Oceans & marine

Ocean

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Year: 2020

Photographer: Giorgia Doglioni (edited by Frameworks)


Green river

Seagrass Meadows in Greece

Year: 2017

Photographer: Dimitris Poursanidis

Re-oxygenating the Baltic

The deep waters in the Baltic are severely deoxygenated. Although the causes of the current state are complex, this is mainly a result of increased eutrophication from sewage and agricultural runoff from surrounding lands, which leads to extreme bioproductivity (Rolff et al. 2022). Some species manage to survive in the upper water layers, but many organisms living on the seafloor are severely impacted by the hypoxia, thereby influencing the health of a wide network of ecosystems and biochemical processes. There are attempts to reduce nutrient runoff into the Baltic (see for example: https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan/). However, some argue these will be insufficient and argue for engineering solutions to the issue.

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Ringed plovers (Charadrius hiaticular) arriving from the Arctic on Tromlingen, Raet National Park

The Tromlingen islands, as a centrepiece and most valuable part of the Raet national park, are an attractive place for bird watchers, in particular in autumn, when migratory birds from the Arctic stop over on the islands.

Year: 2017

Photographer: Peter Prokosch

Ocean Alkalinity enhancement

Carbon uptake in the ocean mainly occurs directly through ocean-atmosphere interaction or through weathering processes. Due to this uptake of carbon, the oceans turn more acidic overtime, and since the start of the industrial revolution oceans have become 30% more acidic. This has all sorts of effects as it, for example, impacts marine biochemistry, and prevents certain organisms from successfully growing.

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Cape Petrel (Daption capense), Antarctic Peninsula

The Cape Petrel, also called Cape Pigeon, is one of the most common seabirds of the Southern Ocean and around Antarctica. They have an estimated population of around 2 million. Cape Petrels feed mainly on crustacean, including krill, and are often seen following ships.

Year: 2016

Photographer: Peter Prokosch

Reflective foams and bubbles on oceans

Sea water has a low albedo of around 0.1 and therefore absorbs most of the incoming solar energy. Since water covers over two thirds of the Earth’s surface, changes to this albedo can potentially cause significant changes in global temperatures.

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