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The more we learn about the oceans, the more we realise their enormous potential. So, what might the oceans hold in store for our future?
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Oceans of energy
To meet the energy needs of a growing world population, engineers in coming decades will be challenged to generate power economically from renewable energy sources, rather than from the fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, that we currently rely on. The World Energy Council estimates that the equivalent of twice the world’s electricity production could be harvested from the oceans. There are a number of possible options for renewable energy from the sea.
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Wave power
Waves are a free and sustainable energy resource created as wind blows over the ocean surface. Waves are a store for solar and wind energy. Energy is stored until it reaches the shallows and beaches of our coasts where it is released, sometimes with destructive effects. But by harnessing this energy, using wave power stations, electricity can produced.
It is thought that there could be sufficient wave power around the UK to generate enough energy to exceed domestic electricity demands.
Read more about the UK’s first wave power station
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Wind power
The UK is one of the windiest countries in Europe and, theoretically, has enough offshore wind to supply three times the UK's current electricity requirements. From October 2001, all electricity companies will have a legal obligation to supply an increasing proportion of power from renewable sources. The development of offshore wind farms is now underway and has been warmly welcomed by environmentalists, who believe that emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, will be cut by more than 4 million tonnes a year.
The UK's first offshore wind farm at Blyth Harbour, in Northumberland, was officially commissioned on December 7, 2000. The £4 million project is a landmark for both the UK and the wind energy industry.
For more on the UK’s first offshore wind farm, visit:
www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk/sites/bowl.html
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Tidal power
In coastal areas with large tides, flowing tidal waters contain large amounts of potential energy. However, in order to produce practical amounts of power (electricity) a difference between high and low tides of at least five metres is required. There are about 40 sites around the world with this kind of tidal range, including the Bay of Fundy, in Atlantic Canada which has the highest tides in the world, at up to 16 metres. Although tidal energy is an essentially renewable resource which has none of the typical environmental impacts of traditional sources of electricity, such as fossil fuels or nuclear power, changing the tidal flow in a coastal region could result in a wide variety of impacts on aquatic life, most of which are poorly understood and which need a good deal more research.
Currently, although the technology required to harness tidal energy is well established, tidal power is expensive, and there are very few tidal power stations in operation. The largest is at the mouth of the La Rance river estuary on the northern coast of France.
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Marine medicines
Just as tropical rainforests have yielded natural substances that are highly valuable as medicines, the oceans are also proving to be an invaluable source. Substances that can be used in the fight against cancer and other ailments have recently been found in marine life, and new substances are being discovered all the time. Chemicals derived from sponges, corals, algae and snails are already used for combating pain, infection, and inflammation. Additional medicines to fight AIDS and other diseases are under development.
If we destroy marine biodiversity through careless treatment of our oceans, many important sources of medicines will be lost. But equally, for marine medicines to be a part of our future, it will be crucial to develop sustainable means of harvesting these cures from the oceans. Much of today’s biomedical research revolves around learning how to synthesize useful compounds in the lab so that medically-valuable species, once discovered, can be protected in the wild.
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A life on the ocean wave?
Rapid population growth and rising life expectancies will inevitably result in life on land becoming ever more cramped. Might the oceans offer an alternative place to live?
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A city at sea
Plans are afoot to construct a massive ocean-going vessel, known as the Freedom Ship. With a length of over 1.3km, a width of 220m and a height of more than 100m, the Freedom Ship would be a whole community on the sea - a mobile modern city comprising residential space, a library, schools, a hospital, shops, banks, hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities, offices, warehouses and even an airport on the ship’s top deck! The intention is that the ship will continuously circle the globe.
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Living with fishes
The idea of living underwater has intrigued us for decades. Efforts to demonstrate that humans could live comfortably and safely in the earth’s oceans was driven by visionaries like Jacques Cousteau, whose ideas helped push forward an explosion in undersea technology. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, more than 70 undersea habitats were put into operation, but populating the sea floor proved to be no easy task.
Today, only two undersea habitats exist, but there are plans to build the world's first undersea holiday resort. It may be that with recent advances in technology living with the fishes, even if only temporarily, may be possible.
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