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Understanding the sea
Fig. 1 | Exploring the oceans
M
ore than 70% of the surface
of the Earth is covered with
seawater, which has a huge
influence on life on our
planet. Oceans play an important role in communication, whether
via ship, cable, pipeline or air traffic, and
are reservoirs of natural resources. Yet the
potential of the sea is largely untapped
and even unexplored, partly because
of the logistical difficulties and the
specialist equipment needed to reach all
areas (Fig. 1). Reserves of gas and oil have
not been fully identified, and we have not
yet begun to exploit alternative energy
sources, such as thermal, wind, wave or
tidal energy, significantly, let alone the
mineral stores beneth the sea bed.
Oceans also play a central role in
scientific research, whether it is focused on
economic endpoints or on understanding
the natural world through questions of
climatology, palaeoclimatology, biology or
geophysics. The seas play an important
role in global weather patterns: oceanic
currents, such as the Gulf Stream, influence the global climate and affect the
climatological features of different regions.
The oceans are themselves influenced by
climate change: ice melting in the Arctic
and its influence on the Arctic Ocean is
one example.
The world’s oceans are also deeply
affected by global economic and demographic developments. Technical advances
and explosive population growth in the
past century have led to an increased consumption of marine resources. Use of the
oceans for wind farms or waste disposal
have created conflicts. The overexploitation of resources, pollution of the seas and
climate change have damaged marine resources, leading to drastically reduced fish
stocks and even the extinction of some
Modern oceanic exploration employs a range of vehicles, including ships such as the
Polarstern and Heincke, which deliver manually operated and remote -controlled diving
vehicles such as the QUEST4000.
species of marine life, as well as ecological
damage to the marine environment.
NEW FRAMEWORKS AND MODELS
TO PROTECT THE OCEANS
Since the seventeenth century, the world’s
seas and oceans — defined as starting
3 miles from a nation’s coastline — have
been viewed as ‘international waters’, and
therefore as a resource not subject to
national sovereignty1. By the twentieth
century, however, it became necessary to
establish new legal frameworks to solve
conflicts over mineral rights and fish
stocks, and to guarantee sustainable use of
the oceans.
In 1973, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea2,3 led to certain
‘property rights’ — such as exclusive economic zones, which have helped to define
rights and responsibilities, but new solutions are required4,5. The oceans play an
important role for life on Earth in many
respects, and the accelerating pace of
U
nderstanding the sea is the focus of the International Max Planck
Research School for Maritime Affairs, which was established
in 2002 as a cooperation between the Max Planck Institutes
for Comparative and International Private Law, for Comparative
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Research Perspectives of the Max Planck Society | 2010+
scientific discovery requires a more flexible approach.
Microbiologists, molecular biologists
and biochemists must work together to
understand the microbial life of the
oceans. Through an evolutionary process
that has continued for nearly 4 billion
years, microorganisms have developed an
enormous variety of metabolic processes,
serving as catalysts for the breakdown of
organic and inorganic substances (Fig. 2).
They play a crucial role in global nutrient
cycles and the regulation of greenhouse
gases. Yet only 1% of the Earth’s marine
microorganisms have been identified,
emphasizing how much research lies
ahead.
Meteorological impact also needs to be
studied in order to understand how phy
sical, chemical and biological processes, as
well as human behaviour, contribute to
sustaining life on Earth and slowing or
accelerating global and regional climate
changes. Complex computer models that
incorporate these elements can help to
Public Law and International Law, and for Meteorology, as well as the
University of Hamburg in Germany. Its researchers address the legal,
economic, geophysical and ecological aspects of the use, protection and
organization of the oceans, as marine resources are becoming scarce.
HUMANITIES
The world’s oceans serve as a source of energy and natural resources, and
play a crucial role in global weather patterns, but they are under threat from
overconsumption of resources, pollution and climate change.
We have hardly begun to explore what oceans contain in terms of marine
life and types of resource.
Flexible legal frameworks and new scientific models are needed to deal with
these challenges, to ease conflict and guarantee sustainable ocean use.
explain the natural variability of the
atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere,
and attempt to predict the influence of
changes in land use, industrial development, urbanization and other human
activities on global and regional climate.
The role of the ocean in long-term climate
change is yet to be fully elucidated.
In addition to research, maritime law
plays an important role: it affects such
disparate events as the laying of undersea
pipelines; the consequences of climate
change for the Arctic and the settling of
maritime conflicts and piracy. Maritime
laws includes the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which conducts groundbreaking research in the area
of the deep-sea floor. The ocean floor will
be subject to international administration
under the auspices of an international
organization: the Seabed Authority. This is
the first instance in modern international
law in which such comprehensive territorial jurisdiction is exercised by international organization. It regards itself as representing humankind, and, in addition to
its administrative and supervisory roles, it
also has a redistributive function. This too
is unique. The effects of this approach on
the continuing development of international law remain to be explored.
left
In January 2004,
a toxic sulphur
hydrogen cloud
(light blue)
emerged in the
coastal waters
near the Republic
of Namibia.
below
Researchers
from the Bremen
Max Planck
Institute, aboard
the Alexander
von Humboldt,
used molecular
biological
methods to
identify the
microorganisms
responsible.
FUTURE CHALLENGES
Meeting the challenges of exploring what
the oceans have to offer and how to use
these resources sustainably requires a substantial investment of personnel and
financial resources. The oceans’ biological
diversity, geological features and influence
on the world’s climate have not been
sufficiently explored, and research gaps
still exist. These tasks will require an
interdisciplinary approach, encompassing
many areas of biology, chemistry, meteorology, palaeontology and geology, as well
as the social and legal sciences. It can only
be hoped that this is a cooperation that
will also benefit other areas of science and
the natural world.
➟ For references see pages 94 and 95
Latitude
Images: courtesy of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Image reproduced with permission from Nature Lavik, G. et al (Ref 6)
Fig. 2 | Toxic clouds in the sea
Longitude
2010+ | Research Perspectives of the Max Planck Society
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