![]() ![]() A stilted, wilting existence that neither adapts nor flowers. Think of it as tuning an instrument, in order for good music to be made the instrument must be calibrated.īut it’s also about art, creating meaning for yourself through what you choose to create, build. The growth I want to talk about, the growth I want is more of a psychological and spiritual one. But in moderation they do help us enjoy the journey along the way. In excess they can leave us in nervous exhaustion or apathy. Good food, loud music, and feeling euphoric are not the purpose of our existence. It’s also not a perpetual indulgence of sensory pleasures and feelings to the exclusion of all else. I’m not against these things as such, but I see them as not as the aim of life, but a possible side effect of making good life choices. It’s not about getting that more expensive car, upgrading to a bigger house, chasing status and wealth. To me, thriving is not about the materialistic growth of accumulation. But what does it mean?Īlthough it may obvious, I ask the question because my ideas may not be the same as yours. Imagine a world where we lose our ocean giants, our resident coastal cetacean communities, and the ability to show our children the beauty and extreme diversity of these incredible animals.‘Not just to live, but to thrive’ That’s the motto here. 'As apex predators in the ocean, cetaceans play an important role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. This is particularly important for solitary species like the blue whale who call to each other across large distances to find a mate, and social species like killer whales who communicate when they hunt. In addition, our studies indicate the effects of other sub-lethal stressors such as ocean noise pollution, which hampers the ability of large whale species to communicate with each other. Richard says, 'Many of these pollutants were banned decades ago but they are very persistent and are still circulating through marine ecosystems. The chemicals build up over time and can damage the animals' immune systems and ability to reproduce. Whales eat these toxins and pass them onto their young. Museum scientist Richard Sabin has analysed this earwax and identified traces of toxins which were once used in pesticides, paints and plastics. Chemicals, light and noise all affect marine life too.įor example, throughout their long lives, whales build up large plugs of wax inside their ear canals. Plastic isn't the only source of pollution. So if those animals get smaller, there would be less productivity within the oceans systems. Certain organisms like burrowing sea urchins and mud shrimp that live within the seafloor are really important for nutrient recycling. Warm water decreases an ecosystem's productivity too. Even aside from climate change, we've been overfishing for a long time now, and we have already eaten a lot of the bigger animals in the water. So, it's looking likely that our fish portions will shrink in the future. Richard explains, ‘We have measured the sizes of fossils to test this prediction and in almost all cases marine animals became smaller as temperatures rose in the past. Smaller fish will have knock-on effects up the food chain, and result in smaller predators too, like sharks. They won't be affected in the same way, but everything else will. Other animals breathe air, like whales and turtles, so they get their oxygen from the atmosphere. Any animal with gills will suffer, including fish, oysters, octopus and crabs. Some animals will get smaller as their watery home gets hotter and oxygen disappears. Pollution will only add to the devastation unless we stop it. These are areas of the ocean where the water quality is too poor to sustain life. When the oxygen levels go down, dead zones will expand. Anyone who owns a fish tank knows you need air bubbling through it because the fish inside will use up the oxygen.' 'Warm water holds less oxygen, which is a big problem for marine animals. The rocks and fossils show us that as temperature increased in the past, oxygen levels fell and huge areas of the seafloor became uninhabitable. It has happened to Earth many times before, and here in the Museum we have collections of fossil animals and plants that date back millions of years, so we can see how they responded. Research leader Prof Richard Twitchett says, 'We have a really good idea of what oceans look like when the climate warms. Museum scientists study these past periods of climate change so they can predict what will happen to ocean animals in the future. The water will be warmer and it will hold less oxygenĮven if we stopped all fishing and tackled plastic pollution, life underwater would still be struggling to deal with climate change.Įarth's oceans have been around for billions of years, and they've gone through periods of warming and cooling before. ![]()
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