A Habitable Planet
Principle #4:
The Ocean Made Earth Habitable
A. Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere originally came from the activities of photosynthetic organisms in the ocean. This accumulation of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere was necessary for life to develop and be sustained on land.
B. The ocean is the cradle of life; the earliest evidence of life is found in the ocean. The millions of different species of organisms on Earth today are related by descent from common ancestors that evolved in the ocean and continue to evolve today.
C. The ocean provided and continues to provide water, oxygen, and nutrients, and moderates the climate needed for life to exist on Earth.
Next: Principle #5: Diversity of Life
DISTANCE LEARNING RESOURCES
To support all educators and parents teaching from home in the weeks ahead, the World Ocean Observatory is pulling together a compendium of home-study tools and resources for teaching and learning about the ocean. These resources can be used by parents, schools, educators and others to address the educational gaps being created by local and national ‘shelter in place’ initiatives to help flatten the curve on the Covid-19 outbreak. This list of resources is a work in progress: please reach out if you have other key elements that we should be sharing with our global community.
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WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER 2020
With a game capable of reaching a global audience, WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER can expand interest in ocean issues and habitats, and excite students about the infinite possibilities associated with ocean exploration. LEARN MORE.
