Marine Resources:
Resources are things that are important to human beings. There are many things in the ocean; both abiotic and biotic that has utilities to human being and are called marine resources.
Marine resources can be classified into the following types:
- Biotic Resources
- Abiotic resources
- Mineral Resources
- Energy Resources
Biotic Resources:
Biotic resources can be further classified into the following types:
- Plankton
- Nekton
- Benthos
Plankton:
It can be further classified into:
Phytoplankton:
- It is autotrophs, floating micro plants. For example, Algae and diatoms.
Zooplankton:
- These are floating micro animals.
Necton:
It can be further classified into :
- Fishes
- Mammals such as dolphins and Blue whale
Benthos:
Benthos lives in the benthos zone of the ocean which means on the ocean floor mainly on the continental shelf.
For example,
- Seaweeds
- Mangrove Forest
- Coral reef
Fish Resources:
- Fishes are marine biotic resources that are not equally distributed over the ocean. The following are some fishing hotspots n the Ocean:
- Japan Sea where Oyashic cold current and Kuroshio warm current meets.
- Peru coast where Humboldt ( cold current) and Equaratieal warm current meets.
- California coast on the meeting point of California( cold current) and Alaska Warm current.
- Newfoundland on the meeting point of Labrador cold current and Gulf stream warm current.
- Canaries islands on the meeting point of canaries' cold current and warm current.
- South Africa coast on the Atlantic sides where Benguela cold current and South equatorial warm current meet.
Seaweeds:
- Seaweeds are plankton which has high nutritional values and can be used as nutritional supplements for achieving nutritional security.
- It is also used in pharmaceuticals, textile, fodder, fertile, and biomass.
- It will help to overcome food shortages with the growing population.
Mangrove Forest:
- It is developed in the coastal region.
- It acts as a guard against sea storms, and tides.
- It controls soil erosion in the coastal areas.
- It also provides fuel to human beings and the rich habitat of biodiversity.
Mineral Resources:
- Salt
- Manganese or seawater Magnesia
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Cobalt
- Pearl
- Sulfur found in the Gulf of Mexico
- Diamond found in South Africa's Continental Shelf
- Monazite sand on Kerala shore
Salt:
- Salt is a mineral marine resource that is also not uniformly distributed.
- India is the third-largest salt producer country after China and the USA.
- Salt is extracted commercially where upwelling happens that means along with the cold current coast.
For Example,
- Peru cost
- California
- The canaries or Moroocoo Coast
- Benguela Coast
- West Australian coast
Energy Resources:
- Non-renewable
- Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Renewable
- Tidal Energy
- Wave Energy
- Winds Energy
Petroleum and Natural Gas
- The Continental shelf is the largest reservoir of offshore petroleum and natural gas.
- Bombay high on the Mumbai coast is one example.
- Exploration is underway in the Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal, Madagascar, and the Northwest coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean.
- The Arctic continental shelf is the largest reservoir of offshore petroleum.
- South China Sea
- Brazil coast
- Mexico Coast
The distribution of Marine resources is shown in the above image.
Try to solve the following question:
- Identify the importance of biotic resource regions of India and highlight their problems. ( UPSC 2016,250 words, 20 marks)
- Evaluate the impact of technology on resource utilization in India. (UPSC 2016, 200 words, 15 marks)
- Marine resources are economically very significant. Discuss citing suitable examples. (UPSC-2020, 10 Marks, 150 words)
- Describe the potential marine energy resources with reference to their benefits, harvestability, and environmental impacts. (UPSC 2018, 250 words, 20 marks)
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- समुद्री संसाधन आर्थिक रूप से बहुत महत्वपूर्ण हैं। उपयुक्त उदाहरणों उद्दत करते हुए विवेचना कीजिये
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