This creation was another themed piece around World Oceans Day, which is marked on 8th June every year.
The oceans offer a wealth of benefits to the globe from capturing and storing carbon to providing means of transport for food and goods as well as being home to the many species of animals and fish that live and thrive within the ocean.
The globe has five named oceans: the Arctic, the Southern (also known as the Antarctic), the Indian – as well as the two primary oceans – the Atlantic and the Pacific. All of the oceans are key for the globe to support life.
This piece was aimed at trying to show the wonders of the ocean and the various lifeforms that call the ocean home. From the coral reefs found in the sloping underwater cliffs to the barnacles nesting on the rocks – from the fish swimming in the water to the humans using the water for leisure activities like surfing. The world’s oceans have a multitude of purposes – all of which this creation tried to encapsulate.
The other reason for doing a piece associated with World Oceans Day was around the troubles of pollution that we see across the world. From ships leaking fuel to deep drilling of fossil fuels (primarily oil) going wrong – not to mention the rising tide of plastics that are being dumped in the oceans. More focus and attention are being considered when we think about our oceans – however, there is still a long way to go.
Single-use plastic, as well as plastics more generally, are causing real issues around the world in marine ecosystems. The unnatural material that is part of so many aspects of our lives, is providing a damaging existence to the marine world.
From seahorses looping off a cotton bud – to beer can rings being found around turtles’ necks. Beautiful golden sand beaches are being turfed with plastic debris – to kill the fauna of the marine ecosystem. Plastics are being found everywhere.
Beyond plastics, the oceans are susceptible to the effects of climate change. As the world becomes warmer, thanks to human-caused (anthropogenic) emissions increasing the number of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere – with the increase in carbon dioxide from industrialisation being the key problem. With temperatures rising, the ocean temperatures are also warming resulting in the bleaching of temperature-sensitive corals. Further to temperature changes, the salinity (amount of salt within the water) within the oceans is also changing, again, causing harmful changes to the marine ecosystem.
The campaigns against plastic and the overuse of plastic continue on – but hopefully, we will soon see the day that the tide turns on a plastic ocean and more natural waters thrive once more.
The oceans of the world provide so much. From homes to flora and fauna, to influencing and driving weather patterns. From the tropics surrounding the equator to the polar seas surrounding the world’s coldest locations – the oceans play a vital part in sustaining life on earth.
This blog post is available in audio as a podcast and can be found here: Under The Sea audio
Artwork in Progress 