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|  Covering about 70% of the earth's surface, the oceans are a highly productive system which continuously recycles chemicals, nutrients and water through the 'hydrological cycle', which powers climate and weather, and which regulates global temperature by acting as a giant heat reservoir from the sun. About two-thirds of the world's population live within 60 kilometres of the coast, and almost half of the world's cities with more than one million people are sited in and around the tide-washed river mouths known as estuaries. From a human point of view, oceans are also a major source of food and employment, and provide natural routes for communication, transportation and trade. | | | | The About section of the UN Atlas of the Oceans contains background information important for understanding the oceans. The focus is on information relevant to sustainable development. The foundation for much of this material is Man and the Ocean, a CD-ROM produced by the Russian Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography (HDNO). | | | | Other organizations have also contributed to the development of the section, particularly NOAA in organizing and editing HDNO materials and contributing countless Knowledge Objects - such as documents, web- sites and technical materials. (Image courtesy of NOAA) | | | | |
 | | | | | News Websites  SeaWeb Home Page SeaWeb is a project designed to raise awareness of the world ocean and the li...
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1076 Topics - 5135 Related Knowledge - 2534 Members - 34 Editors |
