Ecoregion
1. See the whole relationship in one region
Use the Mediterranean Sea to connect coastal settlement, shipping, tourism, fisheries, pollution, climate stress, and management in one place.
Ocean Literacy Principle 6
The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected
The ocean affects human life through weather, climate, freshwater, food, transport, resources, livelihoods, culture, and recreation. At the same time, human activities change ocean ecosystems, chemistry, habitats, and the atmosphere.
Guiding question: How does the ocean affect our lives, and how do our choices affect the ocean?
NMEA grade band: Grades 6–8
Other grade bands are in preparation.
At a glance
What students should take away
Students should come away understanding that people depend on the ocean wherever they live, human activities can create both benefits and harm, and management and individual choices can change future ocean outcomes.
Key ideas
- The ocean influences weather, climate, and the water cycle people depend on.
- People use the ocean for food, oxygen, resources, transport, jobs, culture, and recreation.
- The ocean influences where people live and exposes coastal communities to natural hazards.
- Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities change marine ecosystems.
- Human activities contribute to ocean warming and changes in ocean chemistry.
- Laws, management, restoration, research, and individual choices can reduce impacts and support healthy ocean ecosystems.
Teach this principle
Why this matters
The ocean and human society continually affect one another. Ocean processes support freshwater, climate, food, livelihoods, culture, and transport, while human activities alter habitats, food webs, chemistry, and physical conditions.
Start with everyday dependence
- Student task
- Ask students how the ocean affects their lives, including students who live far from the coast.
- Ask the class
- How does the ocean affect people far from the coast?
- Listen for
- Ocean heat and evaporation influence climate, rainfall, and freshwater supplies.
Connect human uses to ocean ecosystems
- Student task
- Connect food, shipping, employment, culture, recreation, and coastal communities to ocean environments and species.
- Ask the class
- Why do people live and work near the ocean?
- Listen for
- Coasts support food, transport, livelihoods, and culture, while also exposing communities to hazards.
Trace a human impact
- Student task
- Use overfishing, pollution, coastal development, shipping, or climate change to follow how an activity changes ocean habitats, chemistry, or food webs.
- Ask the class
- How could one human activity affect several parts of an ecosystem?
- Listen for
- Changes to habitats, populations, or water quality can affect connected food webs.
Compare possible responses
- Student task
- Explore fisheries management, marine protection, restoration, regulation, research, education, or changes in individual and collective behavior.
- Ask the class
- Which response addresses the impact, and how would you judge its success?
- Listen for
- A response should match the impact and use evidence to assess changes in ocean conditions.
Teaching resources
Check understanding
Choose one way people depend on the ocean and one way people change it. How are the two connected?
Explore the concepts
The ocean shapes human life and societyPeople depend on ocean processes, resources, and places in direct and indirect ways, including far from the coast.
The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
The ocean absorbs, stores, and releases heat. Ocean circulation redistributes heat around the planet, moderating temperatures and influencing weather and climate.
Ocean evaporation drives much of the water cycle. Water that evaporates from the ocean eventually returns as rain or snow, affecting freshwater supplies, agriculture, infrastructure, ecosystems, and human health.
Warm currents moving away from the equator redistribute heat toward higher latitudes. Ocean heat storage also moderates day-to-night temperature swings: heat exchange continues through day and night, with its direction depending on air and water conditions.
People depend on ocean resources and activities.
People depend on the ocean for food, medicines, materials, energy, shipping, tourism, recreation, and many different livelihoods. Coastal and ocean activities are therefore deeply connected to economies and societies.
Photosynthetic ocean organisms, including cyanobacteria, algae and seagrasses, connect human life to marine oxygen production.
The ocean is an important part of cultural identity, heritage, inspiration, discovery, and recreation.
Photosynthesis produces oxygen, while respiration and decomposition consume it. Ocean photosynthesis contributes a large share of global oxygen production; production and the amount accumulating in the atmosphere are not the same.
Historically, ocean distances separated some civilizations while voyages connected others through trade, exploration and settlement. These connections helped shape coastal cultures and population patterns.
Examples and vocabulary
Marine harvests supply human food, pet food, animal feed, food additives and fertilizer. Organism-derived compounds can be used in medicines and other products. Ocean energy resources include offshore wind, waves, oil and natural gas; salt is also extracted from seawater.
Connected concepts in other principles
The ocean influences where people liveCoasts provide access to resources, transport, work, culture, and recreation, while also exposing communities to ocean hazards.
Coastal communities receive benefits and face natural hazards.
Many people live near the ocean because coasts provide food, transport, employment, recreation, cultural connections, and access to marine resources.
Coastal communities can also be exposed to hurricanes, cyclones, storm surge, flooding, tsunamis, erosion, and sea-level change. Understanding these hazards helps communities prepare, respond, and reduce risk.
Human activities change the oceanFishing, development, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions alter ocean habitats, food webs, chemistry, and physical conditions.
Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
Fishing and aquaculture, shipping, coastal construction, extraction, pollution, and changes to rivers and wetlands can alter habitats, species populations, food webs, and water quality.
Human activities can also introduce non-native species, change sediment and freshwater flows, generate underwater noise, and move plastics, oil, chemicals, sewage, and other waste into the ocean.
How these activities are managed helps determine whether their effects are relatively sustainable or damaging.
Responsible aquaculture can supply seafood and sometimes reduce pressure on wild populations, but its effects depend on feed, species, location and management. Poorly managed farms can release excess nutrients, introduce non-native organisms and damage habitats. Fishing can also catch unintended animals, called bycatch; suitable gear and management can reduce this harm.
Some introduced species become invasive, disrupting food webs, bringing diseases or competing with native species for resources. These changes can reduce native populations; not every non-native species becomes invasive.
Land construction can increase erosion and polluted runoff or alter waterways. Structures such as piers, jetties and marinas can change sediment movement, nearby coastlines and coastal habitats.
Runoff and rivers carry pollutants through watersheds to the ocean. Atmospheric deposition and rain provide another route. Organisms can ingest or absorb toxic substances, suffer from turbid water, ingest debris or become entangled in discarded fishing nets and other waste.
Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
Human-driven increases in greenhouse gases contribute to ocean warming. Additional atmospheric carbon dioxide also dissolves in seawater and changes ocean chemistry, including through ocean acidification.
Warming and acidification can affect organisms, habitats, reproduction, shell formation, coral health, species distributions, and ecosystem processes.
Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation, slowing heat loss to space. Warming can change currents and the temperature ranges to which organisms are adapted. Acidification can reduce carbonate availability for building shells and skeletons and, under corrosive conditions, dissolve existing calcium carbonate structures.
Connected concepts in other principles
People can change ocean outcomesIndividual choices, collective action, scientific evidence, laws, and management all influence the future condition of the ocean.
Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
Laws, marine protected areas, fisheries management, pollution reduction, responsible coastal construction, habitat restoration, research, and education can all influence the future condition of the ocean.
Individuals also affect the ocean through what they buy, how they travel, how they use energy, how they dispose of waste, which organisations and policies they support, and what they share with others.
Effective ocean stewardship combines individual choices with community action, scientific evidence, regulation, and cooperation among countries.
Examples and vocabulary
Match each response to a pressure: choose seafood from responsibly managed fisheries or farms; support bycatch reduction and habitat protection; and support construction rules that limit damage to coasts.
Do not release unwanted aquarium animals, plants or water into natural habitats. Ships need ballast-water management to reduce introductions. These actions address the movement of organisms between ecosystems.
Reduce energy use with efficient appliances and by switching off unnecessary lights; walk, cycle or use public transport where practical. Recycle suitable materials and avoid littering. Products labelled biodegradable still require appropriate disposal and should not be released into the ocean.
Learn about local decisions, communicate with officials, share accurate information and, when eligible, vote on policies affecting the ocean. Young people can participate through community projects and public discussion before they can vote.
Connected concepts in other principles
Teaching resources
Start here
Threat
2. Trace dependence and extraction
Use Overfishing to discuss how dependence on ocean food and income can alter populations, food webs, and marine ecosystems.
Opportunity
3. Compare a management choice
Use Marine Reserve to discuss protection, fisheries management, collective action, and long-term ecosystem recovery.
Tool
4. Compare pressures and protection
Use WebGIS to compare where overfishing, oil spills, coastal communities, marine reserves, and other human–ocean connections occur.
Explore this principle with the platform
WebGIS
Compare overfishing, oil spills, marine reserves, coastal communities, and other mapped layers to see where ocean uses, pressures, hazards, and protection overlap.
Knowledge Graph
Trace how species, habitats, threats, opportunities, and management actions are connected across marine systems.
Cards
Use cards such as Overfishing, Oil Spill, Storm Surge, Ocean Acidification, and Marine Reserve to discuss dependence, impacts, hazards, and possible responses.
Featured Species
Species
European anchovy
European anchovy helps explain this principle because people depend on marine food webs and fisheries for food, jobs, and coastal economies.
Species
Swordfish
Swordfish illustrates how a migratory ocean species becomes part of trade, fisheries management, and debates about sustainable extraction.
Species
Turtlegrass
Turtlegrass helps show that coastal habitats support fisheries, nursery grounds, shoreline stability, and human coastal protection.
Species
Green sea turtle
Green sea turtle helps connect human impacts such as habitat change, warming, and pollution to biodiversity and conservation responsibility.
Featured Ecoregions
Ecoregion
Mediterranean Sea
Distinctive: This semi-enclosed sea is intensely used for shipping, fishing, tourism, and coastal settlement.
Connected to the global system: It helps explain how human uses, climate stress, and pollution can accumulate in a connected marine region.
Ecoregion
Florida Keys
Distinctive: This low-lying coastal system links reefs, mangroves, tourism, fisheries, and storm exposure.
Connected to the global system: It shows how human livelihoods, habitat protection, sea-level risk, and coastal water quality are tightly connected.
Ecoregion
Mesoamerican Reef
Distinctive: This reef system supports fisheries, tourism, biodiversity, and coastal protection across several countries.
Connected to the global system: It helps explain how marine ecosystems support people while also depending on management, habitat care, and climate resilience.
Featured Cards
Threat
Overfishing
Overfishing illustrates the principle by showing how dependence on marine food and income can destabilize food webs when extraction exceeds recovery.
Threat
Oil Spill
Oil Spill illustrates the principle by linking shipping, energy systems, coastal economies, and ecosystem damage.
Threat
Ocean Acidification
Ocean Acidification illustrates the principle by showing how human carbon emissions change ocean chemistry and affect marine organisms.
Opportunity
Marine Reserve
Marine Reserve illustrates the principle by showing that people can also protect habitats and manage ocean use more responsibly.
Sources and curriculum alignment
Grades 6–8 conceptual alignment: Adapted from NMEA Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Adapted from the NMEA Grades 6–8 Principle 6 CFD (2021, handbook page 55). Source notes distinguish the original concepts from qualified adaptations. Classroom tasks and platform links are Blue Biome teaching suggestions.
Source concepts and connections
The notes below paraphrase the English NMEA source. They also explain qualified adaptations and corrected references.
A · The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
- Ocean heat storage and redistribution moderate climate and support human life.
A1 · The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
- Ocean heat exchange moderates day/night temperature variation.
Adaptation notes (English)
Present day/night moderation as heat storage, not a universal reversal of heat flow at sunset.
Read the explanationA2 · The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
- Warm water moving from equator toward poles redistributes heat.
Adaptation notes (English)
Printed reference names P1 without a code; C6 identifies heat transport.
Read the explanationB · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Human life depends on the ocean.
B1 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Fisheries and aquaculture supply food.
B2 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Marine food products also supply pet food, animal feed, additives and fertilizer.
B3 · The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
- Humans require freshwater.
B4 · The ocean influences weather, climate, and freshwater.
- Ocean evaporation and precipitation replenish freshwater supplies.
B5 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- The CFD describes marine photosynthesis as producing most oxygen consumed by humans.
Adaptation notes (English)
Distinguish gross oxygen production, oxygen consumption and net atmospheric accumulation.
Read the explanationB6 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Cyanobacteria, algae and seagrasses are photosynthetic examples.
B7 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Photosynthesis produces oxygen while respiration and decomposition consume it.
Adaptation notes (English)
Distinguish gross oxygen production, oxygen consumption and net atmospheric accumulation.
Read the explanationB8 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- People use ocean resources.
B9 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Biological resources supply medicines and other products.
B10 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Ocean energy resources include wind, waves, oil and natural gas.
B11 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Salt is extracted from seawater.
C · Coastal communities receive benefits and face natural hazards.
- The ocean affects human settlement and population distribution.
C1 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Ocean distances separated civilizations while voyages connected and settled places.
C2 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- Uses include transport, commerce, exploration, recreation and inspiration.
C3 · Coastal communities receive benefits and face natural hazards.
- Ocean access supports population centers.
C4 · People depend on ocean resources and activities.
- The ocean influences coastal cultures.
C5 · Coastal communities receive benefits and face natural hazards.
- Cyclones, storm surge and tsunamis threaten coastal communities.
C6 · Coastal communities receive benefits and face natural hazards.
- Hazard knowledge and preparation reduce harm.
D · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Human activity changes the ocean and atmosphere.
D1 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Fishing and aquaculture affect marine environments.
D2 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Responsible fisheries and aquaculture can supply seafood.
D3 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Some aquaculture can reduce pressure on overfished wild populations.
Adaptation notes (English)
Aquaculture benefits depend on feed, location, species and management; pressure reduction is not guaranteed.
Read the explanationD4 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Responsible fishing can prevent overfishing and support ecosystems.
D5 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Poorly managed fishing and aquaculture damage ecosystems.
D6 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Aquaculture can release pollutants or non-native species and damage habitats.
D7 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Fishing beyond recovery and unintended catch disrupt ecosystems.
- Bycatch harms unintended species and can be reduced through fishing practices.
D8 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Non-native introductions affect ecosystems.
D9 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Some introduced species disrupt food webs, spread disease and compete with native species.
Adaptation notes (English)
Distinguish non-native introductions from invasive effects.
Read the explanationD10 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Landscape modification affects the ocean.
D11 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Land construction changes erosion, polluted runoff and waterways.
D12 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Piers, jetties and marinas change coastline shape and habitats.
D13 · Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
- Human greenhouse-gas emissions affect atmosphere and ocean temperatures.
Adaptation notes (English)
Printed P3 B5 concerns geological climate history; P3 B6 covers human emissions.
Read the explanationD14 · Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
- The CFD describes excess greenhouse gases as trapping more solar heat and raising ocean temperature.
Adaptation notes (English)
Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation; do not describe their effect as simply trapping incoming solar heat.
Read the explanationD15 · Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
- Temperature and circulation changes affect organisms' adapted ranges.
D16 · Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
- Additional carbon dioxide uptake acidifies seawater.
D17 · Greenhouse gas emissions warm the ocean and change its chemistry.
- Changed carbonate chemistry affects shell/skeleton formation and can promote dissolution.
Adaptation notes (English)
Distinguish carbonate availability for growth from dissolution under corrosive conditions.
Read the explanationD18 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Pollution affects ocean life.
D19 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Runoff and rivers transport pollutants through watersheds.
- Watersheds, rivers and runoff carry pollutants to the sea.
D20 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Toxicants, turbidity, debris ingestion and entanglement harm organisms.
D21 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Atmospheric deposition and rain transport pollutants.
- Atmospheric transport and rain deliver pollutants.
D22 · Fishing, development, pollution, and other activities alter marine ecosystems.
- Human waste includes garbage, fishing nets and sewage.
E · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Individual and collective actions support a healthy ocean.
E1 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Continuing research informs policy and individual choices.
E2 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- National/international governance addresses fishing, development and protected areas.
E3 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Sustainable fishing maintains populations, reduces bycatch and protects habitats.
E4 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Protected areas can protect marine organisms and habitats.
E5 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Responsible development supports coastal integrity.
E6 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Public learning and action matter.
E7 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Informed decisions can reduce human impacts.
E8 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Responsible seafood choices can support better fishing practices.
Adaptation notes (English)
Do not promise sustainable outcomes from a purchase alone or imply biodegradable products can be discarded at sea.
Read the explanationE9 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Avoiding organism releases and managing ballast water reduces introductions.
- Avoid organism releases and manage ballast water to reduce introductions.
E10 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Supporting construction regulation can limit coastal harm.
E11 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Efficient energy use and lower-emission transport address climate impacts.
E12 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- The CFD names recycling, biodegradable products and not littering as pollution-reduction actions.
Adaptation notes (English)
Do not promise sustainable outcomes from a purchase alone or imply biodegradable products can be discarded at sea.
Read the explanationE13 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Purchases and business choices influence outcomes.
E14 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Voting is one way eligible citizens influence ocean policy.
- Political participation, including voting, can influence ocean decisions.
E15 · Laws, management, restoration, and individual choices shape the ocean’s future.
- Actions and accurate information support advocacy.
Concept pathways (English)
Heat and water support human life
Resources, culture and settlement
Coastal hazards and preparation
Extraction, introductions and development affect ecosystems
Emissions, heat and ocean chemistry
Pollutant routes and harm
Evidence, governance and individual action