Importance of Oceans for Kids | Learn why Earth's oceans are so significant

Did you know that over 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year? In our Importance of Oceans for Kids video, we discuss why it's so essential to take care of the water that covers our beautiful earth. In fact, seawater makes up two-thirds of our planet! Most of that water flows in the five interconnected oceans. And this water provides us with so many important benefits.

The ocean is vital to our planet because it produces over half of the world's oxygen supply. It also absorbs 50 times more carbon that the atmosphere. We can also turn to the ocean for food, transportation, and recreation. When it comes to food supply, we are talking about more than just fish. Did you know that ingredients in peanut butter and soymilk are also found in the ocean? In addition, the ocean helps regulate weather patterns, creates employment opportunities, and provides ingredients for medicines.

Ocean mining and plastic pollution are two major problems for our oceans. Ocean mining produces plumes of sediment that blanket sections of the ocean floor. It chokes filter-feeding species and the fish swimming amidst the debris and destroys habitats. Plastic is a major concern because it doesn't decompose. The constant movement in the water simply breaks it down into smaller pieces called microplastics. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of debris between Hawai'i and California that is twice the size of Texas. This floating mass of plastic is estimated to be 80,000 tons.

We hope you and your student(s) enjoyed learning about the world's beautiful ocean! If you want to learn even more, head over to our website and download one of our many lesson plans about the ocean, full of activities, worksheets, and more!