Ocean Space: Use and Protection

Abstract

OVER THE COMING DECADES THE OCEANS WILL PROVIDE many resources for higher living standards-waste disposal sites, transportation, recreation, and food. Economic considerations to a large extent will govern how various parts of the marine environment are used, because ocean space, like land, has a spectrum of values. Coastal areas can be compared with land in central Tokyo: both are very costly. On the other hand, some deep ocean waters are more similar to the Sahara desert, clearly of lesser worth. To much of the world's populace, the beaches of the marine shorelines are the most desirable resource, providing a site for a variety of social activities, including recreation and aesthetic pleasures. Industrial and maricultural activities enhance the economic value of the coastal region. In this article I will consider some possible changes and problems in the use of ocean space over the next several decades. I will suggest potential developments in the disposal of societal wastes, transportation, recreation, and marine farming and ranching. Such activities involve renewable resources. (I will not consider the nonrenewable resources such as gas, oil, and ferromanganese minerals that can be mined from the sea.) I will emphasize the issue of waste management since this is the area in which the ocean will probably provide the greatest economic and social benefits. TIwo caveats guide this presentation. First, since each of these uses can affect another, the protection of ocean space depends upon the identification of any insulting forces. Further, the resolution of conflicts of use is the key to successful exploitation of renewable ocean resources.