Oceans are considered to be vast-limitless. But the reality is far from this.

Oceans have been the cradle of life ever since the first life that appeared on the earth in the form of what Huxley called a ‘Living Broth’. Even today, oceans are home to huge number of species so far unknown to human.

Oceans have been vital for the existence of life. They not only constitute 70 per cent of the earth but also have crucial role in sustenance of life. The water that is so important for life is mainly reserved as saline water in the sea. The water cycle starts from the ocean through evaporation, forms clouds which bring life generating rains to the land. This rainwater percolates into the earth, get locked into glaciers and feeds the flowing rivers.

The oceans are not only important to water cycle on the earth but also serve as reservoirs of carbon dioxide. Huge quantities of carbon dioxide is trapped in ocean as carbonates and other forms. The oceans absorb large quantities of the carbon dioxide and free the atmosphere from its effect. Thus oceans have served as dampeners for growing carbon quantities in the atmosphere which has resulted into global warming and climate changes. Had there been no oceans, the global warming crisis would have been worse.

The oceans are huge but not their carbon dioxide absorption capacity. Oceans can absorb carbon dioxide but the rate is extremely slow to compensate the damage done by human activities. The oceans can compensate the rising carbon dioxide level only in a long time. This may take around a century, enough time for the high carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere to cause havoc.

A report in the Science journal says that Antarctica’s Southern Ocean that serves as sink for 15 per cent of the excess carbon dioxide is reaching saturation and soon may not be able to absorb carbon dioxide. This finding is really disturbing given the fact that oceans serve as carbon sink for nearly half the carbon emitted by human activities.
If the oceans are unable to absorb the carbon emitted in the atmosphere, the climate change situation will become all the worse.