From Puget Sound to Indonesia and beyond, our waters are interconnected through one shared world ocean.
Our actions – to harm or protect our marine environment – have a ripple effect around the world. Learn more about how our ocean is connected and how Seattle Aquarium is making a difference in ocean conservation by exploring the map below.
Waters linked across the Pacific
Our waters are all connected. What happens here is directly linked to ocean health around the globe. The Salish Sea and Coral Triangle share many of the same challenges—from plastic on our beaches to the need to protect iconic species and the impacts of climate change. We must work together to find common solutions to the crisis facing our one world ocean.
Habitat Decline
Salish Sea
Southern resident orcas are critically endangered and face dwindling food sources.
Coral Triangle
Whale sharks face threats to their food sources and from human encroachment.
Climate Change
Salish Sea
Ocean acidification hurts and oyster's ability to form shells during reproduction
Coral Triangle
Corals face mass die-offs as the main result of ocean acidification and warming waters.
Endangered Wildlife
Salish Sea
Eelgrass beds act as nurseries of the sea and are in decline.
Coral Triangle
Mangroves are critical habitats for juvenile fish and face continued strain from humans.
The ocean is the source of the air we breathe, the food we eat and the rain that makes our region green.
Its power and beauty inspire joy and shape cultures around the world. Its rich resources fuel our economies, our health and our lives.
- More than half of the world’s oxygen comes from the ocean.
- The ocean controls our climate and weather, making our planet habitable.
- The ocean is home to some of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet—and 80% of it has yet to be explored.
Climate change reveals the vulnerability of our marine ecosystems.
Industrial pollution, destructive overfishing, oil spills, noise, nearshore habitat loss, and warming and acidifying waters are choking the ocean and endangering all life on Earth—including ours.
- Human activities are driving unprecedented extinction and disrupting the balance of ecosystems, with impacts ranging from coral bleaching to marine dead zones of insufficient oxygen.
- The ocean has already absorbed 90% of the excess heat from global warming.
- Despite these threats, less than 1% of the ocean is currently protected for marine life.
We can go beyond limiting harm.
We can restore health to our ocean and create planet-positive buildings, communities and entire cities that give back more than they take from their natural environment.
At this defining moment for our ocean and our planet, this mission matters more than ever.
We can move conservation forward from sustainability to regeneration. We can leave our ocean and our world healthier than we found it. We can be the pivotal generation that reverses the damage of the industrial past and turns toward a hopeful future.
