largely considered a recovery success since the cessation of commercial whaling. To further sustain this success we need to improve our knowledge of how these giants reproduce. The authors developed an effective strategy for monitoring the hormone levels in a challenging natural environment.
Elsevier,

Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Volume 38, August 2023

This work highlights what we know about climate change impacts that have happened and discuss future directions for research. It supports SDG 13 and 14.
This paper is particularly relevant to investigations into the spread of organisms that remain close to shore over timescales of days-to-weeks, e.g., the spread of marine non-native species and pathogenetic parasites, but is equally relevant to simulations tracking the dispersal of eDNA or coastal pollutants such as oil and plastics.
This paper develops a coupling between SWAN and Thetis models to account for wave–current interactions occurring by the co-existence of wave and current flows. The different grids and time-steps employed by the model components allow greater flexibility. The two models run consecutively, and communicate internally to exchange the necessary parameters. These are the significant wave height, mean wave direction, mean wavelength and percentage of wave-breaking calculated by SWAN necessary for calculating radiation stress and wave roller effects, while Thetis provides water elevation and current velocity fields.
This study supports SDG 14 by uncovering how biotas responded to global change during the early Paleocene greenhouse mode.

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