The problem of the development of the world's oceans. World Ocean: problems

167. Global problem of development of the World Ocean

At all stages of the development of human civilization, the World Ocean was one of the most important sources of supporting life on Earth. Its contribution to climate stabilization, the cycle of substances, the provision of oxygen, and the maintenance of biodiversity is well known. This fully applies to our time, when the use of biological resources has increased significantly and the use of mineral resources of the World Ocean has begun. However, human interaction with the oceanic environment (which, by the way, differs significantly from the interaction of society and nature on land) has now reached such proportions that scientists have begun to call the World Ocean no longer just a single natural one, but natural-economic system. In fact, human intervention in the 20th century. has already covered almost its entire water area. But this thesis needs clarification.

Some problems of the World Ocean are indeed related to its entire vast water area. It is enough to recall the main routes of the world maritime fleet or the oil pollution of even parts of the ocean remote from land. And yet, most of these problems still relate to those spaces that S. B. Shlichter called aquaterritorial zones, or contact zones at the border between sea and land. We can say that each such zone consists of three interconnected parts. Firstly, this aquatorial zone, i.e., the actual oceanic, marine zone adjacent to land, the mineral, biological, energy, and recreational resources of which are already widely used. Secondly, this coastline The World Ocean, forming a direct border between it and the land, which has a total length of 450 thousand km and has so far been developed with varying degrees of intensity. Thirdly, this coastal(seaside, oceanic) zone, the significance of which in the second half of the 20th century. increased noticeably as a result of the already mentioned shift to the sea of both the population and its economic activities.

Of course, not along the entire length of the ocean coastline, but still, in many parts of it within the “sea-land” contact zone, according to S. B. Schlichter, aquaterritorial economic complexes. It is within their boundaries that most conflict situations arise related to the simultaneous development of settlement, industry, transport, trade, agriculture, recreation, and non-production spheres. This is where the particularly intense rivalry between TNCs and various military-political and economic alliances and groupings manifests itself.

Oddly enough, but in general the global problem of the World Ocean, despite the numerous publications, has not yet found a sufficiently clear interpretation in the literature. Although this problem is very multifaceted, it still seems that it has three main aspects - economic, settlement And ecological.

The economic aspect is directly related to the formation marine world economy. This concept has not yet become commonly used and therefore needs clarification.

Rice. 154. Maritime structure

The global marine economy is a part of the global (world) economy, which has emerged as a relatively independent economic category as a result of the development of the productive forces of society, the territorial division of labor, the internationalization and globalization of the world economy. It is a collection of maritime national economies and diverse, technologically interconnected to varying degrees, branches of material and non-material production, united by a common subject of labor - the use of the resources of the World Ocean. The global marine economy is characterized by high capital intensity, a significant degree of risk, and great dependence on the elements, which also determines the uneven development of its components.

ABOUT cost parameters The global marine economy can be judged by the following indicators dating back to the early 90s. XX century The total value of marine products was then estimated at 400 billion dollars, including underwater oil and gas production at 200 billion, world transport products at 100 billion, fisheries at 50 billion and marine tourism at 40 billion dollars. According to some estimates, this the figure then increased to $600 billion and will apparently increase even more in the future.

The question of structure of the maritime economy(marine economy), which can be presented in the form of a fairly clear diagram (Fig. 154). The ratio of its main components can be judged from the above cost indicators. Of course, in individual countries they are combined differently, depending on the characteristics of the natural resource potential and the level of economic development of these countries. But in typological terms, they find expression in the formation of oil and gas production zones on the shelf, fishing zones, port-industrial complexes (PPC), free economic zones, recreational zones, etc. All these types of marine economic activities combine offshore and coastal production formations.

Recently, there have also been developments in the field maritime infrastructure. Knei includes marine facilities that provide oil and natural gas production, mining of solid minerals, marine chemical industry, maritime commercial and passenger shipping, marine fishing industry, marine tourism, recreation and recreation. To this list we can add the infrastructure of navigation and hydrographic support for maritime economic activities.

Active marine economic activity in itself becomes the root cause of many complex problems that can be considered at the country, regional and even global levels. As for the last of these levels, in this case they serve as a direct reflection of global energy, raw materials, and food problems, one of the ways to solve which was to attract the resources of the World Ocean. It was already noted above that offshore oil and natural gas fields provide approximately 30% of the total global production of these types of fuel. But in the not too distant future, this share may increase first to 2/5, and then to 1/2.

The settlement aspect of the global problem of the World Ocean is also of great interest for geographical study. This is evidenced by at least the following quantitative indicators. More than 2 billion people now live in the 100-kilometer coastal zone of the World Ocean, including a huge number of city dwellers; and this is not to mention the many tens of millions of people who fill the seaside beaches every year. All of them are closely connected with the ocean through their economic or recreational activities. To this we can add the “ocean population” itself – those 2–3 million people who are simultaneously located in the oceanic waters themselves. All of them are either engaged in production activities in the ocean (fishing and other marine industries, mining, servicing sea vessels), or are passengers on such vessels.

Over the past decades, the coastal population has been constantly increasing, which is largely due to the shift towards the sea, which has become characteristic of a number of regions of the planet. At the same time, the level of coastal urbanization is growing, and the number of coastal cities with “millionaires” is increasing.

Considering the geographic patterns of formation of coastal and oceanic population clusters, B. S. Khorev drew attention to their territorial connection with warm ocean currents. In fact, large centers of human settlement in Western Europe and North America formed precisely in those places where the warm Gulf Stream passes close. The warm Kuroshio Current also affects Japan, and the North Pacific Current affects the west coast of the USA and Canada. On the other hand, where the cold Canary and Benguela currents pass off the coast of Africa, the Peruvian current off the western coast of South America, and the California and Labrador currents off the western and eastern coasts of North America, respectively, they are accompanied by a real demographic desert in the adjacent land areas.

The ecological (environmental) aspect of the global problem of the World Ocean should be considered as a kind of reflection of the ever-increasing production activity of the population. Unfortunately, this activity does not always take into account the peculiarities of the ecological system of the World Ocean, the special dynamism of the oceanic environment, as a result of which the anthropogenic load has not only a local, but also a global negative impact on it. In this case, not only such objective reasons as a person’s insufficient knowledge of certain laws of nature are affected, but also such subjective ones as various kinds of errors in the design and construction of structures and ships, shortcomings in their operation, man-made accidents, etc.

As a result of oil pollution, metallization, and chemicalization of the ocean environment, great damage has already been caused to the “health” of the ocean. According to authoritative American experts, people themselves pushed the World Ocean to a dangerous line - to the limit of its natural capabilities, and in some cases took it beyond these limits. That is why the problems of rational ocean environmental management are now attracting attention all over the world.

In accordance with Agenda 21, adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, 1998 was declared by the UN as the International Year of the World Ocean. The event was seen as providing a unique opportunity to highlight the important role of the ocean and coastal environment, as well as to create greater political relevance for ocean-related issues, including their socio-economic dimensions. In the summer of 1998, a specialized exhibition EXPO-98 was organized in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, on the theme “The World Ocean. A legacy for the future." It can be added that hundreds of national and international organizations, crews of hundreds of research and other vessels, as well as coastal, ice, underwater and space laboratories are currently studying the World Ocean.

The economic aspect is directly related to the formation marine world economy. This concept has not yet become commonly used and therefore needs clarification.

Rice. 154. Maritime structure

Russia takes part in many of these international programs. In addition, the country has developed the Federal Target Program “World Ocean”, which is planned to be implemented in three stages until 2015. This program should help restore Russia’s previous positions in the World Ocean.

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Environmental situation in the 21st century

There have been discussions about the pollution of the world's waters for a long time. And not just talk - just look at the number of large environmental studies - more than a thousand of them have been conducted since the beginning of the 21st century alone. By pollution, ecologists mean the entry into the waters of the World Ocean of substances that can disrupt the natural biological and inorganic balance of matter and lead to serious changes in the composition or dynamics of ocean waters.

At the moment, pollution of the World Ocean has already led to the following consequences:

Disturbance of ecosystems - in some parts of the ocean, unique ecosystems disappear, rare species are destroyed, the composition of vegetation changes, and biodiversity decreases.
Progressive eutrophication - water becomes less clean, more and more organic and inorganic impurities appear, the number of animals increases with a decrease in species diversity.
Chemical pollutants—toxic substances—accumulate in biota.
The result of the complex impact is a decrease in biological productivity. This is noticeable in the declining free fish catch.
Increased concentration of carcinogenic compounds in sea water.
High degree of microbiological pollution of coastal waters.

All of the listed consequences of pollution of the World Ocean are destructive not only for the inhabitants of the sea, but also for civilization. The seas are a serious source of resources, ranging from oil to... Therefore, the reasonable use of water resources is a primary environmental task.

Despite the ability of the world's waters to self-purify, it is not able to cope with the current volumes of pollution.

The most dangerous and significant pollution factors:

Oil and petroleum products.
Radioactive substances.
Industrial waste, household waste.
Continental runoff.
Atmospheric pollution.

The last two points are external sources of pollution, which, although dependent on natural factors, are also associated with human activity.

In the last century, pollution was local in nature. Most pollutants were observed in coastal areas, on the coasts of continents, near industrial centers, and also near major shipping routes. In the last 20 years, the situation has changed - now pollutants are found even in high latitude waters - near the poles. Thus, pollution is widespread and affects all waters of the World Ocean.

Main causes of pollution:

Development of mineral and energy resources.
Increasing the extraction of biological resources.
Intensification of economic activity.
Increase in oil production volumes.
Industry growth.

At the moment, the most polluted oceans are considered to be the Pacific and Atlantic, and the most polluted seas are the North, Mediterranean, Baltic, as well as the internal waters of the Persian Gulf.

Oil pollution

This is one of the main factors of pollution of the World Ocean. There are calculations that show that the average annual discharge of oil into the ocean is about 15 million tons. This includes both unintentional leaks and tanker accidents and deliberate runoff from oil refineries. The measures are now being tightened, but the impact of a time when there were no laws to protect the ocean from tanker washout and factory runoff is still felt.

The largest areas of oil pollution are located in coastal waters, as well as along the route of oil tankers. In these zones, ecologists note a sharp reduction in the species diversity of flora and fauna.

The environmental problems of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are, first of all, an oil film, which, according to various sources, covers from 2 to 4% of the water surface. 6 million tons of oil and waste from the oil industry enter the waters of these two oceans annually - and this is only the waste that has been calculated. Half of the waste comes from offshore mining. Pollution from continental mining enters the water through river runoff.

Once oil enters the ocean, the following happens:

A film is formed covering the surface of the water. The film thickness ranges from fractions of a millimeter to several centimeters. All animals caught in this film die.
The film turns into an emulsion - a mixture of water and oil.
Oil collects in conglomerates - heavy lumps that remain floating in the surface layer of water.
Large fish and mammals, such as whales, ingest oil. Thus, oil spreads throughout the ocean. Fish that have swallowed an oil aggregate either die or continue to live, but are no longer suitable for food after being caught.
The last stage is a decrease in biodiversity, a change in the species structure of the biotope.

The result is a drop in biological productivity. This is especially important for areas whose economies are built on fishing and seafood production. The long-term result is an unpredictable change in the biology of the ocean.

Dumping - dumping waste into the ocean

The dumping or burial of toxic waste in the oceans is called dumping. This is a common practice in all industrial centers of the planet. Despite the current bans, runoff from industrial enterprises is growing every year.

On average, dumping accounts for up to 10% of all pollutants entering the ocean.

Pollution mainly occurs in the following situations:

Intentional disposal of materials obtained from toxic production.
Discharge of materials during work on the seabed and in the coastal zone.
Disposal of construction waste.
Disposal of chemicals, explosives, radioactive substances that pose a threat when stored on land.

Waste dissolves in water and accumulates in bottom sediments. After the discharge, it is impossible to purify the waters and return them to their original state. Initially, dumping had an environmental justification - the capabilities of the World Ocean, which is capable of processing a certain amount of toxic substances without damage.

Dumping has long been considered a temporary measure. Now it’s clear that as long as industry has existed, waste has been dumped in sea waters for just as long. The world's oceans cannot cope with the processing of such amounts of waste, and the ecology of sea waters is under threat. At the moment, global waste disposal is one of the most important problems for the world community.

Consequences of unregulated waste disposal:

Death of benthos.
Reduced growth rate of fish and invertebrates.
Change in species composition.

The result is a reduction in the base for the extraction of food resources.

Pollution can also be indirect. Thus, chemical industry enterprises located far from coastal areas also affect the state of waters. Pollutants are released into the atmosphere, from where harmful substances, along with sediments, enter sea water.

Radioactive contamination makes up a small proportion of total pollution, but can be more dangerous than oil dumping. The reason is the ability of radioactive compounds to retain properties that are destructive to living things for a long time.

Radiation has a detrimental effect on both plants and animals. Radiation exposure adds up over time; radiation exposure does not pass without leaving a trace. Infection is transmitted through food chains - from one animal to another. As a result, harmful doses of radiation are concentrated in living organisms. Thus, there are areas where plankton is 1000 times more radioactive than water.

International nuclear test ban treaties have stopped massive ocean pollution from radioactive waste. But the previous burials remain and still affect the life of marine life.

The main ways of accumulation of nuclear waste in the waters of the World Ocean:

Deployment of submarines with nuclear deterrents.
The use of nuclear power plants on submarines.
Transportation of waste by water.
Disposal of unneutralized nuclear waste and nuclear fuel are the main environmental problems of the Arctic Ocean.
Nuclear weapons testing is a problem in the Atlantic Ocean, and, to a greater extent, in the Pacific. The tests lead to both continental pollution and the release of radioactive waste into the water area.
Underground testing - radioactive waste enters the ocean with river runoff.

Nuclear waste causes a whole range of problems - not only does the ecology of living things suffer, but the natural balance of inorganic substances is disrupted.

Pollution of the world's waters is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. Despite all the measures taken to protect water from the harmful effects of industry, it has not yet been possible to achieve any serious results.

The importance of the World Ocean for all life on Earth is enormous: but life originated in it, it ensures its further development due to its role as a temperature regulator and oxygen producer; The transport, mineral, and bioresource use of the Ocean is growing.

Ocean problem is that more than 1 million tons of oil, industrial and urban waste, including heavy metals and radioactive waste in containers, fall into it annually, which ultimately leads to a reduction in its fish productivity and a decrease in the recreational opportunities of the coasts.

Solutions:

Scientific and technological revolution opens up enormous opportunities for solving the problem of the World Ocean.

The solution to such issues as: more complete extraction of minerals from the bowels of the Earth, reduction of energy and material intensity of production, discovery of new and development of previously inaccessible deposits, involvement of inexhaustible energy resources in economic circulation, progress in the field of nuclear and hydrogen energy, MHD depends on it -generators, fuel cells and much more.

Water is a prerequisite for the existence of all living organisms on earth. Large volumes of water on the planet create the impression of its abundance and inexhaustibility. For many years, the development of water resources was carried out practically uncontrolled. There is now not enough water where it does not exist in nature, where it is intensively used, where it has become unsuitable for consumption.

About 60% of the total land area is in areas that do not have sufficient fresh water. A quarter of humanity suffers from a lack of it, and over 500 million more people suffer from shortages and poor quality.

Water resources are distributed unevenly across continents. Asia, due to its large population and high population growth rates, is among the most water-poor continents. Many countries in Southwest and South Asia, as well as East Africa, will soon face water shortages, which will not only limit agricultural and industrial development, but may also lead to political conflicts.

The need for fresh water is experienced by the population, industry and agriculture. However, most of the water is the water of the world's oceans, unsuitable not only for drinking, but also for technological needs.

Despite the achievements of modern technology, the problem of reliable water supply for many countries of the world remains unresolved.

The increase in industrial water consumption is associated not only with its rapid development, but also with the increase in water intensity of production. The chemical industry, metallurgy, and paper production require a lot of water.

Global agriculture accounts for about 70% of all global water withdrawals. And now most of the world's farmers use the same irrigation methods as their ancestors did 5,000 years ago. Irrigation systems in third world countries are particularly inefficient.

We can draw the following conclusion: the deficit of fresh water is growing.

The reasons for this are: rapid population growth, increased consumption of fresh water for agriculture and industry, discharge of wastewater and industrial waste, and a decrease in the ability of water bodies to self-purify.

The limited, uneven distribution of freshwater resources and growing water pollution are one of the components of humanity’s global resource problem.

The ocean occupies most of the earth's surface - 70%. It supplies half of the oxygen in the air and 20% of the protein food of humanity. The properties of sea water - thermal generation, circulation of currents and atmospheric flows - determine the climate and weather on earth. It is believed that it is the World Ocean that will quench the thirst of humanity. The resource potential of the ocean can in many ways replenish the depleting resources of the land.

So what resources does the World Ocean have?

Biological resources (fish, zoo- and phytoplankton);

Huge mineral resources;

Energy potential (one tidal cycle of the World Ocean is capable of providing humanity with energy - however, for now this is the “potential of the future”);

The transport importance of the World Ocean is great for the development of world production and exchange;

The ocean is the receptacle for most of the waste from human economic activity (through the chemical and physical effects of its waters and the biological influence of living organisms, the ocean disperses and purifies the bulk of the waste that enters it, maintaining the relative balance of the earth’s ecosystems);

The ocean is the main reservoir of the most valuable and increasingly scarce resource - water (the production of which through desalination is increasing every year).

Scientists believe that the ocean's biological resources are enough to feed 30 billion people.

Of the biological resources of the ocean, fish is currently primarily used. However, since the 70s, the increase in catch has been falling. In this regard, humanity will seriously think about the fact that the biological resources of the ocean are under threat as a result of their overexploitation.

The main reasons for the depletion of biological resources include:

unsustainable management of global fisheries,

ocean water pollution.

In addition to biological resources, the World Ocean has enormous mineral resources. Almost all elements of the periodic table are present in sea water. The depths of the ocean, its bottom, are rich in iron, manganese, nickel, and cobalt.

Currently, offshore oil and gas production is developing, and the share of offshore production is approaching 1/3 of the world production of these energy resources.

However, along with the exploitation of the rich natural resources of the world's oceans, pollution is also increasing, especially with the increase in oil transportation.

The question on the agenda is: will the ocean turn into a waste dump? 90% of the waste dumped into the seas each year ends up in coastal areas, where it harms fisheries, recreation, etc.

The development of ocean resources and its protection is undoubtedly one of the global problems of humanity. The world ocean determines the face of the biosphere. A healthy ocean means a healthy planet.

To summarize, it becomes clear that global problems are the result of the enormous scale of human activity, radically changing nature, society, people's way of life, as well as man's inability to rationally manage this powerful force.

We see that there are a large number of problems that threaten all life on Earth. The main thing, however, is not the completeness of the list of these problems, but in understanding the reasons for their occurrence, their nature and, most importantly, in identifying effective ways and means of resolving them.

Global problems, in my opinion, require enormous attention, their understanding and immediate solutions, otherwise not solving them can result in a disaster. As a resident of planet Earth, I cannot help but be concerned about the global problems of humanity, because I want to breathe clean air, eat healthy food, live in peace and communicate with smart, educated people.

It is not difficult to understand what awaits us if we do not pay due attention to these problems. Then the entire civilization will suffer. This danger worries me not only; many people are already trumpeting all over the planet about problems in all spheres of life. Special organizations are being created to develop solutions and overcome emerging dangers to all living things.

The disease of civilization can only be cured through the common efforts of the peoples of the Earth. One can hope that international solidarity and a growing sense of belonging to a single human community will force a search for solutions to the GP.

You should know it!!

The problems of the World Ocean are environmental, economic, technical, and social problems at the same time, and his future depends on how wisely a person solves them!!!

Protect the environment!

The problem of the development of the world's oceans. World Ocean: problems

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