Open AccessMarine life report highlights need for baseline knowledge
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo460005
Subject(s) - marine life , baseline (sea) , abundance (ecology) , marine species , diversity (politics) , habitat , marine protected area , geography , marine biology , marine ecosystem , marine habitats , ecology , biology , fishery , ecosystem , political science , law
While there is a dearth of current knowledge about marine organisms and their habitats, there is also the potential for a vastly improved understanding of the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life, according to a new report on life in the world's oceans. A baseline report, issued by the Census of Marine Life on 23 October, indicates that the final tally for marine species diversity could be up to 10 times higher than the 210,000 marine life forms currently recognized by science. About 1,860 new marine species are being cataloged each year on average, the report states.