Shine a Light on the Ocean (2026)

IART  Ingrid Katrine Amundsen /

Shine a Light on the Ocean

Clarifying the Challenges Our Ocean Faces (2026)

By Ingrid Katrine Amundsen


Work in progress...


Our Ocean currently encounters urgent environmental challenges, such as loss of biodiversity, a lack of a unified and enforced ocean datapplatform, plastic, emissions from agriculture and Industry, and overfishing. This brief essay will adress these looming environmental challenges, as well as unrevelling the hugh importance of having an ocean with healthy and thriving ecosystems for all habitats of life in the ocean.

This brief essay unfolds the urgent environmental challenges our ocean faces, which must be adressed in order to change the situation, and encourage a responisble relationship to the ocean, and restore habitats for life in the ocean, seccure ocean currents back to a normal state and face the climate crisis. To prepare for such challenging environmental changes we must spread knowledge and engagement on the ocean. It is time to create clarifying knowledge on the ocean and sort out the challenges, that the ocean encounter, in order to change the situation: we must shine a light on the ocean.


"The ocean is a continuous body of salt water that covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Ocean currents govern the world's weather and churn a kaleidoscope of life. Humans depend on these teeming waters for comfort and survival, but global warming and overfishing threaten Earth's largest habitat" (Nunez 2019).

"The oceans hold about 321 million cubic miles (1.34 billion cubic kilometers) of water, which is roughly 97 percent of Earth's water supply. Seawater's weight is about 3.5 percent dissolved salt; oceans are also rich in chlorine, magnesium, and calcium. The oceans absorb the sun's heat, transferring it to the atmosphere and distributing it around the world. This conveyor belt of heat drives global weather patterns and helps regulate temperatures on land, acting as a heater in the winter and an air conditioner in the summer." (Nunez 2019).


The Challenges the Ocean Face


Unsustainable Acuaculture

Emissions from Agriculture, Industry and Mining Waste

Loss of Biodiversity and Destruction of Habitats

The Climate Crisis

Sea Temperature Rise

Acidification  of the Ocean and Deprivation of Coral Reefs

High Levels of Mercury

Plastic and Trash

Marine Engineering and Oil Drilling

The Lack of an Enforced and Unified Global Ocean Data Platform



What Needs to be Done in order to Save life in our Ocean?


Goreau, T.J., Hagberg E., Trevor D. (2007). Coral Reef Restoration Alliance. [Online]. Available at:  [Accessed: 01.29.2020].

Nunez, C. (2019). Climate 101: Oceans. [Online]. Available at:  [Accessed: 01.29.2020].


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