By Linley Bignoux
English Teacher/Photographer/Underwater Photographer
We as humans live on an ocean planet, with what I might term “glimpses of terrain”, the land itself encompasses approximately 29 per cent of the earth’s surface, with the remaining 71 per cent constituting that of the seas and oceans.
The seas and oceans do contribute in part to the sustenance of life on the planet. The ocean planet we live upon is indeed a vast and practically speaking expansive realm of nature, it is the home of a voluminous amount of life, rich in complexity and that variety that marine habitats boost much the same biodiversity when compared to the world’s rainforests as a reference point.
This sheer amount of marine biodiversity is rivalled by the biological, geological and natural environmental showcase the ocean has offered for billions of years, in time scales the oceans of the globe have been in constant and evolving existence for around 3.8 billion years, it has been theorized that life on planet earth began in our oceans.
Having said that the observation and study of our oceans via either research or scientific study teaches us about life on earth as it was and as it is up to the present day notwithstanding sea life itself.
Fundamentally the seas and oceans have up to this day provided an abundance of medicines, foodstuffs, recreational activities and of course human life while sheltering all the known marine species catalogued up to the present day.
Another fundamental yet obvious conclusion one can ponder upon is that in many many parts of the world, most of the tourism, hospitality and travel industry is supported by many sea and ocean-going activities, which by current estimates contribute to both national and globalized economies to the tune of approximately 19 trillion US Dollars per year and that figure has been rising in the past 10 years.
The ocean planet as it stands contributes in part to the sustenance of life on our planet. For instance, the natural barometer and regulation of planet earth’s climate are due to part to the ocean’s effect on weather, while certain marine life either directly or indirectly helps partly maintain the climate.
Marine species of many shapes and sizes also have an intrinsic value to many cultures around the planet, which through both historical and marine archeological records and reports have pointed out over the last 300 years and beyond. These lasting associations and bonds with the oceans existed before many nations, political boundaries and sciences evolved.
Nations worldwide and by default humankind have used the oceans for trade, recreation and transportation for centuries. Food sources emanating from the ocean are by far one of the largest food sources globally.
The oceans themselves from both a marine biological and oceanographic point of view could be regarded as a culmination of vastly interconnected ecosystems that form the largest single living organism in the world the oceans contain the most living species on this planet of any habit known thus far, and there is still much to learn
In terms of the global population, around 54 per cent of the planet’s people, live, work and play in coastal areas and near coastal areas.
The true and pure aspect of water, being in which the oceans are entrenched, gives a possibility of endearment when we consider both the nostalgic and philosophical aspects of water on our planet, which have been pointed out over centuries by philosophers, scientists and writers.
The oceans were born out of the water, a simple H2O represents this phenomenal chemical bonding aspect, two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen, this in itself is special and even curious when we look at this chemistry.
Furthermore, this bond is unique, properties of this type are mathematically curious let alone from a chemical point of view, yet water is stable.
Again life on planet earth and the critical aspect that water gives life on our planet, as Italian scientist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci famously quoted, that water is the driving force of all nature is genuinely fact-based and true.
Our water world has inspired many from centuries ago to the present day to romanticize, study, research and reflect on our oceans philosophically, technically and scientifically, amongst many many other things.
However bare in mind and heart that I am not a scientist, I look at and study Oceanography and Marine Biology and research the marine science findings, after many years of reading and researching these two topics and experiencing the underwater world as a professionally rated Scuba diver, seeking to understand the ocean world is a lifetime pursuit.
On this website I will endeavour to use and explain the fundamental scientific principles and processes of our oceans that you may or not be accustomed to, I will attempt and endeavour to explain in detail about our oceans and seas and life in them and our human interactions with it in a simplified manner where practically possible.
Of course, the physical sciences such as Marine Biology and Oceanography and their theories and fundamentals will be used to explain the physical, geological and chemical principles of our blue planet ocean.
However bear in mind that marine science let alone science cannot explain every single thing in the oceans, there is still a lot to learn considering the size and scope of our oceanic world, while conclusions from findings are not always conclusive as well.
Nevertheless explaining what is known thus far from our physical understanding of our oceans and the world for that matter is where we can start, sticking to scientific facts and findings.
I will use my experience and observations as a professional scuba diver for over 14 years, with the backbone of the fundamental science of marine biology and oceanography to explain in better detail about the oceans and marine life.
So, I will explain mainly the fundamental Oceanographic principles and Marine Biology principles so we learn from the basics to the advanced about our oceans and seas.
For example from Oceanography I will write about and explain the ocean floors and oceanic plate tectonics, marine sediments to tides and oceanic circulation and many more topics related specifically to Oceanography.
Within Marine Biology I will explain and write about the chemical and physical attributes of seawater, and the fundamental biology of estuaries and coral reef ecosystems, again many more topics with marine biology will be covered,
Moreover, I will cover the hundreds of marine species I have photographed and talk about those marine species one by one. From time to time I will also write about the science of scuba diving itself.
I will input what I have learned from the oceans and seas to add context to marine science knowledge while using my underwater photography as a waypoint as well on certain marine species their habitats and their range and where they may be found.
Within my research and writing on marine life, Oceanography, Marine Biology, Underwater Photography and Scuba Diving I will put a main emphasis and focus on Mauritius also known as the Republic of Mauritius officially.
I will also highlight many things from around the world in marine sciences and marine life, as the oceans don’t have borders, remember it is one ocean, not a division of them in isolation.
After many years of researching marine life, oceanographic and marine biology papers and many many books I own, my research continues in the knowledge of our oceans. Being a scuba diver helps immensely, such as with my underwater photography showing the images of the very things I intend to write about.
Linley Bignoux-English Teacher/ Photographer+Underwater Photographer 