- Covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface
- Contains 97% of the planet’s water
- More than 95% remains unexplored
- Supports the life of nearly 50% of all species on Earth
- Scientists estimate that 1 million-plus species remain unknown
- Contains 99% of the living space on Earth
- Provides nearly 50% of Earth’s oxygen
- Provides 20% of the world’s protein supply12
- National Ocean Economics Program. State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies., ONLINE. 2009. Available: http://www.OceanEconomics.org/nationalreport [7 May 2010]. [↩]
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Projected Participation in Marine Recreation: 2005 & 2010, National Survey on Recreation and the Environment 2000., ONLINE. 2005. Available: http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov/nsre/nsreforecast.pdf [7 May 2010]. [↩]
