A sea of threats: Climate change abets them

Oceans are highly dynamic, structured and complex systems; crucial for life on the planet. The vast resources in the oceans are not distributed evenly or randomly. For example, the largest share of marine biodiversity is found in the sea bed. Environmental conditions determining the productivity of oceans vary greatly in terms of time and space

Half the world's catch is caught in less than 10 per cent of the oceans. The most important fishing grounds are found on and along continental shelves within less than 200 nautical miles off the shores. These fishing grounds are also found unevenly and are very much localized

In 2004, more than half the marine landings are caught within 100 km of the coast, with depths generally less than 200 m and covering less than 7.5 per cent of the world's oceans

Global warming and climate change pose several challenges and threats to the sustainability and productivity of oceans. In tropical shallow waters, a temperature increase of 3