Oceans as a resource

Oceans as a resource

1. Abiotic resources

   • Fossil fuels
     • Oil
       • Continental shelf. Persian Gulf: 66% world's oil reserves. Arguably the most important source of energy worldwide. Countries that possess oil have a great degree of political power.
     • Gas
       • Continental shelf. Persian Gulf: 33% world's gas reserves. One of the world's most valuable sources of energy.
   • Metals
     • Gold
       • Ocean floor.
     • Manganese
       • Ocean floor. Nodules on abyssal plain.
     • Silver
     • Copper
     • Tin
     • Titanium
     • Cobalt
   • Minerals
     • Diamonds
       • Continental shelf off Africa and Indonesia.
     • Sulphur
       • Ocean ridges & rift valleys.
     • Sand
       • Continental shelf.
     • Gravel
       • Continental shelf.

2. Biotic resources

   • Fish
     • Overfishing of popular fish species has become an issue. Unsustainable fishing is brought about through the use of trawlers and the accumulation of bycatch. Line and pole fishing has been encouraged by NGOs to avoid catching the wrong fish. Dolphins, sharks, and even whales have been known to get caught in trawler nets.
     • Red snapper
     • Cod
   • Shellfish
     • Shrimp

3. Underwater cables

   • Internet
     • Much of the world's connection to the internet is still maintained by cables between continents. Disruptions in these cables could have catastrophic effects to the world's economic systems, which nowadays are almost entirely run by computers communicating with each other.