The current and past state of the oceans

On the occasion of the V Centenary of the Magellan–Elcano Circumnavigation, Dr. Eva Calvo Costa, Researcher and Senior Scientist of the Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona - Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), will give a lecture about the Current and past state of the oceans.

The lecture will deepen into the evolution of the world’s oceans, starting from the discovery of these seas to make a comparison of the current condition and the destruction they have witnessed, as well as the role of science and the value of knowledge in history as a weapon for the protection of our planet.

Other aspects will be discussed, such as threats to marine biodiversity, including adverse effects on climate change and health due to the impact of human actions on ecology and the importance of intelligent waste management. The physical, chemical, biological and geological effects that explain the current state of the oceans will be also reviewed, generating essential research and technology for their sustainable management, giving the anthropic pressure they suffer on a global scale (ex: Plastics Island), and the overexploitation of the species in the ecosystem, both of the coastal strip and the continental shelf. Instruments and actions that should be applied urgently will be highlighted, such as the creation of an adequate international network of marine reserves, which will allow future generations to enjoy the oceans.