Foreword
Oceans represent three-quarters of the Earth’s surface and contain 80 percent of life on the planet. Yet 95 percent of this underwater world remains unexplored and unknown. We do know that oceans are too important to ignore. They control climate and weather, regulate and stabilize global temperature, generate most of the oxygen in the atmosphere, and absorb a significant amount of carbon dioxide and pollution. The oceans are also home to a wide variety of plant and animal species that are an indispensable source of nutrition to much of the world’s human population. In addition, marine resources hold great promise…
