international environment • map skills saving the high...

HIGH SEASSAVING THE

6 JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM • NOVEMBER 21, 2016

INTERNATIONAL Environment • Map Skills

IN THE MIDDLE of the North Atlantic Ocean lies an

area known as the Sargasso Sea. Thick clumps of sea-

weed float on its surface, providing shelter for baby

sea turtles. This stretch of water also functions as a breed-

ing ground for endangered eels, a feeding stop for

migrating whales, and a home for hundreds of other spe-

cies—some found nowhere else on the planet. Its

ecosystem is so complex that the Sargasso Sea (see map,

pp. 10-11) is often called a “floating rainforest.”

The Sargasso Sea is a critical habitat in need of protec-

tion. Its marine life is threatened by overfishing and

plastic debris. The Sargasso is so far from any country’s

shores, however, that no one nation has the legal author-

ity to fully protect the area.

More than half of the world’s ocean waters are in the

same boat: They’re too far from shore to fall under the

governance of any one country. Under international law,

countries control only the waters within about 230 miles

of their shores. The waters beyond that—known collec-

tively as the high seas—belong to everyone.

More than half of the planet is covered by water that belongs to all of us. Why is so little of it protected?

BY MARY KATE FRANK

JS5 112116 p06-11 World's Oceans.indd 6 10/27/16 12:16 PM

NOVEMBER 21, 2016 • JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 7

The number of some fish species, like these jack mackerel, has plummeted in the high seas. Experts say overfishing is to blame.



The high seas cover about 80 million square miles and

contain some of the most important and threatened

ecosystems in the world. Only about 1 percent of those

waters are protected—and very few rules exist about

what can and can’t be done there.

However, a new United Nations

(U.N.) treaty could change that. Con-

servationists hope the pact will allow

for the creation of new protected areas

on the high seas. The treaty could also

require those who want to engage in

commercial activities on the high seas,

such as fishing or drilling, to assess any

possible environmental impact.

Those measures would be a step

toward helping the oceans recover from damage that

has already been done. Habitat destruction, overfishing,

pollution, and climate change are “pushing the ocean

system to the point of collapse,” according to a 2014

report by the Global Ocean Commission.

“People assume that the ocean is going to go on and

on, but it’s really in very desperate shape due to human

activities,” says Peggy Kalas of the High Seas Alliance, a

partnership of more than 30 environmental groups that

advocates for the high seas. “If this treaty goes forward,

it will be a game changer for the ocean and the way that

it’s regulated down the road.”

The Ocean’s RoleHumans couldn’t live on Earth with-

out the ocean. It produces much of

our food and more than half of the

planet’s oxygen. It regulates the cli-

mate, both by trapping the sun’s heat

and by absorbing some of the carbon

dioxide we release into the atmo-

sphere. The ocean gives us energy in

the form of wave, wind, and tidal

power. It’s also critical to our economy: More than 90

percent of the world’s trade—products ranging from TVs

to jeans—travels by sea.

The high seas play an essential role in all of those

areas. But one of the most important things the waters

offer, scientists say, is their wealth of biodiversity.Early explorers thought the open ocean was barren,

but it’s actually full of life. Sharks, whales, sea turtles,

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INTERNATIONAL

THE HIGH SEAS ARE HOME TO SOME OF THE

MOST IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS IN

THE WORLD.

ROBOT EXPLORERScientists often use deep-sea robots to visit parts of the ocean that are too difficult or dangerous for human divers to reach. One of the newest and most advanced is called OceanOne (right), designed by a team at Stanford University in California. Among its features: “hands” covered in sensors that can determine an object’s weight and texture. This information enables the person controlling OceanOne to basically “feel” what the robot is touching. OceanOne can navigate delicate coral reefs and even pick up objects. It recently retrieved a vase from a 17th-century shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.

OceanOne has video camera “eyes” that allow

scientists to see what’s happening underwater.



and seabirds are just a few of the animals that reside in

these waters. Beneath the waves lie deep-water coral

reefs, vast mountain ranges, and creatures that haven’t

yet been discovered. With nearly every voyage to the

deep sea, scientists find new species. And there’s still

plenty left to uncover: As much as 95 percent of the

ocean remains unexplored. (See “Robot Explorer,” left.)

The Law of the SeaThe main international agreement regarding the ocean

was negotiated in the 1970s, before much deep-sea

exploration had occurred. That treaty set rules for every-

thing from shipping to navigating. Perhaps most

important, it established that each country has the sole

right to the natural resources within 230 miles of its

shores. The treaty didn’t go into details, however, about

the natural resources that lie beyond those areas.

So who oversees the high seas? The answer is a host of

groups, each of which handles only a very specific issue.

The International Maritime Organization, for example,

regulates shipping. The International Seabed Authority

is in charge of deep-sea mining. And various regional

organizations manage fishing. There’s little coordina-

tion between the different agencies, making it difficult

to safeguard the high seas.

Marine scientist Lisa Speer is the director of the Natu-

ral Resources Defense Council’s International Oceans

Program. She likens the open ocean to the Wild West.

“There are few rules and no sheriff,” says Speer. “It’s

basically a free-for-all.”

One example: Commercial fishermen are taking too

many fish from the high seas. As much as 90 percent of

some large fish species, such as tuna and swordfish,

have now disappeared from the ocean. The heavy nets

used to catch the fish scrape the seafloor, destroying

corals and other delicate marine life.

The new U.N. treaty could create new rules for indus-

tries on the high seas. It may require anyone planning

potentially damaging activities there to submit a report

about possible consequences. The findings would then

be made available to the public.

Sanctuaries of the Deep The new treaty could also allow for the creation of more

marine protected areas on the high seas. These are areas

of water that are safeguarded for conservation pur-

poses. Some allow activities such as swimming or

Top: Great white sharks migrate through the high seas. Right: Thick seaweed helps hide baby turtles from predators in the Sargasso Sea.

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PACIFICOCEAN

NORTHNORTHAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA

HAWAIIWAKEATOLL

JOHNSTONATOLL

HOWLANDISLAND &BAKERISLAND

JARVISISLAND

KINGMANREEF &PALMYRAATOLL NEW CALEDONIA

SOUTH GEORGIA ANDSOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS

U.S.Sargasso

Sea

Marine protected areas** Includes protected areas that have beendesignated but are awaiting implementation.

PapahānaumokuākeaMarine National MonumentGoverned by: U.S.Area: 583,000 sq mi

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Governed by: U.S.Area: 490,000 sq mi

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected AreaGoverned by: United KingdomArea: 386,000 sq mi


INTERNATIONAL

fishing. Others are much more restrictive. The United

States has more than 1,200 marine protected areas.

Establishing similar sanctuaries (safe places) on the

high seas is very difficult. But just last month, after years

of negotiations, a group of more than 20 nations did just

that. They agreed to protect about 600,000 square miles

of the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica. That

part of the high seas will become one of the world’s largest

marine protected areas. Environmentalists hope this

leads to more such joint efforts in the future.

Protected areas provide a refuge for marine life and

critical habitats. They can also help improve the overall

health of the ocean. That’s key, because the ocean is

working overtime to absorb extra carbon dioxide as a

result of climate change.

Already, the ocean has absorbed about 30 percent of

the carbon dioxide humans have generated since the

Industrial Revolution and more than 90 percent of the

additional heat we’ve generated since the 1950s. These

changes are making ocean waters warmer and more

acidic, threatening some animal and plant species.

Creating a network of large, well-managed protected

areas in the high seas would give ecosystems a chance to

recover from environmental changes, experts say. “I

think one of the most important things we ever did was

to create a system of national parks, like Yellowstone,”

says Kalas of the High Seas Alliance. “It’s something

that’s important to do now for the ocean.”

High Seas DiscoveriesGetting every country to agree on a new treaty won’t be

easy. One of the toughest issues to be resolved concerns

what might be found in the ocean. If, for instance, one

country uncovers cancer-curing (or even pimple-curing)

algae in the high seas, should every country share in the

financial rewards? Or is it a case of finders keepers?

It’s a complex issue, not least because some countries

lack the technology and funds to comb the ocean floor

for the next medical breakthrough.

“There’s only a handful of countries in the world that

can actually go to the bottom of the sea and extract

things,” explains Jessica F. Green, an environmental stud-

ies professor at New York University. “Developing countries are really interested in making sure that if

extraction occurs, they benefit from it, even though

they’re not capable of actually doing it.” Yet developed

countries, such as the U.S. and Japan, may not be so eager

to share profits. JIM

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Global Marine Protected Areas

This map shows the location of marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world, including five of the largest ones.

Challenges AheadU.N. delegates are now meeting to discuss what might

be in the new high seas pact. If all goes smoothly, the

agreement could be adopted in the next few years.

So far, the U.S. is supporting the treaty. That could go

a long way toward getting other governments on board

as well. If the treaty is adopted, nations will then face the

challenge of figuring out how to implement it. Enforce-

ment isn’t easy in a space as vast as the high seas.

Still, conservationists say, we have to try. “You need

sheriffs, you need rules, you need control over what

people do,” says Speer, the marine scientist. “That con-

cept applies to the ocean as well as to land.” �

SOURCE: Marine Conservation Institute, with data from MPAtlas.org


ATLANTICATLANTICATLANTICOCEANOCEANOCEAN

ARCTICOCEAN

SOUTHERNOCEAN

PACIFICOCEANOCEANOCEAN

INDIANOCEAN

AFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICA

ANTARCTICA

EUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPEEUROPE

ASIAASIAASIAASIAASIAASIAASIA

AUSTRALIA

SOUTHAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA

EQUATOR

HAWAIIWAKEATOLL

JOHNSTONATOLL

HOWLANDISLAND &BAKERISLAND

JARVISISLAND

KINGMANREEF &PALMYRAATOLL NEW CALEDONIA

SOUTH GEORGIA ANDSOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS

ATLANTICATLANTIC

SargassoSea

Marine protected areas** Includes protected areas that have beendesignated but are awaiting implementation.

Natural Park of the Coral SeaGoverned by: FranceArea: 499,000 sq mi

Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine ReserveGoverned by: AustraliaArea: 382,000 sq mi


1. The Sargasso Sea is located in which ocean? 2. Which ocean is the farthest north?

3. Natural Park of the Coral Sea is under the authority of which country?

4. Which labeled MPA covers the largest area? 5. That MPA is located off the northwestern

coast of which U.S. state? 6. The equator passes through parts of which

MPA labeled on the map?

7. Which continent has the largest total area of protected waters surrounding it?

8. Which continents border the Indian Ocean? 9. In which direction would you travel to get

from the central U.S. to the MPA under U.K. authority?

10. Which ocean lies both west of North America and South America as well as east of Asia and Australia?

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What are some obstacles to protecting the high seas? Cite facts from the text.

YOUR TURN

Watch a video about the OceanOne robot at junior.scholastic.com.

SOURCE: Marine Conservation Institute, with data from MPAtlas.org


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