Opportunities and uses of the ocean

The oceans cover about 72 percent of our planet (which is named for the remaining 28 percent). These oceans have fascinated and challenged the human race for centuries. In the past, the ocean had been used first as a source of food and later as a means of transportation. However, the oceans have recently become very important-they may offer a solution to many of our modern problems. For example, refuse from land is to be dumped into the ocean never to be seen again; fish and other biological resources are to be caught and used to meet the protein deficiency of the world; oil and gas from the continental shelf and perhaps deeper areas will eventually solve our energy problems. Where is the truth-what are the real problems and opportunities associated with the ocean? This book is written in an attempt to shed some light on how we now use the ocean, what are its opportunities, and what we can do in the future. It presents some basic information about the ocean in a form that will be understandable to people who are not oceanographers, but who are interested and concerned about the marine environment.