The ocean and transport

Dear All

We have considered the role of heat and salt in ocean transport, and we have discussed how much water there is, and why it is important for our global climate, in addition to this weeks topic addressing some of the diversity, and size of populations within the ocean. We will soon be taking another direction on the course, looking at how we interact with the deep ocean, and the potential economic benefits of exploiting the mineral wealth held there. One aspect of the ocean we have not yet covered, is the vital role it plays in our day to day economic life. This was the topic of a fascinating BBC experiment a few years ago, during which they painted a shipping container with the BBC logo, and tracked it for a year as it moved around the globe.

This is a great story from the BBC, detailing the challenges modern shipping faces, and you can find more links on this story here. The box carried an astonishing range of goods, and travelled the equivalent of 2.08 times around the circumference of the earth:

Shipping is not only a vital part of the global economy, but also remains one of the most sustainable methods for mass transport. In comparison to carbon emissions from alternate sources, they are the cleanest way to move large volumes of goods:

You can find more details on shipping, and how it has changed over time by clicking on either of these graphs (Above and below). It is still a growing trade, as seen in the graphic below from the Global Shipping website, and a part of our economy we are very aware of in Southampton, NOC is situated on one of the busiest dock gates in Southampton, and we have an ever changing view of cargo ships and cruise liners out of the canteen window.

One of the key developments in the shipping industry, was the development of the container, which is detailed in this short clip from the Financial Times. The largest ships are an amazing feat of engineering, and if you are interested, you can follow the Emma Maersk in this documentary, at 397 metres long, and 20 storeys high, this was the longest ship in the world until last year, when the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was completed (398m). 

There are some serious drawbacks to international shipping, one of which is based on the use of ballast water, which is an ideal conduit for invasive species. Several species have hijacked a lift in these waters, which have then been emptied in a different part of the globe, with devastating ecological impacts. One of the worst examples of this is the zebra mussel, transported from the Black Sea in 1988 to North America. There are some other examples outlined in this article from National Geographic, and this from the BBC. There are some options to help minimise this disruption, such as the flushing of ballast waters in the open ocean, where most coastal species are unlikely to survive, but more research and global co-operation is needed on this issue.

http://www.nwf.org/what-we-do/protect-wildlife/invasive-species/ballast-water.aspx

@GeoMillie