Ocean Resources

• The Ocean is a valuable natural resource for Earth
• It provides 200 billion pounds of food in the form of fish and shellfish each year
• Ocean resources create jobs, goods, and services for billions of people worldwide and have immense economic importance
• Ocean resources include food, fuel, renewable energy, minerals, sand and gravel, and tourism
• Minerals such as salt, sand, gravel, manganese, copper, nickel, iron, and cobalt can be found in the deep sea and are mined for use
• Crude oil is drilled from the ocean
• The ocean plays a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen
• It regulates Earth’s climate
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Typically Ocean Resources can be classified in to two broad categories –

• Biotic Resources
  • Planktons
  • Nektons
  • Benthos
• Abiotic Resources
  • Mineral
  • Energy

Biotic Resources

• Biotic means alive and Abiotic means nonliving.
• Biotic resources of the seas include fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, corals, reptiles and mammals etc.
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• Plankton:
  • Diverse collection of organisms found in water that can’t propel themselves against a current.
  • Phytoplanktons: Floating and drifting micro plants that are autotrophs, such as algae and diatoms.
  • Zooplanktons: Floating and drifting micro animals.
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• Nekton:
  • Living organisms that are able to swim and move independently of currents at various depths of seas and oceans.
  • Examples include fishes, pelagic fish, demersal fish, mammals like dolphins and blue whales.
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• Benthos:
  • Community of organisms that live on, in, or near the seabed in the benthic zone.
  • Includes both mobile and immobile organisms.
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Mineral Reserves

• Minerals dissolved in sea-water:
  • Salt
  • Bromine
  • Magnesium
  • Gold
  • Zinc
  • Uranium
  • Thorium
• Continental shelf and slope deposits:
  • Sulfur (associated with marine volcanism); ex: Gulf of Mexico is a rich source of sulfur
  • Magnetite reserves are found along the circum pacific volcanic belt
  • Monazite sand (source of thorium) at Kerala coast
  • Gold (Alaska)
  • Zircon (Brazil, Australia)
  • Diamond (South Africa)
  • Calcium – Peruvian coast has rich deposits of calcium and phosphate
  • Sand and gravel – significant building materials widely found on beds of continental shelves
  • Fishes are rich in nitrate and phosphate, high protein, medicinal use
  • Pearls
• Deep ocean bottom deposits:
  • Manganese nodules – comprising several minerals like nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, etc.
  • The maximum percentage of Iron and Manganese.
  • Cobalt-rich marine deposits associated with seamounts and guyots.
  • Phosphate in form of phosphoritic modules on shallow seabeds.
  • Polymetallic nodules – rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides that cover vast areas of the seafloor but are most abundant on abyssal plains.
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Energy reserves

• Renewable:
  • OTEC
  • Wave
  • Tidal
  • Wind
  • Non-Renewable:
  • Gas hydrates
  • Mineral oil
  • Natural gas
• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC):
  • Uses the temperature difference between a cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful work.
  • Thermal efficiency is low, making its economic feasibility a challenge.
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• Wave Energy:
  • Produced when electricity generators are placed on the surface of the ocean.
  • Energy provided is most often used in desalination plants, power plants, and water pumps.
  • Energy output is determined by wave height, wave speed, wavelength, and water density.
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• Tidal energy:
  • Produced through the use of tidal energy generators.
  • Large underwater turbines are placed in areas with high tidal movements and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of ocean tides to produce electricity.
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• Offshore Wind energy:
  • Wind farms constructed in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind.
  • Stronger wind speeds are available offshore compared to on land.
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Blue Economy

• The Blue Economy concept was introduced by Gunter Pauli in his 2010 book.
• It promotes the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs, while conserving the ocean ecosystem health.
• It advocates for greener ocean development strategies that increase productivity while conserving the ocean’s health.
• The Blue Economy encompasses renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, maritime transport, tourism, climate change, and waste management.
• It emphasizes the integration of ocean economy development with social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and an innovative business model.
• The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) reflects the Blue Economy’s principles by calling for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

Need for Blue Economy

• Oceans cover 75% of Earth’s surface, containing 97% of its water and 99% of living area.
• Oceans protect biodiversity, regulate climate, and absorb 30% of global CO2 emissions.
• Oceans contribute 3-5% of global GDP.
• Blue Economy can boost economic growth by providing income generation and job opportunities.
• It can support food security, diversification, and development of new resources.
• Blue Economy is considered the next sunrise sector.

Challenges

• The threat of sea-borne terror: piracy, armed robbery, maritime terrorism, illicit trade in crude oil, arms, drug and human trafficking, and smuggling of contraband, etc.
• Natural Disasters: tsunamis, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, etc. that leave thousands of people stranded and property worth millions destroyed.
• Man-Made problems: Oil spills, climate change that continue to risk the stability of the maritime domain.
• Impact of climate change: changes in sea temperature, acidity, and other factors threaten marine life, habitats, and the communities that depend on them.
• Marine pollution: excess nutrients from untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, and marine debris such as plastics.
• Overexploitation of marine resources: illegal, unreported, and unregulated extraction of marine resources.

Blue Economy for India

• Blue economy offers India an opportunity to meet its socio-economic objectives and strengthen connectivity with neighbors.
• Blue economy can focus on livelihood generation, energy security, ecological resilience, and improving the health and living standards of coastal communities.
• The blue economy supports India’s efforts to achieve the SDGs of poverty eradication and sustainable use of marine resources by 2030.
• India has a long coastline of 7,517 km covering nine states and two union territories and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 mn. sq. km.
• The marine services sector could serve as the backbone of India’s blue economy and help achieve the goal of a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025.
• The Indian Ocean is a major conduit of trade, with up to 80% of global oil trade happening through it.
• Better connectivity in the region will significantly reduce transport costs and maritime waste, making trade sustainable and cost-effective.

Developments Initiated by India

• The Sagarmala project is for port-led development and modernization of ports using IT-enabled services.
• The project aims to develop inland waterways and coastal shipping to revolutionize maritime logistics, create millions of jobs, and reduce logistics costs.
• The project focuses on developing coastal communities and people’s sustainable use of ocean resources, modern fishing techniques, and coastal tourism.
• O-SMART is an umbrella scheme for the regulated use of oceans and marine resources for sustainable development.
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management aims to conserve coastal and marine resources and improve livelihood opportunities for coastal communities.
• Development of Coastal Economic Zones (CEZ) under Sagarmala aims to become a microcosm of the blue economy, contributing to global trade.
• India’s National Fisheries policy promotes the ‘Blue Growth Initiative’ and sustainable utilization of fisheries wealth from marine and aquatic resources.